Page 74 of Twisted Knight

I grimaced. “Francesca?”

Luca looked grim as he gave me a sharp nod.

“Oh, but that's not all, is it, Gianluca?” Matteo’s smile was now downright predatory. “What did you have to do to convince your father?”

Luca glared at him. “We’re done.”

“No, I don’t think so. He stepped up for you. Bowed down to his father, promising to follow his lead.”

“You gave all that up for me?” I hardly believed it was possible.

Luca looked at me like I was an idiot. “You’re my best friend. Of course I did, and there was not a day I regretted it. I had to save you.”

“Ahhh, I would cry if I had feelings,” Matteo mocked.

It was Luca’s turn to smile at Matteo. “Now it’s your time, isn’t it? Do you want to do it or should I?”

Matteo shrugged like he didn’t care, but I’d seen him come undone before. I recognized the signs, in particular the tick of his jaw. Now that I knew the signs, he couldn’t hide anymore.

“So I found out that Matteo here had an ulterior motive to let me help you. Apparently, he had a hard time saying no to save his brother.”

“Half brother,” Matteo corrected.

“Who’s half—”

I stopped dead, turning sharply toward Matteo. Him? I shook my head; it had to be a joke. I looked back at Luca who gave me a sharp nod. The look in his eyes was enough to tell me that it was anything but a joke.

“My father was your father too?”

Matteo curled his lips in disgust. “Fuck no! Like I would ever want to share genes with that low-life, messed-up scum.”

I was still too surprised to mention how ironic of him to call anyone ‘messed-up.’

“No, your mother was a friendly woman… who liked to spread love.”

It was a nice way to say my mother was a prostitute.

“My father met her during a trip from Italy and well…” Matteo smirked. “Geneovese’s charms are hard to resist.”

“Charms? Is that what you call coercion and blackmail?” Luca asked, easing some of the tension.

I threw Luca an amused look as Matteo gave him his middle finger.

“The man who raised you didn’t appreciate that his girl cheated on him.” He shook his head. “I think he married her and claimed the child as a punishment to her and to him.”

“How?” I shook my head. “When did you find out?” I hated him even more for letting me suffer.

“When Gianluca requested the right to kill your father, this is when my father told me.”

“And you didn't think it was worth sharing?” I asked sarcastically.

“No, I did not.” He sighed, rolling his eyes. “I saved your life. I gave you blood. Can we just move on?”

“You—” I turned to Luca. “He saved me?”

Luca opened his mouth to answer, but Matteo interrupted him.

“Why are you so surprised?” Matteo's voice was laced with irritation.

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