Page 83 of Twisted Games of Revenge

“Who’s in the photo?” I ask, wishing I paid more attention to it.

“All of us: Ricky, Maddox, Geovani, Marco, and a little girl with red curls wearing a silver tiara and a puffy pink dress. I didn’t remember her name until today. When I saw that image again after all this time, it was like something clicked and the memories came flooding back.”

I stare back at him. He’s implying it was me. “I know this place gives me the fucking creeps, but I don’t remember coming here as a child.”

“You wouldn’t. I remember that day because I was fifteen already, you would have been way too little. Everything was fine at the party; it was Ricky’s first birthday celebration since his mother died, and my parents had made a whole big deal out of it, inviting every person they knew.”

“I remember that day, I was ten,” Ricky agrees, his attention coming back to me. “And you were the little princess that kept following Marco around.”

“She was trouble even back then,” Maddox says, and I can see he’s remembering the day as well. But I have nothing. I must have been too young. If Ricky was ten, I couldn’t have been more than five at the time.

“After all the guests left, your ma was still here with you and Marco. You had fallen asleep on the rug while I was showing the boys how to use Ricky’s new PlayStation. When I overheard them fighting. Something about your ma lying to Enzo and he couldn’t forgive her for it. Then he drove you all home because he said your mother was too intoxicated to drive. I had never seen him so angry before. The next thing I remember was Valentina receiving a call to say her friend, your ma, was dead. My mother was distraught and wouldn’t stop screaming at him, he had to bring in a doctor to sedate her. She was shouting, ‘why do you have to take everything I love away from me? Why do you hate me?’ Like he was punishing her. It stuck in my head because she wailed it on repeat all night.”

“I remember,” Maddox agrees like it’s suddenly dawning on him as well.

Alex takes my hand, and I stare at him in shock, trying to process what he’s telling me. “I’m sorry, princess I didn’t link any of this up until I saw that photo tonight. But it has to be your ma, and with that fucking story Enzo told about the painting over his bed.”

I shudder at the thought. “There is no way she could have been his first love like he implied. But maybe if that was Valentina’s, she could have been hers? It’s the only logical explanation. And it matches up with the intel Marco got from that cop as well. But what did she lie to him about?”

“We might never know,” Alex says sadly.

Laughter erupts from the back patio, and we all move to see who is coming our way.

Enzo has Julia hanging onto his arm as he helps her down the stairs. She’s laughing hysterically and looking at him like he hung the moon. They sway through the garden together, and he pushes her up against a stone retaining wall, kissing her passionately.

My eyes go wide. “Where’s your mom?”

“Probably passed out at the table,” Maddox growls.

“Take Viv straight to the car,” Alex says to Geovani. “I’ll go say our goodbyes and make sure she’s not dead.”

I dash across the dew-kissed lawn, careful to avoid being seen by Enzo and Julia. I can’t face him again. As I make it back inside, Walt approaches me, a cunning smile on his lips I don’t like the look of. I glance back over my shoulder wondering where Geovani is. He was right behind me, but I can see he has been stopped by Valentina. I pause in the doorway, so he can still see me and me him. I don’t trust this dude for a second.

“Hey there, sweetheart,” he purrs, his voice a low rumble. “Where are you off to in such a hurry? The night is only just beginning to get fun.”

“Sorry, I’m tired and so are the boys. We might have to leave you lot to it. I think your wife is in the garden with Enzo if you’re looking for her,” I say, not giving two shits what he’s about to walk in on. Maybe he will kill Enzo for us and the job will be done. Ducking my head, I try to sidestep him, but his presence is imposing and hard to ignore.

He gets in my way, using his size to his advantage. “Don’t you dare walk away from me.” He grabs my arm, his fingers digging into my flesh painfully. “I have it on good authority Enzo has paid you a significant amount of cash for your compliance. That’s why you’re marrying Alessandro. It’s also why you will do whatever I want you to right now.”

I blink back at him, shocked at his brazenness. “Enzo and I may have a deal, but it’s got nothing to do with you and whatever your perverted mind is thinking,” my words, sharp and barbed, hiss with a bitterness. How fucking dare he!

He shakes my arm violently, so hard I can already feel the bruises forming under the surface. “You don’t have a fucking choice if you don’t want me to spill all your secrets to Alex. I’msure he would love to hear how daddy bought such a sweet piece of ass for him. Probably not going to go down well for you.”

Out of my periphery, I see Geovani striding across the lawn toward us. My eyes narrow in on Walt, a fresh wave of fury radiating through me. “Don’t try to blackmail me, asshole, it will only end badly for you.” I reef my arm out of his grip and go to walk away.

Next thing I know I’m being slammed up against the hard stone wall. “Listen here, you little slut…” is all he gets out before Geovani rips him off me and punches him across the face, sending him flying across the shiny marble floor.

Geovani pulls my now trembling body into his. “You okay?” His hands roam over my arms, inspecting me for signs of injury.

“Yes,” I whisper, feeling more vulnerable than I want to in front of this asshole. But this baby has me on edge. It’s not just myself I have to protect now, it’s the little human growing inside of me. “Just a silly disagreement, wasn’t it, Walt.” I glance down at the pathetic man on the floor in front of me, hoping Geovani won’t make more of a scene. I want us all to get out of here alive tonight.

Geovani glares down at him. “Touch her again and I will rip you limb from limb. I don’t care who the fuck you are,” his voice thick with malice and a chilling promise of what’s to come.

The commissioner hustles to his feet and brushes off his suit, wiping the blood dripping from his busted nose with the back of his hand. “The two of you will regret this. Enzo will make sure of it,” he seethes before taking off in the direction of the bathrooms.

Geovani wraps an arm around my shoulders and guides me away from him. “What the fuck was that, Viv?”

I glance up at the ceiling, knowing there would be cameras around inside here someplace. “Just a disagreement like I said,”I mutter, knowing this conversation can wait until we get in the car. Right now, we all just need to get out of here.

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