Page 148 of Brutal Legacy

The derisive offer split the tension down the middle, and a laugh spilled from me, which trailed off into a gasp when he ghosted his fingers along my slit and found my clit.

“A mood killer, from the trained killer,” I said.

He chuckled. I couldn’t find balance. I was happy and sad, regretful and grateful.

He thumbed the tears from under my eyes with his free hand.

“Why are you crying? Did I scare you?” he asked.

I shook my head. He had his demons. He had lived in hell.

But he could never scare me.

“Even when I didn’t know who you really were… you didn’t really scare me,” I said. “You saved me. You’ve only ever saved me.”

“Well, you saved me, too… more than you know. If there was any shred of humanity left in me, burning through the darkness… it was my love for you.” Then he kissed me again, his finger pumping inside me. “Now, my little country mouse, now that the dragons are slain and the demons are vanquished, you’re left with just one to deal with.”

His lips curved in a grin as I gasped, just about to come.

“And I’m going to make you scream.”

Salvatore De Sanctiscalled in some old favors with the local cops and had the whole night erased from record. Elio’s men flew in and took care of the bodies. The DIA pushed forward with the charges against the capo of the Ravelli family, and five prominent players, including the capo and his sons, were arrested.

The De Sanctis estate had been closed up for the better part of five years. Women from the village came to open it up, airing out the stuffy rooms and dusting off the past. The swimming pool was cleaned and the gardens cut back. Within a week, it was thriving again.

Renato and Charlie came to stay, as did Giada and her husband, Bran.

“Are you ready to go shopping? I know all the best places. You’ll be inspired to design a whole line of dresses just for me… with space for knives, that’s important,” Giada said, then snagged a croissant from the table and took a big bite.

I was sitting in the orangery, looking out at the pool where Elio was doing laps. I couldn’t stop staring.

“What are you doing?” Giada asked when I failed to respond.

“Enjoying the view,” I said and sipped my coffee.

She followed my eyes and then groaned. “That’s my brother.”

I just smirked at her. “And my husband… Looks like he’s not alone.”

Bran had wandered out onto the sun-drenched poolside and was watching Elio, no doubt making some kind of smart-ass commentary.

Giada sank down next to me and kicked her feet up on the window ledge. “Okay, I take it back, the view is great.”

We watched in companionable silence for a few minutes.

Charlie appeared in the doorway. “Hey, are you ready? Change of plans… Georgia needs to stay here. Elio will bring her into the city in a little bit. He has a surprise.”

She was taking a short break from her work and studies. We’d become friends effortlessly. In the month since Elio had come back into my life, suddenly, being lonely felt like a distant memory. I had girlfriends and family, I had a husband, and I had a purpose again. My life in LA had wrapped up neatly. Erica was on her way to visit me soon, and I’d heard that the killing spree at the dress shop was unsolved. It seemed that someone had wiped all the CCTV footage of the location and all the blocks around it that night. I had a pretty strong feeling that someone was sitting next to me. The more I got to know about Giada, the more terrifying she was.

“A surprise? I wonder what that could be,” I said.

“Maybe you’re pregnant,” Giada joked.

“I feel like she might know before Elio.” Charlie sighed, sinking down into a chair and taking a slice of melon from the platter on the table.

“If the man were a mere human, maybe, but this is my brother. He knows all… he’s always watching. He’s probably taking yourtemperature at night and studying your discharge with military precision.”

“Giada!” I protested and threw a pillow at her. “That isn’t an image I need to have right now.”

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