Page 97 of Revenge & Ruin

Isabella is not only learning the horror of the truth, but also that she wasliedto about it by someone she clearly trusted.

And though our grandparents, and great grandparents and generations of Vitales and Natalis are probably turning in their graves, I hold her all the tighter.

After a long while, her body stops shaking and a muffled voice whispers into my chest. “She admitted it. I didn’t realize then, but she said she would have happily cleaned up theloose ends.”

I let the familiar wave of anger rise and fall within me. “I’m sorry, Isabella.”

“No,” she half chokes. “No, don’t you dare. It’s me that needs to apologize.”

“Don’t. It still doesn’t change anything, does it? She’s still your mother.”

She opens her mouth to protest but seems to think better of it. “She needs to be brought to justice for this.”

“You know what kind of justice I require.”

Isabella shakes her head. “No. No. Don’t do that. Let me talk to Leon. When he knows the truth, he’ll cast her out. We’ll abandon her, we can…”

Her mouth suddenly goes slack.

“What?”

“Leon,” she squeaks.

“What about Leon?” I say more urgently.

She looks at me with wide eyes. “Phase two. Teo, we need to stop him.”

“Stop him from what? Isabella. Tell me right now.”

She scrambles to her feet, suddenly looking absolutely terrified. “He set fire to the casino when? Yesterday? What time?”

Baffled, I get to my feet, too. “It was afternoon…late afternoon.”

She curses loudly as she whips around the room, searching for her clothes. “He knows the only way to defeat the Guild is to get to you. But when that happens, he needs a clean surrender. There can’t be anyone left who would remain loyal to you.”

I rummage for my own clothes as cool dread slips down my spine. “What are you talking about?”

“Rocco,” she cries. “He’s going after Rocco.”

26

ISABELLA

My hands tremble as I grip the edge of the car seat, watching Teo’s face in the dim glow of the dashboard. He’s silent, eyes focused on the road with a deadly intensity, his fingers tight around the wheel.

He hasn’t said a word since I told him what Leon is planning. I can barely stand to look at him, guilt twisting in my stomach like a hot blade.

I feel like a traitor, caught between blood and love. I feel like a fool for believing my mother so readily and without question when Leon has been warning me foryears.

Now, he’s starting a war for me just because I believed my mother’s lies. He burned down a casino because he believed that I was doing the right thing.

This is all my fault.

I try calling him again, but it goes straight to voicemail.

“Come on, Leon. Please,”I murmur to myself, mentally begging him.

If he knew the truth, he would stop this. I know he would. I just pray that it’s not already too late for that.

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