Page 63 of His to Destroy

“He’d...He said he was following you, because you were gonna see the Spadafora princess.”

Anger runs through my veins, boiling my blood.

“Is that what he called her?”

Carlo nods.

“And did he say anything else? Why he felt the need to follow me to see her?”

“He said he knew you’d be too weak to teach her a lesson she’d never forget,” Carlo rattles on. “Said you’d even fall for her instead of warning her and he was tagging along to make sure you didn’t fall out of line.”

“You seem to remember these details so well.”

Carlo exhales a trembling breath.

“When news broke out that the girl had disappeared, I worried that he’d killed her,” he admits. “I know we were at odds with the family, but I’d seen the lady around back then. She didn’t seem like much of a threat.”

Even Carlo had realized that, but I didn’t.

I suck my teeth at the fact that this just hit me in the face and nod.

“So you don’t know what Stark did to her, eh?”

“Hearing you’re married to her now, I can tell he didn’t kill her at least.” Carlo shrugs, looking away.

I narrow my eyes at him, watching his movements. They’re not fearful. No. Carlo is nervous. That’s enough to tell me he knows more than he’s letting on.

I put a hand under his chin and turn his face to me.

“Carlo, I’m going to ask you one last time – what did Stark say he was going to do to her?”

“I’ve told you everything...”

A quick punch to his face jades him and when he spits out blood and starts to cough, I know he’ll talk some more.

“I swear, I wasn’t in on the plan!” he pleads.

“Then convince me of that,” I state, wiping my bloody knuckles.

“He said he was gonna rough her up. Show her what a dick could do and make her never look at a man again the way she looked at you then,” he blurts out. “And if she hadn’t run away and the truth about what he did was uncovered, he was gonna say it was you because no one except me knew he’d been with you that night. The raid and she running away complicated the plan.”

The world goes still.

The betrayal sinks in like a dagger.

Stark. My right hand. My most trusted.

He didn’t just fail me.

He destroyed her.

And I let him.

I let him stay at my side all these years, blind to the rot festering just beneath the surface.

All those years I was hunting Almeria down, desperate to apologize after finding out she was alive, he was with me too. Looking for her as well. Luca is his son after all.

I know now why he left me a year ago. My search had been unsuccessful and he was realizing hanging around was futile.

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