Page 78 of Dangerous Intent

“We’re in this together.” She gazed into my eyes with bold determination. “Ride or die, remember?”

Will she still feel that way when she sees exactly who I am?

EIGHTEEN

Lissia

How didMarchello even know this part of the basement existed in the house I grew up in? Had my father used this room for the same purposes Marchello intended while I was asleep in my room? Did all mafia mansions have a kill room?

The dampness protruding from the walls in the back of the basement nauseated me, intensifying the dread building in my gut. The concrete flooring and old windows didn’t help with the violent chills that settled in my bones moments after agreeing to be here for what Marchello had planned.

Marchello came up from behind me and grasped my shoulder. I jerked forward.

“You don’t have to stay,” he said. “Just knowing that you want to be here with me is enough.”

My husband offered me an out. A way to deny accountability. But it was too late. I knew what he was about to do, and I was here for it.

“I’m staying.” I turned to face him, noting the lack of warmth in his expression. “I’m with you.”

“I wouldn’t expect anything less,” Milo said. “I’m not surprised she’s staying.”

“I’m not talking to you.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “You called me a demon.”

“You heard that?” He laughed. “I meant it as a compliment.”

“I can’t wait until you find the love of your life, because I’m going to tell her all the inappropriate things I know about you.”

“I’m never going to find the love of my life,” he said.

“Why not?” What a grim thing for him to say.

“Because my brother already found her.” He winked. “I’m heartbroken that you and I will never be.”

“Would you cut the bullshit?” Marchello’s jaw tightened. “We have work to do.”

Marchello and Milo inspected the room that their team was putting into place. The plastic tarps wrinkled under my feet with each step I took until I stood in the middle of what was soon to be a crime scene. I was a willing accomplice.

The decision to join Marchello wasn’t about being reckless or impulsive. I wanted to be here because I needed to understand who my husband truly was. Being on the inside could give me the upper hand in the future if I were in a situation where I had to protect myself.

“This is pretty brave of you.” Milo returned to my side. “Marchello doesn’t need this kind of loyalty from you. He knows you support him.”

“If Angelo was the diversion, he went after Marchello and you in the worst possible way,” I said. “He played on your fears and knew what it could trigger for both of you. The memories, the sadness, the brutality.”

“It was so much worse for Marchello. In the minutes he waited to find out if you were okay, he relived all of it. Witnessing our mother die was traumatic, and it really shaped who he is today.”

“I’m not leaving him.”

“I know.” Milo took my hand. “Thank you.”

“He’s here,” Marchello announced to the room. “Everyone out. I’ll let you know when you can come back down.”

“I’ll bring him down.” Milo handed Marchello a gun he retrieved from a holder strapped to his ankle. “Here. Don’t use yours.”

Marchello clasped the weapon as everyone cleared the basement.

“Why can’t you use yours?” I asked.

“What?” He gazed down at the gun in his hand. “Oh, because mine is registered to me. If the authorities ever get a hold of his body, this can’t be traced back to me.”

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