Page 1 of Cruelest Contract
PROLOGUE
CECILIA, AGE 13
The accident has made a lot of things impossible. Dancing is one of them.
No one notices when I escape from my brother’s wedding reception. A year ago I would have stayed and danced in the villa courtyard until my heart pounded and my heels blistered but not anymore.
A cluster of oak trees at the edge of my grandfather’s vineyard estate has always been a favorite spot. Today it’s the perfect place to hide and daydream about a future where I’m dancing with no pain.
My leg already throbs from the short walk. The ache travels along the scar line like it’s got a mind of its own and is reminding me why I’m trying to hide among the old oaks. Ten months of physical therapy has made a big difference but every careful step reminds me of my new limitations.
Angelo, my least favorite brother, flashed a nasty smirk earlier when he noticed I was trying to tag along with the boys. “Get lost for fuck’s sake. You’ll never keep up.”
Those words cut deep. Angelo’s insults always do. And I can never think of an equally mean comeback until he’s long gone.
Of course I couldn’t keep up with my brothers as they joined the Tempesta boys in a knot of wild shoving and cursing with stolen liquor bottles hidden under their shirts. I refused to beg them to wait for me. I knew they wouldn’t.
Boys are lucky. They’ll be allowed to do as they please. My grandfather’s guards are patrolling the grounds with long guns slung over their shoulders but they won’t care about a pack of teenagers drinking themselves sick in some remote corner of the vineyard.
Angelo, two years older, was born a bully so I never expect much from him. But whenever my twin follows along, I can’t help feeling crushed.
All of our lives we’ve been a team. The Grimaldi twins. Gabriel and Cecilia. Cici and Gabe. Now my twin brother leaves me behind without looking back. I don’t know how to make it stop hurting when Gabriel chooses to stick by Angelo’s side, not mine.
Behind me, the tempo of the tarantella speeds up. The laughter from the wedding reception grows louder.
Before I slipped away, I saw my parents out there, twirling around with the crowd in a rare moment of carefree fun. The bride danced with her bridesmaids. My cousins danced with each other.
I got a funny feeling when my eldest brother said his wedding vows. Eight years older, Matthias was always worlds ahead. We’re not close but he’s always been dependable and protective. I’ll miss him. He’s not out there right now and I haven’t seen him since he and Daniela shared their first dance. He was called to a private meeting with our grandfather. Last week I heard my father say that Matthias, as the firstborn grandson, will be receiving one of the beachfront resorts as a wedding present.
Today I’ve made a decision. I’ll never walk down the aisle until I find someone who looks at me the way Matthias looks at Daniela. Anything less would be like giving up.
The thicket of trees is just up ahead but Angelo’s sharp laughter stops me in my tracks. My heart sinks because I know Gabriel must have led them here. He’s the only one who knows about my favorite spot. The sense of betrayal tastes bitter.
There’s movement in the trees and I try to be quiet as I inch closer for a better look just as Angelo delivers the punchline of his latest obscene joke.
The boys sit on flat boulders and rotted logs while passing a bottle around. Gabe hesitates before taking a sip and immediately chokes but the Tempesta boys gulp from the bottle like it’s something they do every day.
The four Tempesta brothers and their father arrived for the wedding early this morning. I’ve never met them before but I’ve heard their names plenty over the years. They are close in age and they run wild on their Wyoming ranch. There’s a rumor that their father went sort of crazy after their mother was murdered.
I don’t know if Cassio Tempesta is really crazy but he does seem a little weird. I saw him at the reception and he was sitting alone while puffing on a cigar and glaring at no one in particular. Whenever he does speak to people, they look like they’re trying to figure out the quickest escape route.
His sons look like him, all of them with handsome faces, black hair and broad shoulders. They make me nervous. Even so, I can’t seem to stop staring at them.
Fortunato is the youngest, the same age as me and Gabe. But whereas Gabe is still short and scrawny, Fort is nearly as tall and strong as his big brothers.
The two middle brothers always trip me up. One is named Gaetano. The other is Tiberius. They aren’t twins but could easily be confused for twins.
Lastly, there’s the oldest Tempesta brother, the one who chooses to stand apart from the rest of them right now.
Julian can’t be more than seventeen but there’s a different energy about him, and not just because he’s more muscled and serious in the way that grown men are. He leans against the thick base of a tree with his arms crossed and his foot propped up on the trunk. The sleeves of his white shirt are rolled up past his elbows. He studies the other boys with an attitude that leaves no doubt he’s in charge. Like he’s the lone adult overseeing a rowdy playground and he’s just biding his time until he gets to do something more interesting.
None of the boys have noticed me yet but when they do, Angelo will say something rude. The rest of them will laugh. Gabe will pretend I’m not here. I’ll be forced to walk away with my cheeks on fire and my eyes watering and I’ll probably end up wiping my running nose on the sleeve of my cardigan.
None of this sounds like a good time. I might as well return to the wedding reception and watch everyone else dance. At least there will be cake.
While I’m trying to figure out the best way to retreat without being seen, Julian’s gaze flicks to me, scrolls quickly and then goes flat with disinterest.
My cousin Lianna insists she hooked up with him a few months back when he showed up with his father at my uncle’s Las Vegas hotel. I have no idea if this is true. Lianna has lied before and she’s definitely full of herself now that she’s sixteen and having all kinds of life experiences.
