Page 95 of Vincenzo
“I still don’t fully understand.What happened, Amalia?” he asks, and a part of me feels bad for him knowing everything he’s about to learn.
She slowly slides her gaze up to Armando’s, a shimmer in her eyes as she fills him in on everything he’s missed.
Armando shakes his head once Amalia’s done. “So, he did it?He’sthe one who killed your parents andmy mom? I fucking knew it.”
Amalia’s eyes furrow. “What do you mean, you knew?”
“I just fucking knew it. Iknewhe would do something cheap and dirty like that. Come on, Amalia, you know how my dad is. He’s always been consumed with power, raising me and Diego to be the same. This is exactly something he would do.”
“Why wouldn’t you tell me that?” Her tone is accusatory.
“I didn’t have proof,” he defends. “It was just this gut feeling that I had. You know how things have been with my brother and dad. They keep me at a distance, so I never knew for sure. It was just small things I’d pick up on.”
“But you should’ve told me. This entire time—ever since Manuel took me in after having my parentskilled—I’ve done everything he’s asked me to do.Everything.Do you know how foolish I feel for trusting him?”
“I know, and I’m sorry, Amalia, but I didn’t know for sure.”
“But what about your mom? If you had this suspicion, why didn’t you pursue it more?”
“When my dad spun that story about the rival gang killing them, I bought it. It made sense why they would go after them, so I stopped thinking about it. I swept it under the rug, believing the lies he told me. Trust me, I’m just as upset as you—if not more—about how fucking naive I was.”
Amalia has her gaze on the ground. She’s stiff… tense, so I tighten the hold I have around her, reminding her I’m here. She lets out a long breath, softening just a bit.
“I know,” she says to Armando. “I’m sorry. I’m not mad at you, it’s just… this has all been a lot, and I feel betrayed and foolish.”
Armando takes a step toward Amalia, but when he sees my arm is still wrapped around her waist, he looks at me. “Are you going to let me hug my cousin or…”
“I mean, do youhaveto?” I say, not wanting to release my hold on her. If I could have Amalia in my arms twenty-four seven, it still wouldn’t be enough.
That seems to lighten the mood a bit because she laughs softly and swats my stomach with the back of her hand. “You two need to start playing nice. You’re both the only important people I have left in life.”
I reluctantly let my arm fall from her waist, and she closes the small space between her and her cousin. They wrap their arms around each other, and Armando rests his chin on top of her head.
“I’m sorry, Amalia. I should’ve followed my instincts ten years ago. I never meant to let you down,” he says.
“You were young too, Armando. You’re not to blame for this.”
The emotional moment between the two is quickly drowned out by the sound of police sirens in the distance.
“Fuck,” I hiss out, whipping my gaze toward the direction of the sirens. “You don’t think…”
None of us had silencers on our guns, so I’m sure neighbors heard the gunshots, but I’m surprised it took this long for them to call it in. It makes me think…
Amalia and Armando pull away and stare at each other with widened eyes and say, “Diego” at the same time.
Exactly what I was thinking.
Fucking hell.
33
AMALIA
“Fucking figures thatpendejowould call the cops on us,” Armando says.
“You’re sure it was him?” Enzo asks.
“The neighbors know not to report the shit they hear from over here, so it must’ve been him,” Armando says.
