Page 24 of Ruthless Vengeance
Tommaso’s feral smile.
Zoe’s empty crib.
It’s been one nightmare after another and next time, we might not be so lucky. At some point, I’m going to have to decide whether loving Marco is worth the risk to Zoe’s life.
The distant rumble of an engine gets my attention, and I look back out of the window to see Marco’s car speeding down the drive, kicking up a cloud of dust in its wake.
This is it.
Zoe stirs in her crib, making a soft little noise before rolling over and settling again.
I wish I could scoop her up and hold her tight, but it would be wrong to use her as some kind of shield. Marco deserves my full attention when I tell him the truth.
I force myself to stay by the crib as I listen to the sound of his heavy footsteps heading up the stairs, knowing he’s coming to check on me like he always does.
Marco has been everything I didn’t know I needed, and how do I repay him? By lying to him.
A sob builds in my throat, but I force it down as the door swings open. But when Marco appears and I take in the look on his face, all the air leaves my lungs.
He knows.
I knew this was going to be bad, but I didn’t expect him to look at me likethat. There’s not just anger in his dark eyes, but something much worse.
Betrayal.
My throat goes dry, but before he can speak, I glance at Zoe and press a finger to my lips. “Not here.”
He nods stiffly, jerking his head toward the door. “Come on.” His voice cuts like ice.
I follow him out of the room and down the corridor. My legs feel like they’re going to give out beneath me as I walk, and my stomach is twisting in knots so tight I’m sure I’m going to be sick.
Marco leads me into Andre’s office, and the second the door shuts behind us, he turns to face me with nothing but venom in his eyes.
“When were you going to tell me he’s your goddamned brother?”
I flinch at his tone, though it’s no less than I deserve.
I open my mouth to reply, to explain everything, but nothing comes out. The words are lodged in my throat, choking me as I stare into Marco’s eyes.
The muscle in his jaw ticks. “You better start talking.”
I start to shatter as he looks at me like I’m nothing more than a stranger.
This is so much worse than I feared, and I’m not sure there’s anything I can say that could fix this.
I might have broken us beyond repair.
My eyes start to sting with tears. “I-I wanted to tell you, Marco, I swear, I just… I didn’t know how.”
“Didn’t know how?” He laughs, though the sound is bitter and cold. “Christ, Clara. You didn’t know how? That’s really all you’ve got?”
His jaw tightens as he clenches his hands into fists as his sides. The movement catches my attention, and that’s when I notice he’s bleeding.
“Marco, you’re hurt,” I gasp.
Blood drips onto the carpet, but Marco doesn’t seem to care. Instead, he stalks over to the drinks cart and picks up a decanter filled with honey-colored liquid.
“Maybe you could have mentioned it before he helped ‘kidnap’ you.”
