Page 69 of Primo DeLuca
Ever since Franco informed me about her background, specifically the news about her having to kill her husband for beating her on multiple occasions, I was certain that she would eventually settle into the DeLuca family.
Without hesitation, I walked up to her, wrapped my arms around her, and lifted her up off her feet. In the background, the men cheered, hooted, and howled. Nevah was stiff in my arms, with her face pinched in a tight knot of confusion.
“You are amazing. You know that. And I love you too,” I said before placing my lips against her parted ones. She didn’t fight the kiss but allowed her lips to melt into mine until the flaming heat we produced together forced us to devour each other.
By the time I turned Nevah loose, the cheers had grown louder with claps and shouts so rowdy, the vibrations rattled my insides. I took Nevah’s face between my palms.
“We’ve been trying to figure out how to kill Leandra for a few days now, unable to touch her because of one of our cardinal rules.”
“Oh,” she said, letting a small smile rest on her lips. She aimed a finger at the suitcase, but her words seemed to be hung up in her throat. I started.
“She was the DeLuca who hired those hitmen to take me out. She was obsessed, but I’m not convinced it was necessarily with me. I believe she was more obsessed with the position of power I represented. You remember, I told you she was married to my cousin, Emmanuelle, who was the Capo before me?”
Her head fell slowly into an uncertain nod.
“When he threatened her with divorce, she killed him and had one of her cousins help her cover it up.”
Based on Nevah’s tight brows, I was adding to her confusion.
“A few days ago, we found out that before Leandra became a DeLuca, she was a Vittorio by marriage. She went by her maiden name, Espisito, so we were none the wiser that Emmanuelle had married the enemy. We believe she infiltrated our family as a spy for her family.”
“Wow,” was Nevah’s response.
“Leandra found out quickly that the DeLuca name meant power. Somewhere along the way, we think one of two things happened. One: she lost sight of what she had infiltrated our family for and focused her obsession on the residual power she possessed being married to a DeLuca man. After she’d had to kill Emmanuelle, she set her sights on me next. When she discovered that I wasn’t interested, she was willing to take me out to get her hands on the next in line and the next after that if it came to it.”
“Damn,” Nevah huffed out, her wide gaze expressing disbelief. “You said one of two things happened. What’s the second?”
“Humbling our egos. It may not have been about her obsession with the DeLuca men or power at all. We believe she was under pressure by her family to stir up chaos at a vulnerable time for our family, which should have allowed the Vittorios a chance to swoop in and take control of some of our operations.
“We believe they tried the same thing after she killed Emmanuelle, but their efforts weren’t strong enough to accomplish the failed attempts they launched at us. We killed three Vittorios after Emmanuelle’s death, unaware that the incidents were connected to Leandra.”
Nevah shook her head, her thoughts racing.
“The way she was talking in that hotel room, it sounded like she was counting on you taking out her family, so she would be free to be with you. She also hired some men to make it look like she was the victim, even telling them to tell you that I hired them if they were ever caught.”
My head shook at her update, since we had pieced together most of Leandra's deception. All I could think was what if I didn’t follow my gut and believed the lies of a mad woman over the truth that resided in my heart.
“What happens now? She’s a member of a family that wants you dead. Will there be war?” she questioned, glancing down at Leandra’s body.
“I doubt it. The Vittorios have crossed too many lines and have suffered too many big losses to be foolish enough to come at us. If they had anything we truly wanted, it would be the perfect time for us to attack them.”
She paused, taking in her surroundings with a roving eye before her gaze met mine again. Relief was what I read in her observant eyes.
“You don’t have any more women out there that are willing to kill and start wars to get your attention, do you?”
“No. But, even if I did, I have you to take care of them.”
She shook her head before a crooked smile graced her sexy lips.
