Page 110 of Sins of the Son

I rolled my eyes. “I’m not an idiot.”

He kissed me on the cheek. “I’ll be right back.”

Cesare and the staff member left.

I spun around, taking in the primal beauty of the candlelight and that strange, ethereal attachment to the past the atmosphere evoked. I was also more than a little proud of myself for conquering that small frisson of fear I'd felt in the beginning. It would have been a shame to have missed out on sharing such an amazing experience with Cesare, especially something that was so near and dear to his heart and legacy.

Seconds later, I heard the scrape of a boot heel.

I smiled without turning. “You don’t have to check on me. I promised I wouldn’t do a punch down by myself.”

“Well, if it isn’t the village slut.”

I whirled around to see Renata standing at the entrance. She was hanging onto one of the arched oak doors which had swung closed on silent, well-oiled hinges.

My eyes narrowed. “What did you just call me?”

She drummed her fingers on the edge of the door as she raked her cold eyes over me. “You just couldn’t leave well enough alone, could you? Had to fucking dredge up the past and play the victim.”

I bristled. “I’m not playing the victim, and what business is it of yours, anyway?”

She snorted. “I knew you were a stupid whore.”

What the hell was happening?

I took in her slightly disheveled appearance, which was uncharacteristic of her, but there was something more. Her gaze was glassy and unfocused, but that wasn’t it either. My mouth dropped open as my hand instinctively reached for the Gemini charm at my throat, which wasn’t there. It was her belly. It was completely flat. While she never looked nearly as pregnant as she should have at the six or seven months along that she was supposed to be, she'd at least had a small belly. Now she had none.

I moved deeper into the cave, reaching behind me. I wrapped my hand around the smooth pole of the plunger.

“None of this would be happening if those idiots had just gotten a photo of you sucking cock like your whore of a mother.”

My heart thumped madly in my chest as the blood rushed to my ears. Whereas before I had felt only a quick flash of fear upon entering the cave that had immediately been banished by Cesare's comforting strength, now paralyzing terror made my arms and legs tremble.

The stone walls seemed to breathe and move as they edged closer and closer, caging me in.

The past and present collided in my brain, meshing in a macabre dance of shadows as my vision darkened at the edges.

My jaw locked. I had to force the words out through clenched teeth. “It was you. You're the female.”

My hand shook so badly I dropped my plunger weapon. It crashed to the floor.

I screamed at the sound and jumped to the side.

Renata threw her head back and cackled. “Of course it was me, you dumb bitch. The Cavalieri men were the only game in town, and I was going to make damn sure I had my pick.”

Realization dawned. I frowned. “It was you who pushed me down the stairs.”

She raised one shoulder and smiled. “Guilty.” She gave me a scathing look as her upper lip lifted in a sneer. “Of course you had to be a pain in my ass and not break your stupid neck.”

“But why? You married Enzo! You got what you wanted. I’m no threat to you now!”

“Like I said, you just couldn’t leave the past alone. The men have started asking questions. Dangerous questions. With you dead, the past will die with you, and eventually, after some time has passed, I can get back to my plan.”

Her plan? I looked again at her flat belly. Fuck, what could be her plan?

“Renata, whatever you have planned—”

She looked sharply to her right. “I’d like to stay and chat, but you’re not worth my time. And it wouldn’t do for them to find me here when Cesare discovers your dead body.”

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