Page 37 of Fatal Love

“Riley. I’m so sorry this is happening.”

“Pfft.” Riley blew out a breath. “It’s not your fault. Dmitri Ivanov has been fucking with this family for a long time now. I’m sad it wasn’t him I killed.”

I watched Rachel's expression as she processed Riley’s words. “Riley. Let’s get something straight. You didn’t kill Dmitri’s brother. He did.” She pointed to Vincenzo. “Frankly, I don’t care. Both men deserve death. And I no longer work for the DA’s office—at least I won’t soon enough. I plan to resign now that I'm back home. My choice was made the moment I gave my heart to your brother and Michael.” Her voice cracked with emotion when she spoke his name. She cleared her voice and continued. “Let’s not pretend anymore. Your family has my unwavering support.”

Riley glanced at Vincenzo, who was standing there with an unreadable expression. She smiled and blew out a breath. “All right then. No secrets. Let’s get you two situated. It’s going to be a long couple of days.”

We followed her up the steps and into the spare room. I couldn’t help but smile at her rounded belly as she left us alone and headed back to her room. Rachel removed her clothes and crawled onto the bed. She drew her knees to her chest and stifled a sob. I kicked my shoes off and stripped down to my boxers before crawling in beside her. I wanted to take her pain away, but I didn’t even know what to do with my own.

I listened to her cry herself to sleep. Each sob and shudder of her body was another reminder of the gravity of our situation. Sleep was impossible for me, even with her snuggled against my back. My head was all over the place. With as little movement as I could muster, I slid from the bed and pulled on some sweatpants. I needed to clear my head. I kissed Rachel on the head, careful not to wake her, and slipped out of the room. I found myself in the kitchen, staring blankly out the back window. Michael was somewhere out there, and it was killing me not to be out looking for him.

Vincenzo's voice interrupted my thoughts. "Can't sleep?"

"No. What about you? Shouldn’t you be in bed resting?"

Vincenzo pulled a bottle of whiskey from the cabinet and filled two glasses. "Probably. But like you, I couldn’t sleep. Here." He slid the amber liquid across the table and sat down. He set the whiskey bottle on the table in front of himself and smiled. "Have a drink. It'll help."

I slid into the chair opposite him. The burn from the alcohol felt good going down. "That was good. Thanks."

"So. You and the prosecutor?" Vincenzo swirled his glass and stared at me.

I held his gaze. "Yeah." I knew he suspected more but telling Vin I was bisexual scared the shit out of me. "Is that going to be a problem?"

"Not anymore. Riley tells me she is trying to help end this circus of a trial. And hearing it out of her mouth tonight made me see her differently." Vin grabbed the whiskey, refilled his glass, and slid the bottle to me. "But why do I feel like there is more you're afraid to say?"

I filled my glass and downed the liquor. "Because there is."

"So, spit it out, Antonio. I've known for a while you've been keeping something from us. And I've bitten my tongue, knowing you would tell me in your own time. But time’s up. Does this have to do with the missing attorney?"

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes for a moment. I shouldn’t have been so scared to tell him who I was—but his opinion mattered more to me than anyone else in the family.

"I am in love with Rachel." He eyed me quizzically, waiting for the words I held back. "But I am also in love with Michael."

Vincenzo's eyebrows pinched in thought. He shook his head and I assumed he was trying to make sense of what I had said. But when his gaze finally met mine I was stunned. Because all I saw was love. "I figured as much. Why are you just now telling me—why hide it?"

I blew out a breath. "I've been in love with him for a while but fought my feelings. Out of fear."

"Fear of what we would think?" He asked matter of factually. "But you know that's stupid, right? That we would turn our backs on you because of your sexual preferences. Wait…" Vincenzo smiled. "Grandfather knew, didn’t he?"

"He did. Somehow, he figured it out. Grandfather thought I was being irrational about coming out—turns out he was right. All this time, I hid who I was because I didn’t want to disappoint the family. The only person I was disappointing was me."

"Explain to me how this works. You love Michael and Rachel—and they are okay with the arrangement?"

"As unconventional as it is, yes. Rachel love him as much as she loves me. She's fucked up over Michael's disappearance. I'm trying to be strong for her, but my heart is breaking, too. Why did this happen when I finally found the courage to tell everyone how I feel—only to have lost him for good?"

Vincenzo stood and moved around the table. He squatted beside my chair and pulled me into a hug. "As long as I have a breath in my body, I will find him, Fratello. Nothing about you would ever change how important you are to me. And if you love a man and a woman, then we'll love them too. That's what family does—we lift each other up in difficult times, not just the good ones."

For the first time since being a grown adult, I cried in my brother's arms. His acceptance of me, was something I didn’t know I needed. Hearing him say the words and promising to bring Michael home were the final fracture in my resolve. I was lost knowing Michael was missing. But with the support of my brothers and the love of Rachel, I felt maybe there was hope.

Hope I could survive the pain.

Hope I could have a future.

Hope there would be an end that wouldn’t crush me.

Twenty

Rachel

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