Page 54 of Wedlocked

That had meant being not only smarter, tougher and more ruthless, I had to also show a willingness to sacrifice the things I cared about the most.

That it’d been a Costa who’d killed Nico meant she would never have been truly accepted by my people, anyway. They might have moved on with their lives, but they’d never truly forgiven or forgotten.

Blood for blood. That had always been our motto…our unwritten rule.

“You finally got the bitch,” my father said in a scathing, hoarse voice. He stepped forward, his eyes glinting. “I’ve been waiting for this day.”

My hands curled into fists. I didn’t need to hear his triumphant, gloating delight. I didn’t even want to look at the man who turned my blood cold. It was only a sense of deeply-beholden respect and even a little fear that kept me from smashing a fist into his face.

Evander’s eyes narrowed. None of us brothers had much—if any—love for our father, least of all Evander. Thanks to his mother being one of my father’s whores, he’d felt the brunt of our father’s rebuke one too many times.

“Is that all you have to say, Papà?” I asked.

“No,” he gritted out. “I vowed I’d be here to witness Sabrina’s death. I hope she appreciates the fact I always keep my promises.”

My head reared back, my senses tingling. “And when did you promise her that?”

He shrugged nonchalantly. “I don’t recall when exactly. Who cares? It’s not like she wasn’t aware of what was coming to her.”

Sabrina stiffened beside me. “You mightn’t recall exactly when, but I do. It was the night you visited me in your son’s bedroom to tell me he was off fucking whores and enjoying blow.”

I frowned. Was my father seriously that eager to destroy my marriage that he’d stoop to lies? That I hadn’t even known my father had arrived on our wedding night had obviously been kept secret for a reason. My dad hadn’t wanted me to learn the truth of what he’d said to my wife.

I glanced at Sabrina, needing her to know the truth despite where this night was headed. “I was overseeing a shipment of drugs.”

She looked up at me, her beautiful silver-gray eyes glowing with equal parts belief and relief. Yet her voice was shaky when she added, “He also told me that he was the driver of the hit-and-run pickup that killed my mother.”

“What?” I bit out.

Though my vision clouded, my hearing cleared as Sabrina continued. “I couldn’t retaliate like I wanted to—my hands were tied.” She drew in a shaky breath. “So I spat on him. He punched me in the face for my disrespect.”

Blood roared through my ears in a rushing sound that, for a moment, blocked out whatever excuses my father had to say. Then I realized he wasn’t denying a thing. He looked fucking proud, like it was within his fucking rights to hurt my wife and to kill her mother, which had no doubt left the Costa family—Salvatore—with no choice but to kill Nico in return.

Blood for blood.

I glanced around the small group of men. My brothers normally unreadable expressions were openly shocked, their eyes bulging and lips flat. Carlo’s head swiveled between me and Lorenzo, as though he wasn’t quite sure who to advise, while my enforcer, Valentino, looked ready to pounce…to kill. I just had to give him the word.

My pulse accelerated, my breathing rushing in and out of my lungs. But I resisted nodding at him. This was my fight. I focused on my wife. “Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked, my voice eerily calm.

“Why?” She laughed, the sound tinged with hysteria. “You mean other than the fact Lorenzo told me he’d kill my brother if I did?”

Little wonder my father’s words had niggled at me all those days ago. All the puzzle pieces were beginning to fall into logical place. What had he said, again? She’s very…headstrong.

“Do you seriously believe anything that comes out of this bitch’s mouth?” my father asked, as though he finally realized the seriousness of the situation. “She’s a fucking Costa. We caught her red-handed in our own home—remember?”

“How could I forget?” I asked softly, keeping my arms loose at my sides while every muscle in my body throbbed with tension. “Did you forget that Sabrina was my wife when you lied to her and hit her? Did you forget the code of honor that pledges to respect every member of our family?”

“She’s never been family. She’s a Costa! A whore you never intended to keep as your wife. She’s a short term fuck, just like the rest of the women you screw and discard.” He turned to Carlo. “Tell him!”

Carlo looked at me, then back to my father. “Sorry, Lorenzo. You’re on your own with this one.”

Valentino nodded, satisfied with my consigliere’s response. I distantly noted my brothers barely withheld violence. But no one could feel as saturated with that particular emotion as I was. That I was outwardly cool seemed to trigger my father into sudden defense mode.

“Don’t forget who I am, boy. You’re don now thanks to me.”

“I’m don now thanks to Salvatore having no choice but to kill your oldest son in retaliation for you killing Sabrina’s mother. Thanks to you, Papà, I’m the boss instead of Nico.”

My wife sucked in a shocked breath, and I only distantly realized she’d had no idea that it’d been her brother who had killed Nico. But I couldn’t worry about that now. I had something far more pressing to focus on.

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