Page 50 of Captured Innocence

“Meaning?”

Fuck. I’d never been so uncomfortable in my life.

“Meaning I was her first. And I told her she belonged to me. That was when she was nineteen.”

The silence was exactly what I’d expected. “Well. Fuck. Let me guess. There’s more to the story.”

Laughing bitterly, I scrubbed my jaw. “Isn’t there always?”

“Tell me the truth.”

“I have a contact signed by her father for her hand in marriage. I refused to allow any other man to touch her.”

“Then why didn’t you marry her?”

“You mean other than suddenly our respective families found themselves in the middle of a war and you suddenly crossed our paths with the DeLucas?”

He snorted. “Yeah, other than that. Nothing stops you from taking what you want.”

“I honored a promise.”

He closed his eyes, shaking his head. “Okay. Tell the rest.”

I did. And when I was finished, I turned my head toward him. Seeing the twinkle in his eyes was interesting given I’d expected anger. The tension was awkward until he chuckled under his breath.

“Do you love her?” he finally asked.

The question was one I’d asked myself a dozen times. Until today, I’d never admitted it, including to myself. “Yes.”

When he looked away, his brow hitching, I could tell he was putting some pieces together.

“What is it?” Now I was demanding.

He closed and rubbed his eyes. “Lucia led Sophia to believe you were responsible for my death.”

His death. The truth was that D’Artagnan had been used as a pawn, our father making good on a promise made by adopting him. It had been nothing more than a business transaction, but for years Lucia had believed he’d died in the fire. “That’s why Lucia didn’t want me with her.”

“She still believes you had something to do with my family dying.”

“Do you?”

Dar looked into my eyes then shook his head. “I did once, but no longer.”

The lies had taken years from both of us, greed because of our father’s need for power almost stripping us of everything that had been important. Even rotting in his grave, our father still held some sense of control.

“Then you’re the only man for the job, Mattia. You’re the only man I can trust completely. I’ll handle Lucia when the time is right. Bring Sophia home to her family. And to the man who loves her. Then we’ll see about planning a wedding.”

“She won’t agree to it.”

“You’ll learn something quickly, Mattia. Women are strangely in control yet ruled by their hearts. If you have a connection, it was never broken, just lying in hibernation. It’s an area I have expertise in.”

For once, I could agree. Still, he didn’t know Sophia like I did.

“We shall see. She is a tough girl. Beautiful. Ballsy. Opinionated.”

“Which makes her perfect for you. So is Lucia, by the way.” He laughed. “One thing is certain. This family shit is tougher than I believed. Trust me, you’ll see.”

Family. It’s nothing like either one of us had been able to understand, the brutality of our upbringing preventing anything remotely normal. I’d watched him from afar as D’Artagnan had fallen for the woman he’d been sent to kill. She’d broken through the barrier and I’d wanted the exact same experience.

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