Page 62 of Righteous Deceit

“We’re talking.” I flick through each of them, all stills of us caught in conversation. “I didn’t realize that was against Bianchi’s rules.”

“Keep going.”

I swallow.

“Oh, that’s cute,” Leonardo teases. “Look at you carrying her, scary mask on your face and all.”

The night she sprained her ankle on our second hunt. The night I knew I could never let her go because my mind was broken, a large section sliced open and claimed by the red-haired beauty. But it was supposed to be on my terms, a possession I held that no one else knew about.

I look at Lorenzo, and he flicks his index finger, silently telling me to continue. I drop them back to his desk when I get to the final shot.

“That’s my favorite,” Leonardo comments. “Your hand on her throat, your teeth claiming her bottom lip. The eye contact. If you’re not fucking her, Diego, your dick thinks otherwise.”

I growl, but it only encourages his stupidity.

“I did my research.Siagoes byRedTreasure. That means you’re not supposed to touch her, Diego.” Hetsksme. “You dirty rule breaker.”

“Do you ever stop talking?”

Vincent laughs, and Leonardo winks.

Lorenzo scowls at his younger brother. “I need Salvatore on our side if shit goes down with the Irish. But I don’t fucking trust him. He killed his father and his father’s successor. His loyalty is as secure as Leonardo’s celibacy.”

“Fuck you,” his brother snipes.

“Be my eyes in his house.”

I sit back in my chair, my hand rubbing roughly against the unshaven line of my jaw. “You’re asking me to pledge my life to a family tospy?”

“I’m not asking. I’m giving you a direct order,” he corrects me. “And, no, I’m not telling you to tie yourself to someone you despise tospy. You like this woman, Diego. You wouldn’t offer to go to Chicago as often as you do if you didn’t. I believe you when you tell me that you haven’t fucked her, which means you fucking feel something for her. All that aside, your union offers us an in with Bianchi. You’ll be married to his fucking consigliera. I don’t need his diary, but I want some dirt I can use if I ever need it. If you happen to find that while you’re fucking his sister, I’d say we both win.”

“They’ll kill me if I double-cross them.”

His bottom lip tips out in consideration. “He could kill you for disrespecting his family by dishonoring his sister.”

I open my mouth to speak but stop myself.

“You promised me your loyalty, Diego, and you have mine in return. But when you back yourself into a corner, certain deals with the devil must be made.”

“I thought you were the devil,” I embarrass myself by saying.

He smiles. “Even the devil is limited in power when you put your dick inside someone’s sister.”

He avoids Vincent’s stare when he says that, and I can’t say I blame him.

“I’m not fucking—”

“No,” he cuts me off. “But you want to, and considering you’re about to marry her, I guarantee you will.”

Denial sits heavy in my mind, but I can’t form words or reason. I was never under any preconceived notion that I’d fall in love and marry the traditional way. But I did envision having more freedom with the decision. If I’m being honest, I had hoped I’d be useful enough to Lorenzo as a nomad that he may have considered letting me remain single forever.

“Alessia.” I make sure to say her full name. “Wouldn’t want this. She’s a fucking consigliera. She has more freedom in this decision.”

“Alessia,” Lorenzo all but purrs her name, “is the person responsible for this union. She confessed your love to Salvatore. You’re right, Diego. She is a fucking consigliera and seemingly has you in her sights.”

My brow furrows. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

“It doesn’t have to.”

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