Page 102 of Lethal Vows

I take a sip of my wine and moan at its deliciousness. “On multiple occasions.”

“Do you love him?” she asks.

I cough, the wine going down the wrong way.

“Do you?” I ask.

“Wow. For a bigshot American lawyer, I thought you would be better at covering things up.” Honey shakes her head, picking at her sandwich. “Deflection. How dishonest of you.” She stares at me expectantly. In some ways, Honey is still a little princess, but she’s a woman now too. And it makes me miss her all the more.

“Because if you don’t stop this, I will go through with it. Iwillbe the perfect wife he asks for and uphold the Ricci name. And what willyoudo?”

I can’t even look at the food while she casually eats.

“How can you so easily give away your freedom to a man you hardly know?” I ask, almost terrified of how submissive she has become.

“I’m not giving it away at all. I like my lifestyle. He’s attractive. Powerful. And I no doubt will get everything I ever ask for. What is so wrong with that?”

I can’t argue with her.

She continues, “As a Ricci, it is one of our roles to fulfill that duty. Contract or not. It’s not like either of us can suddenly marry a nobody. No one will ever be good enough for the Ricci name. Except maybe a Monti.”

I blow out a whistle. “You’ve been spending too much time with Papa.” I laugh.

“And you’ve been gone for too long, sister,” she replies sternly. “I’ve missed you all these years, and when you return, it’s under these circumstances. As if I’m being used as some pawn in Crue’s game with you. Do you know how humiliated I was yesterday?”

“I didn’t know he was going to come back here and propose to you,” I say defensively.

“Why? Because he’d already asked you?”

My nails tap against the table as I contemplate how much I should disclose. But she deserves to know the truth. All of it. “More like Crue dragged me to the alter, and I shot him in the leg so I could run away.”

Her eyes grow wide. “You shot Crue Monti and survived?”

“Everyone really gives him too much credit.” I wave it off dismissively.

She leans back in her chair thoughtfully. “So now what? Are you going to take him back, or am I going through with this wedding?”

I eye Honey, her defiant chin pointed in the air. How can this be so contractual for her? Or better yet, when did I stop being the same? When did I waver when it came to Crue Monti?

Suddenly, with the responsibility in her hands, I realize I don’t feel like the older sister at all. Honey so easily takes it in her stride.

I hesitate because I find I don’t want to encourage the wedding but want no involvement in it either. I open my mouth and shut it again.

I don’t want her marrying Crue.

But I can’t have him either.

“It was only ever sex,” I tell her, my voice a lot quieter than I like to acknowledge.

“If you say so. Well, the marriage is going ahead, then. And I expect you to be my maid of honor. And for you to be on your best behavior.” She points a finger at me. “Now, done with the Monti contract. Tell me all about New York.” It is like a switch that she flicked and has completely changed the subject on me.

A barrage of conflicting feelings hits me, and I don’t know why.

But right now, I feel like I’m either going to scream or cry.

CHAPTER64

Crue

---