“Someone is here for you,” Dante calls out from the living room.
I peer out of my bedroom and find him grinning by my door.
“Who?”
Please don’t be Luca.
“The soon to be dead ex-boyfriend of my wife. Now go out there, break his heart, and tell him to come to the wedding tomorrow. I want to feel his pain. I want to watch him suffer before he dies.”
“No.”
“No? Okay, instead, I’ll give you the location of Eva’s dead body as a wedding present tomorrow. Up to you.” He shrugs with a smug grin.
He holds his phone up so I can see the screen. “Make your choice.”
He presses the call button on ‘M’. The blood drains from me. A familiar high-pitched female answers the call.
“Oh, hello, big brother.”
My mouth falls open–Maria. Hearing her voice is a kick to the gut.
The knocking at the door gets louder. How the hell am I going to do this to Luca? I have to get him to believe me.
I snatch the phone out of Dante’s hand and end the connection. “I’ll do it.”
“Off you go, then. If anything happens to me, Eva dies, too. Remember that.”
His deep laugh follows me as I approach the front door. I have to do this to save Luca. I glance behind me, and Dante is watching from the living room.
I pull open the door and gasp, taking in the broken man before me. His unbuttoned white shirt is smothered in blood, his eyes are bloodshot. I lean forward and swipe a stray tear from his cheek.
“Luca,” I whisper.
“Mom’s gone, Rosa.”
I wrap my arms around him. Screw Dante, he won’t see in the hallway, anyway. I’m devastated for Luca. I know how much he loves his mom and the lengths he will go to protect his family. I fight back my own tears, threatening to explode. This proves just how dangerous Dante is. No matter how much I want to tell Luca the truth, I can’t.
There is no way out.
“I’m so sorry, Luca.” My fiancé murdered his mom. Because of me.
His brows furrow. “We need to go, Rosa. Grab your bags.”
He reaches his fingers to lace through mine, but I pull my hand back.
“Rosa?”
“I can’t.” I suck in a breath, ready to perform like my life depends on it.
“Tonight proves exactly why we can’t leave. It was your mom, Luca. What if it’s Darcy next? We will never forgive ourselves. So I will be marrying Dante tomorrow—“
“No—“
I hold up my finger to cut him off, fighting every urge to break down.
“This stops, now. Before anyone else gets hurt. Where are we going, Luca? Jetting off into the sun and leaving everyone else here to deal with our mess? That isn’t you. You fight. Well, right now, I need you to do just that. Just not for me anymore.” My voice breaks, and I try to pull myself together. I don’t have any fight left in me.
His jaw clenches as he searches my face. “I’m not leaving without you, Rosa. It’s not happening.”
I grab his hands, holding them in mine.
“You have to.” My stomach rolls, knowing I’m holding back the truth from him. “You need to go out there, get your revenge. Maria, Romano, all of them, need to pay. You are going to come to my wedding tomorrow—“
His head comes up. “No.”
“You said you would always do anything for me, right?”
“Not this,” he whispers.
“Luca, look at me.” Warm tears roll down my face, I plead with him without saying the words. “Please, Luca.”
His hands rub up my arms, and I flinch when he reaches my tender biceps.
“If you can’t do this, we have no future. I need you to trust me for one last time to protect our family. Leave, go and be with your brother, with Frankie.”
I nod slowly, trying to get the message across. I drop his name in. If anyone can save us, it’s Frankie.
Dante will no doubt be listening to my every word, waiting to make that call.
“I can’t just leave you here, Rosa.” His nostrils flare.
I go up on my tiptoes, pressing a soft kiss to his stubble. I close my eyes, hating the final blow I am about to make. I will make this believable to Dante, I have to.
“I belong to Dante, Luca. I always have. I need you to witness our marriage, to prove to everyone we are over, that it never meant anything. You have to let me go.”
“Like fuck I do,” he growls, looking past me into the house.
I place his hand over my erratic heart.
“I’m sorry, Luca.” I release his hands and step back, propping myself up against the door for support.
“Well, well, well, who do we have here?”
I go stiff as Dante snakes his hand around my waist, pulling me into his side.
“Go to hell,” Luca snarls.
His arm goes behind his back. Shit, his gun. Remembering Dante’s threat, I jump out of his hold and grab his elbow tight. He frowns at me.
“Don’t, Luca.” I keep my tone firm. “Go.” I point at the stairs and nod towards them.
Dante laughs behind us. I swear, once Eva is free, once everyone knows the truth, he is going to have a painful death. That in itself keeps me going.
“Rosa, move,” Luca growls.
I stay firmly in place between the two of them.
“No. It’s over. We are done, Luca.”
His green eyes stare into my soul. This man knows me better than anyone. He knows how much I love him. I have to trust he will know something is wrong. At least, I hope so.
“Endgame, Rosa,” he whispers.
That one word offers me hope as I watch him walk away from me.
