Total pages in book: 145
Estimated words: 136915 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 685(@200wpm)___ 548(@250wpm)___ 456(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 136915 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 685(@200wpm)___ 548(@250wpm)___ 456(@300wpm)
“She is.”
“Then I stand by your side and spill as much blood as it takes. I’ve spilled blood for far less.”
I couldn’t hold back the tears anymore and Valerio wrapped his arms around my neck from behind, his chin on top of my head. “Blood spill, in time for Christmas. What a jolly message. Born in Blood, Sworn in Blood indeed.”
I choked on a laugh and slapped his hand. The prospect of a major conflict within the Famiglia terrified me but at the same time I knew it was unavoidable to give Amo the happiness he deserved, which was all I wanted for him. If blood was the price that we all had to pay, then so be it.
The buzz of the phone call with Amo quickly evaporated when I thought of the upcoming conversations with my family.
I went in search of Nevio. I knew he was the hardest nut to crack. I found him in my ballet studio, working out. He was doing pistol squats, a look of concentration on his face as he watched himself in the mirror to check his form.
“You’re not here for ballet,” he pressed out and straightened. My eyes were drawn to the scar on his belly. It was only a white line against his tanned skin—one of many scars battling for attention with a handful of tattoos—but it carried the memory of one of the hardest days in my life. Nevio hated Amo. And even if he didn’t say it outright, Amo felt the same way about my brother. How could I ever unite those two? Or at the very least not make them want to slaughter each other?
Nevio followed my gaze and his lips pulled into a hard smile. “That’s the last scar a Vitiello is ever going to inflict on me.”
“Nevio, can we talk?” I wrung my hands, not sure how to tell him. Talking to Mom had been hard, but it was nothing in comparison to this. Dad would be difficult too but Nevio’s reaction terrified me more.
Nevio became alert at once and came to my side, touching my shoulders. “What’s wrong?”
The worry in his voice always warmed my heart because worry wasn’t one of Nevio’s strong character traits.
“You know I love you, right?”
Nevio’s dark brows snapped together, confusion mingling with wariness in his eyes. His instincts were spot on as always. “Just tell me what you need to tell me. You’re not sick, right?”
I shook my head quickly. “Not sick, no. I’m fine, physically. I—”
“Greta, just tell me!”
My eyes burned with tears. I could barely swallow past the lump in my throat. “I’ve been seeing Amo these last few months.”
Nevio dropped his hand and stepped back, his expression becoming stone cold. “What?”
The low vibration in his voice raised goosebumps on my skin.
“I love him.”
Nevio took another step back, every muscle in his body tautened to the maximum. “You love him?”
The condescension in his voice hurt worse than his rage. “Nevio, please try to understand. I love him and I want to be with him.”
He turned away with a harsh laugh, drew his gun and fired at the mirrors. I flinched, my hands flying up to cover my ears. The floor-to-ceiling mirrors exploded one after the other with an ear-splitting screech. Shards flew through the room, split the sunlight into hundreds of fragments like my heart splintered because of Nevio’s reaction. He turned to me slowly, his chest was bloody from several cuts and a single shard was stuck in his cheek.
Tears ran down my cheeks. He reached up and jerked the shard out, causing a rivulet of blood to trail down his face.
“So you’re choosing him over me, over us, over our family.”
My mouth became dry and my heart began pounding, my hands becoming clammy.
“If you’re leaving Vegas to be with Vitiello you’re saying you don’t give a fuck about me.”
I couldn’t believe what he said. It wasn’t true, and he knew it, but he still managed to make me feel guilty.
I’d felt guilty from the first moment I’d considered being with Amo, because I’d known what it would mean. I’d have to leave Nevio, something I’d never thought possible. I was the calm to Nevio’s rage, and I was terrified that without me by his side, the darkness would win. His actions just now fired up my worries.
His rage was potent, it washed over me like an avalanche taking my breath away. The door to the ballet studio ripped open and Dad, Nino, Alessio and Massimo filtered in with drawn guns.
They all froze when they saw us.
I ignored their inquiring stares. This was between Nevio and me.
“Don’t you want me to be happy?” I asked softly.
“What the fuck is going on here?” Dad snarled.
Nevio stepped toward me, glaring down at me. “Weren’t you happy with us? With the people you belong to?”