Uncle Paolo. Why was he doing this? I blinked. Wait…Veev had called him Papa. I snapped my attention back to Lorenzo. They were cousins.
Holy shit.
LORENZO
My attention was laser-focused on Paolo, not turning away from him for a single second. I needed to make sense of all of this, but it was really goddamn hard when my head was throbbing.
Paolo chuckled as he leaned on his cane, thinking over my threat. I didn’t care that I was tied to a chair because there was no way in hell I was going to let him touch Aida.
“I’d like to see you try.” He tilted his head, his gaze traveling to Aida. I jerked, my body snapping back at the binds. “This may actually work in my favor.” He took a step forward, his eyes lighting up. “Tell me, nephew, did Antonio tell you where he learned his torturing techniques?” He reached out, his finger trailing over her bare shoulder. She was still in the black dress, but it had fallen down her arm, exposing her shoulder.
I ground my teeth together, trying to get out of the binds. “Don’t fuckin’ touch her,” I sneered, trying to push Veev off of me, but she was stuck to me like glue. Her hand pressed against the side of my face, her nails digging into my cheek, but I refused to acknowledge her. I’d heard every word she’d said, every word Paolo had said.
I should have known she was up to something with the amount she’d been hanging around before I got married. She’d call me at all hours, and I’d call her when I needed to relieve some stress. Fuck. She’d been the one to redecorate my office. I’d given her access to the one place that was most sacred in the mansion. I’d been too focused on fighting against my bubbling feelings. I hadn’t paid enough attention.
Paolo placed his hand on top of Aida’s head, stroking her hair. I craned my neck to see around Veev, but she leaned over, obscuring my view. “Get the fuck off of me.” I bucked, causing her to lose her balance, but she soon caught it and righted herself. “I mean it, Veev.” My nostrils flared as I finally gave her my attention. “Get the fuck off. Now.”
She giggled like this was one big giant game. And maybe it was to her, but to me, it was life or death. I couldn’t live without Aida, and I damn sure didn’t want to die when we’d only just gotten started. I’d fight until my last dying breath for her. I’d give up everything—I’d do anything—if it meant she’d be okay.
“Do you remember the night we met?” Veev asked, fluttering her lashes at me.
“I don’t give a fuck about the night we met.” I jolted again, feeling the rope loosening on my arms.
“It was—”
A deafening bang rang out, and for a fraction of a second, I didn’t know what to feel or think. Wetness spread over my chest, bright red blood seeping through the material of my shirt.
“No!” Aida screamed, the sound so haunting it hit me right in the pit of my stomach. “No, no, no.”
I blinked, trying to see through the red liquid sp
atter on my face. Veev stared at me, confusion evident on her features. “What…” she gurgled, her body swaying to the left. “I…Lorenzo,” she croaked out, her hand reaching for me. And even if I wasn’t tied up, I wouldn’t have helped her. She fell to the ground in a heap, blood spluttering from her mouth and a wound in her chest. She tried to place her hand on it, but the blood gushed out of her like a rapid river.
“Finally,” Uncle Paolo groaned out. I turned to face him just in time to see him pushing his gun into the holster strapped to his chest. “She wouldn’t shut up.” He shook his head, disappointment flashing over his features. “Such a shame.” His eyes transfixed on her for a second, and then he shook his head, grinning over at me. “Now, where were we?”
“You…you killed her,” Aida stammered out, her face pale. “You killed her.”
“I did,” Paolo said, stroking her hair again.
“But she was your daughter.”
I cringed at her words. I’d fucked her. I’d fucked her, and she’d known all along that we were cousins. A shiver rolled through me, my gut churning. Had she known the entire time? I gritted my teeth. Of course, she’d known.
Paolo frowned. “And?” He laughed. “What does that matter?” He raised a brow at me and pointed down at Aida. “She’s a bit cuckoo, no?”
“Touch her again…” I warned, completely ignoring Veev dying at my feet. She’d known what she was getting into. This was her consequence for trusting Paolo.
“And you’ll what?” He winked at me and lifted his other hand, playing with Aida’s hair, and there wasn’t a thing I could do to stop him. Fuck. “As I was saying.” He cleared his throat, but I didn’t lose sight of his hands as one traveled down to her neck. His tan fingers reached around, stroking her soft skin. “Did Antonio ever tell you who taught him?” I ground my teeth together so hard that I was sure I heard one of them crack.
“No?” His body snapped upright, his hand clamping around the front of Aida’s neck. I jerked forward, the front chair legs smacking against Veev’s body. “It was me.” His face turned red at the force he was using. “I taught him everything he knows.”
Aida gasped for breath, her eyes popping open so wide I was sure they’d fall from the sockets from the force he was using. She squirmed, her instincts kicking in to try and fight, but it was no use because she was just as tied up as I was.
“He probably taught you the power of a wife, huh?” His chest heaved, Aida’s mouth opened on a silent plea, the life leaving her eyes, and then finally, he let go. I hadn’t realized I’d been holding my breath until it whooshed out of me. “I’m talking to you, nephew!” he roared, making Aida jump. If it was only me here, I wouldn’t have answered him. I would have played him at his own game. But it wasn’t just me. Aida’s life was at stake too. He was going to use her against me. That was what he meant about the power of a wife.
He clicked his fingers and pointed at me. “You get it now.” He stepped back from Aida and slowly removed his suit jacket. It was the same one he’d been wearing when I told him to leave the country all those months ago. I stared at him, taking in all of him. Dark circles ringed his eyes, and there was a wild look in his eyes. A look that told me he was on the edge of something he’d never come back from.
My chest burned as I put everything together, trying to make sense of it in my head. And I realized…