Twisted Pride (The Camorra Chronicles 3)

I stopped in the hallway and peered up at my twin. There was no judgment in his voice, but there was relief. “I can’t.”

He touched my shoulder. “I’m here for you.”

“Won’t you have to go to Chicago to work with Dante?”

He shook his head, mouth thinning. “We decided against sending me away. Dad needs me here. We need to protect our territory.”

Me. They needed to protect me … and Sofia.

“I want to talk to Danilo alone, Sam.”

He frowned, protectiveness flashing in his eyes.

“Sam,” I said firmly. “I can handle it.”

I’d handled Remo for months. Nothing could scare me anymore. Maybe the same thought crossed Samuel’s mind because he nodded with a grimace.

“I’ll wait in the hallway,” he said, leaning against the wall beside the wooden door.

I knocked twice then walked in, not waiting for a reply.

My breath caught in my throat at the mess. Someone had thrown two book cases over. Ripped books and broken glasses. Dad’s beloved collection of whisky tumblers scattered the floor. The leather sofa was slashed, filling poking out everywhere.

Danilo had done this and nobody bothered to clean up afterward.

My eyes found my fiancé. He was controlled, so much like Dante that he probably couldn’t stand being compared to him anymore. I couldn’t imagine him doing this. His brown eyes latched onto mine, full of regret and anger.

“Dove?” Dad asked.

I cleared my throat, realizing he and Dante were staring at me as well.

“I’m sorry for disturbing you,” I said. “But I need to have a word with Danilo.”

Dad hesitated, his eyes flitting between my fiancé and me. Dante put a hand on his shoulder and eventually they both left. Danilo faced the window, his hands pressed into the wall on both sides.

The door closed with a soft click, and silence reigned in the room.

Danilo’s shoulders heaved. He was tall and muscular, but not quite like Remo.

“I …” I began but then didn’t know how to go on, how to explain that I was lost to him.

Danilo turned around slowly, a haunted expression on his face. He smiled but it was strained, tired, and behind it lurked something dark and broken. “Serafina,” he murmured. He took a step closer but stopped when I tensed. “I still want to marry you. If you want me.”

I regarded Danilo’s handsome face. He knew to hide his violence better than Remo. He was elegantly handsome, not brutally attractive like Remo. Remo. Always Remo. I own you.

“I’m not the girl you were promised anymore,” I whispered. “I’m … lost.”

He shook his head and came closer, but still not close enough to touch. “He will pay. In these last two months, I’ve spent every waking moment thinking about you, going crazy with worry and rage. Your family and I … we wanted to get you back … We failed …”

“It’s okay,” I said softly.

“And I don’t care that he … that you aren’t …” His face twisted with guilt and fury. “I still want to marry you, and you don’t have to be scared, Serafina. I won’t touch you until you’ve healed, until you want me to, I swear.”

I moved toward Danilo. We could have been happy. He would have been kind to me, as good a husband as a Made Man could be. I didn’t kid myself into thinking he wasn’t a monster, but he was a restrained one. I touched my palms to his chest and looked into his eyes. Something in them had changed from our last encounter two months ago. They were harsher, darker. My captivity had left its mark on him too.

“I can’t. I’m sorry,” I whispered. “You deserve someone else. Please find someone who deserves you.”

He regarded me, his jaw flexing. “From the moment I saw you the first time, I only wanted you.”

I lowered my eyes because from the moment Remo had laid eyes upon me, I had been his.

“I’m sorry,” I repeated.

He nodded slowly. I dropped my hands from his chest and stepped back. “Falcone got what he wanted, didn’t he?” he said hoarsely. “But your family and I will bring him down. We will destroy him.”

I shivered. I slid my engagement ring off my finger and handed it to Danilo. “Don’t waste your time on revenge, Danilo. Move on. Find someone else. Be happy.”

He shook his head, obviously fighting for control. “Revenge is all I want, and I won’t stop until I get it. Remo will curse the day he took you from me.”

Remo already did, but not for the reason Danilo wanted him to.

He left without another word. Swallowing hard, I leaned against the windowsill. This was it. I was no longer engaged … I was nothing. I was … ruined. In our circles, I was ruined. If I’d married Danilo, things might have been different, but now …

There was a soft knock and Mom entered, looking worried. I gave her a small smile, wanting to banish the hard line between her brows. “Danilo told me you don’t want to marry him.”