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Oh, shit.

Just when I start feeling sick at the possibility that I might've made things worse, Sarica suddenly flashes a smile, saying brightly, "I like that." And her alluring cat-like eyes then turn to Cesare's oldest brother as she asks, "How about it,signore? As your owner, I'd like you to dye your hair the same color as mine—-"

"Over my fucking dead body...signorina."

The contrast between his words and courteous tone is exactly what we all need to hear, and I can only mentally sigh in relief as the tension in the room instantly evaporates, and I even seeLa Stregashaking her head at Sarica with exasperated affection.

Private catering takes care of dinner later on, and all of my troubles temporarily fade as the warmth of Cesare's family wraps around me like a cozy embrace.

Massimo promises to take me out to meet some girl named Ynez just asLa Stregaimperiously asks me to start calling her'nonna'while Sarica argues with Giancarlo about the number of bodyguards he intends to assign for both his fiancée and me.

And when I glance at Cesare and catch him looking at me like he wants to chain me to him for all eternity—-

Shit, oh shit.

I'm not sure if this has to do with how I almost died...or how I've taken another person's life, but my feelings for a certainmafiaboss are suddenly painfully clear.

Chapter Eleven

Cesare

WHILE MOST OF HIS FAMILYleft right after dinner, he was not surprised when Massimo opted to stay behind...and his brother wasted no time in confronting him as soon as they were alone in his office.

"Explain to me what you're doing,fratello."

"Is it not obvious enough?"

"All that's obvious to me is how you've convinced an eighteen-year-old girl to truly believe it's actually a good thing for married couples to see themselves as each other's owners."

"We'refamiglia," Cesare said flatly. "The fewer people we trust, the better—-"

"And so you are choosingnotto trust your ownfidanzata?"

"She is not our blood—-"

Massimo threw his brother a look of disgust. "Porca miseria,Cesare! We both know I have more experience with women so damn greedy they wouldn't think twice about selling their own sons for the right price—-" His own past came to haunt him, and his jaw clenched. "So trust me when I say that Penelope is not and can never be the type to let you down."

Cesare bit back an expletive upon hearing his brother's words.

Fuck.

Massimo's mother was a Vegas stripper who had not hesitated to use her own son as a bargaining chip every time she needed to ask money from the Marchettis—-and asshole that he was, he had not realized how his treatment of Penelope might end up reminding Massimo of his parent.

"Mi dispiace—-"

"You do not owe me an apology," Massimo said quietly, "but it would make me feel better if you just stop lying to yourself. Beingfamigliaalso means we learn early about the nature of humans, and you and I know Penelope has not an evil bone in her body."

Massimo's gaze turned grim at Cesare's continued refusal to speak. "I cannot just watch and say nothing when I see my own brother hell-bent on ruining his life. Penelope is not the problem here,fratello.It is you and your feelings—"

"I do not have feelings for her," Cesare denied tightly. "I know it's not what you wish to hear, but it's the fucking truth. I don't love her—-and I never will."

Penelope

Silence is an insidious twat.

At first I'm basking in the afterglow of being surrounded by family, but as the minutes tick by, my eyes start to droop...and before I know it, I'm falling back into the bloody, thorny arms of my nightmares, and I'm forced to reliveeverythingI've been desperately trying to run away from.

The deafening, soul-eating sound of endless gunshots. The screech of wildly spinning tires and the stench of burnt rubber. And because nightmares like this always save the worst for last—-a demon sinks its claws into my flesh and turns me into a puppet.