Page 1 of All The Darkest Truths (Second Sons Duet #2)

VESPER

I killed him.

I killed my uncle.

“No, no, no!” I rush to Mario's slumped form in my father's leather chair, his blood soaking into the expensive upholstery.

My hands grip his shoulders, shaking him violently as if I could rattle the truth from his lifeless body.

“Where is he? Where's Luca? Tell me where the Collector is, you bastard!”

Mario's head falls back, eyes vacant, mouth frozen in a half-smile that mocks me even in death.

“Where is my brother?” I scream. My fists pound against his chest. “You don't get to die! Not until you tell me!”

Strong arms suddenly encircle my waist pulling me away from Mario's corpse. I fight against them, clawing, kicking.

“He's gone, Vesper." Oz's voice cuts through my hysteria, steady but strained. “He's dead. He can't tell us anything now."

“No!" I twist in his grip, tears streaming down my face. "He has to! He's the only one who knows where Luca is!"

My legs give out beneath me, and Oz lowers us both to the floor, holding me against his chest as I shatter completely. The sobs wrack my body, violent and uncontrolled. My fingers clutch at Oz's shirt, twisting the fabric as if it could somehow yank me away from this gruesome reality.

“What have I done?" I choke out between gasps. “I've lost him. I've lost my brother. It’s all my fault."

Oz's arms tighten around me, his heart beating steadily against my back. “We'll find him, Vesper. This isn't the only way."

But it feels like the end. Mario's blood soaks into my father's imported rug, the sharp, coppery scent saturating the air. My uncle lies dead by my hand, and with him went our most direct link to Luca. Our only link.

I barely register the movement behind us, the sound of footsteps approaching.

“Zaire," Oz's voice vibrates through his chest against my ear. “Take her. Get her out of here."

My fingers tighten reflexively in his shirt. I can't leave. Not yet. Not with Mario's corpse still warm, not with the answers I need turning cold with his body.

“I'll take her," Talon offers.

I feel Oz hesitate, his arms still wrapped protectively around me. Then, with a reluctant sigh, he loosens his grip.

“Just until we clean this up," Oz says, his words meant for me as much as Talon.

Talon replaces Oz, strong and steady as he helps me to my feet. My legs tremble beneath me, threatening to give out with each step toward the door. I can't look away from Mario's body.

“Take her home, Talon," Zaire orders. “Now."

I try to pull away from Talon's grip. “No. I can't leave. There might be something in his office, files, his phone?—"

“There’s nothing you need to see," Zaire says, his voice firm, allowing no space for argument. His features soften just slightly as he turns toward me. “We’ll handle this, Vesper. We’ll find whatever information he had.”

“But I?—"

“This isn’t a debate.” The finality in his voice cuts through me like a blade. “Talon, go.”

Talon’s hand on my lower back urges me toward the exit, and I’m too exhausted to fight anymore. My body moves on autopilot, one foot in front of the other.

The warm afternoon air slaps against my skin as we step outside. The sun above is offensive in its brilliance, the world continuing to spin while mine has crashed to a halt. I glance down at myself and freeze.

Mario’s blood is everywhere—dark stains blooming across my dress, splattered on my hands. The evidence of what I’ve done screams in color. My breath comes in short, painful gasps. My uncle’s blood. It’s everywhere.

“Hey, hey, look at me.”

I can’t look up. I can’t breathe.

“Vesper." The urgency of Talon's tone finally pulls my attention upward. His eyes lock with mine, steady and grounding. Without hesitation, he shrugs out of his jacket.

“Arms," he commands gently.

I comply without thinking, letting him drape the heavy fabric around me, hiding the worst of the evidence. The jacket envelops me in warmth and the subtle scent of his cologne. It's too big, swallowing my frame, but I clutch it close with trembling fingers.

“Come on, sweetheart.” His hand returns to the small of my back. “Let's get you home"

He steers me toward the black SUV parked at the curb, his body angled to shield me from the world around me. My legs move mechanically beneath me, each step feeling disconnected.

When we reach the passenger side, Talon opens the door and gently guides me inside and fastens the seatbelt across my body, the click oddly final in the silence between us. I stare straight ahead, barely registering the movement as he secures me like I'm something fragile.

Maybe I’m more broken than I thought. Maybe, deep down, the Rossi blood in my veins is rotting me from the inside out once and for all.

He closes my door with a soft thud that reverberates through my hollow chest before circling around to the driver's side. I watch him through the windshield, his movements purposeful, controlled—everything I'm not right now.

When he slides into his seat, the engine purrs to life, and I flinch at the sound.

“You're safe now," he says. “Just breathe, Vesper."

I try, but each breath feels like swallowing glass. My brother is still missing. The Collector still has him. And I've just killed our only lead.

“He deserved it,” Talon says, eyes fixed on the road. “Mario deserved to die for what he did. To you. To Luca.”

I stay quiet, my throat closing around words I can’t force out. Of course my uncle deserved to die. He’d arranged my brother’s kidnapping—mine too. He’d created life using my body, betrayed our family, and sold himself to the Collector.

Deserving death is one thing. But delivering it myself? That was something else entirely. That made me judge, jury, and executioner.

“You may not believe it now, princess, but you did what you needed to do.”

“I didn’t mean to kill him,” I manage. “I just wanted answers.”

“Sometimes your body reacts before your brain can process what’s happening,” he says after a moment. “Your instinct to protect yourself and Luca took over.”

A dry, bitter sound escapes me—something too broken to be called a laugh. “And how did that work out? My brother’s still in the hands of that monster…”

“We’ll find Luca.” His grip tightens on the wheel, the tension creeping up his forearms. His voice stays calm, but every muscle in him says otherwise. “There are still threads to follow. We just haven’t pulled the right one yet.”

I shift toward him, watching the lines carved into his expression, the stubborn set of his mouth.

“What if we’re already too late? What if he’s been sold? Like I was?”

“We got you out, Vesper. We’ll get him out too.” His head turns just enough to check on me before facing forward again, jaw clenched like he’s bracing for war.

“You don't know that."

“I do." His response is immediate, unwavering. “Because I won't stop until we find him. None of us will. It took us two years to find you. We’ll find your brother, too.”

“What if—” I swallow hard. “What if he's already dead?”

Talon's hand leaves the steering wheel, finding mine where it rests on my lap. His fingers intertwine with my blood-stained ones, not hesitating for a second.

“He's not,” he says firmly. “Your brother is the heir to the Rossi family. He’s not going to kill him. He’s worth far more alive."

God, I hope he’s right. For Luca’s sake, and mine.

“Trust me, princess. When Oz, Alex, and Zaire finish at the mansion, they'll bring whatever they find home,” Talon continues, his thumb brushing over my knuckles in gentle circles.

“If there's information to be found, Alex will uncover it. The man can extract data from a brick if he must.”

I want to believe him. God, how I want to believe that this wasn't all for nothing. But the image of Mario's lifeless body keeps flashing in my mind—his mocking half-smile, the hole in his forehead, the blood dripping from his face. Dying with the secrets I desperately needed.