Page 24

“When I was a kid, I almost drowned. It was a pure accident. It’s one of the only memories I have with my mom.

We were swimming in the ocean on a beach vacation and a wave came and swept me out to shore.

I should have been wearing a lifejacket but I wasn’t.

I thought I was going to die. Fortunately, Viktor saw.

He’s a strong swimmer. He saved me that day.

I remember he was so angry with our parents for not putting me in a lifejacket.

From what Viktor has told me about our parents, they could be a bit forgetful at times.

I guess in a strange way, I’m glad Viktor was more like a dad to me than a brother.

He’s always protected me.” I shake my head.

“Sorry. I shouldn’t be talking about my brother right now. ”

“He’s important to you. I get that. My own mom was important to me too.”

“You said she was…”

“Murdered. Yes.”

“You don’t have to give me the details if you don’t want but… I want to know more.”

He pulls me in for a hug. I rest my chin in the crook between his neck and shoulder. “I’m not sure I can look you in the eye as I tell you.”

“It’s ok.” I run my hands over his back. “Just tell me as much as you’re comfortable.”

“I was sixteen at the time. I was supposed to be home earlier in the night but I wanted to hang out with some friends. Do typical dumb teenage shit. Smoke weed, play some video games. Nothing important. My mom wanted me home sooner and I blew her off. I finally came home around midnight, stoned. I remember something feeling off the second I walked through the door. And then my foot slipped on something wet.” He sucks in a breath and I hold him closer.

I need him to know that I’m here for him. That I’ll always be here for him.

“It’s ok,” I murmur. “It’s ok.”

“I turned on the light in the living room and looked down and realized I had slipped on blood. It was so dark and red. It shocked me. I had never seen that much blood in my entire life before. It took me a long time to realize what I was even looking at. Then I felt my heart constrict. I had never felt this sort of panic before. I was about to run down the hallway to search for my mom when I looked up and saw her…”

I don’t speak as he trembles under my arms. He needs this moment to process what happened.

“I saw her.” The defeat in his voice is crushing.

“She was on the ground, in the living room, covered in blood. She had… she had so many wounds in her. Stab wounds, I later found out. Someone had broken in and stolen some jewelry and money, not that we had a lot. She died for just a few stolen dollars and some cheap jewelry. I called the cops and… I remember the way they looked at me when they arrived. Like I was a suspect. Like I could have done that to my own mother. It had just been her and me together for years. I never would have hurt her. My friends were my alibi so I was cleared as a suspect. They eventually found the fucker who did it. He left some prints behind.”

“Who was it?” I ask as I squeeze my eyes shut, trying not to picture what Matteo had gone through.

“Just some druggie fucker who had assaulted a police officer once. His name was in the system. They even found the knife he used on my mom. It was just in his back pocket like it was fucking nothing to him. He was arrested and sentenced to life in prison. He’s never getting out and it’s a good fucking thing he isn’t because I’d kill him otherwise and he doesn’t deserve death any time soon. He deserves to rot.”

“Oh, Matteo. I’m so sorry you had to go through that.” A few tears slip down my face.

He cups my cheeks and wipes my tears away. “Why are you crying?”

“Because I care about you so much and I don’t want to see you hurting. It hurts me too.”

“You are perfect, you know that?”

I sniffle. “I’m not perfect. I just care for you.”

He gives me a simple, tender kiss. “I’ve never told anyone this story before. Not even Dante. He knows my mom is dead but… I never gave him the details. You’re the first.”

“I’m honored you shared that with me. I like knowing I get one of your firsts since you’re getting so many of mine.”

“Like what?”

“Well…” I can’t help but blush. “My first kiss.”

His eyes darken. “And?”

“And the first man to see me naked and do all the things you’ve done to me.”

“And?”

“And… and my first love. Because I know I love you, Matteo. There’s no point in pretending I don’t. I love you. And I do want to be with you. I do want to marry you.”

“You’ll marry me?” His voice is both sweet and yet breathless sounding, like he’s nervous. I never knew a man like him could get nervous.

“Yes. I will marry you.”

“Even though you haven’t had the chance to talk to your brother?”

“Viktor, even though I love him, will just try to control my life. He always has. I know it comes from a place of love. I know he just wants to protect me after our parents were murdered. He never wants to see me get hurt. It was a rival Bratva member who killed them and Viktor was always paranoid about that happening to me. I completely understand that but it also meant I was locked away for most of my life. I never blamed him for it though. I was just lonely a lot and now I get the chance to be happy. I want to take it.”

“Viktor will try to stop us, you know.”

“Oh, I know.” I trail my fingers down Matteo’s cheek. “But if we got married without him knowing, he can’t stop it.”

“You really want to get married without your brother there? I know you, Julia. You want your family there.”

“I know. But he’ll never approve of us being together. This will be our only way. You just shared something so personal with me. You trusted me with that. I know you didn’t mean to attack my wedding. I know you never meant to put me in harm’s way.”

“I never want to hurt you.”

“I know.” I give him a small kiss. It’s nice to just effortlessly kiss him like it’s as normal as breathing.

“You really want to do this? Get married?”

“Yes.” I don’t even hesitate. What’s the point of living if I’m going to be miserable all the time? This is my chance for happiness and I have to take it, even if Viktor will be upset. I just have to hope that in time, he’ll understand. That is if Dante or Erik don’t kill him first.

“The only thing I need to hear from you,” I say, “is that you’ll promise to never kill Viktor. You won’t give Dante any information about my brother that could hurt him.”

“You’re asking me to go against my friend and boss.”

“I know. But if we’re going to be married, then I’ll be your wife. I need to know that you’re on my side no matter what. And I can’t lose my brother.”

“And I can’t lose Dante. What if I learn of something Viktor is going to do that could hurt Dante? I’m not supposed to say anything?”

I sigh and press my forehead to his. “You already told Dante information about my wedding day when you didn’t have to.

Viktor could have been killed. I could have been killed.

Please do this for me, Matteo. I need to know that I can trust you one hundred percent.

I need to know that my brother will not die because of you.

If Dante manages to kill Viktor of his own accord, then I won’t blame you.

All I’m asking is that you’re not a part of it. ”

His hands tighten on my hips as he looks me in the eye. Slowly, he nods. “Ok. I can promise that. But if I know Dante is in danger, I’ll do whatever I can to make sure he’s not killed. But I won’t try to hurt Viktor. I promise you that.”

I sag in relief. “Thank you. That means the world to me. We can figure this out, Matteo. I believe it.”

And I have to since there’s no other alternative that gives me both Matteo and my family at the same time.

Viktor

Inessa tries talking to me but I shut her out. It’s wrong of me but I need time to process what she told me. Julia is in love with Matteo. Julia betrayed me to be with Matteo. Did she plan the attack on her wedding day so she could run away with Matteo?

She’s not here for me to ask but I have to assume she had a part to play. There’s no other way Dante and Matteo found out about the wedding. No other way.

I trust my sister, I remind myself. Julia has never given me any reason to doubt her. Until now.

Now, I don’t know what the fuck to believe.

I get a call from my guard out front that Connor is here to see me. He managed to survive the attack by sheer luck. I invite him into my office.

“You’re looking good,” I tell him, nodding at his arm, which is in a sling. He got clipped in the shoulder but the was the worst of it. It all could have been worse. I could have died. Inessa could have died.

Julia…

“I am. I’m feeling better now that I had a good night’s sleep. Now, we need to go after that fucker Matteo and kill him for stealing Julia away.”

“I agree. I want him dead. What do you have planned? Do you know where he’s hiding?”

“I don’t but Dante will know.”

I snort. “He’s not going to tell us, no matter how sweetly I ask.” I frown, staring at Conor with curiosity. “I know you never liked Matteo but did it have to do with Julia?”

“Why do you ask?”

“My wife told me that Julia cares for Matteo. Did you know anything about this?”

Connor hesitates and that tells me everything I need to fucking know. “I knew she met with Matteo at one of Dante’s clubs.”

“What?! When the fuck was this?”

“A little over a month ago. I’ll admit, I happened to meet Julia when she was there but she left the club with Matteo. That was before we were working together.”

“So is everybody lying to me?” I grumble. “Why can’t I get the respect I deserve?”

“I never told you because…”

“Because?”

He clears his throat. “Because I wanted to make a deal with you and marry Julia. I knew that if I admitted to how we first met, you wouldn’t let me marry her.

But I just want to keep her safe, Viktor.

You have to believe that. And I don’t trust Matteo.

I think he was just trying to seduce Julia for information.

Turn her against you. She’s innocent in this, I believe.

A victim. It’s Matteo you should be mad at. I’ll gladly kill him for you.”

So… Julia is a victim. Inessa made it sound like Julia and Matteo fell in love consensually but now Connor is making clear that Matteo was just using my sister for information. I’m not sure which one to believe. I need to talk to Julia but that’s impossible since that fucker Matteo took her.

Is my sister an innocent victim whom I need to protect?

Or is she a woman who fell in love with the enemy and helped him plan my demise?

Or is it something in between? A woman who fell for the wrong man and never meant to hurt me in the process?

I love and trust my sister but right now, I don’t know what the fuck to think. I don’t know who to trust. I’m not even sure I trust Connor. Even Inessa kept the truth from me about Julia. The only person I can truly trust is myself.

But that’s a lonely, dangerous island to be on and yet, it seems I’m stuck here.