Page 90 of Claimed By the Enemy

“By making her forget who she is. Who we are.”

I signal to Raff to stay low as we creep toward the main deck. Through the windows of the main cabin, I can see them - Dom sitting in a chair, his hands apparently free, but three armed men positioned around the room. Uncle Enzo stands by the bar, looking older and more tired than I’ve ever seen him.

“Sophie knows exactly who she is,” Dom says. “She’s a woman who’s tired of living in the past. Who wants to build something new instead of tearing down something old.”

“Sophie is a child playing at being an adult. She doesn’t understand the consequences of her choices.”

“Don’t I?”

My voice carries across the cabin as I step through the doorway, and everyone freezes. Uncle Enzo’s face goes pale, and Dom’s expression shifts from resignation to alarm.

“Sophie, get out of here,” Dom says immediately.

“No.” I keep my eyes on Uncle Enzo. “We need to talk.”

“There’s nothing to discuss, Sophie. You’ve made your choice clear.”

“Have I? Because I think you’ve misunderstood what that choice actually was.”

“You chose him over your family.”

“I chose love over hatred. There’s a difference.”

Uncle Enzo gestures to his men, who raise their weapons slightly. “Sophie, I’m going to ask you to leave. What happens here doesn’t concern you anymore.”

“It concerns me more than anyone.” I take a step closer, putting myself between the guns and Dom. “Uncle Enzo, you’ve been like a father to me for sixteen years. You raised me, protected me, taught me everything I know about loyalty and family.”

“And yet here you are, defending the son of the man who killed your parents.”

“No. Here I am, trying to save the man I love from making the same mistake our families have been making for sixteen years.”

“What mistake?”

“Fighting the wrong enemy.”

Uncle Enzo’s expression falters slightly. “What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about the fact that Dom’s father didn’t kill my parents. That my father didn’t betray Dom’s family. That someone else has been pulling our strings for sixteen years, turning us against each other while they profit from our war.”

“Sophie-”

“Dom’s Uncle Riccardo. He’s been manipulating both our families since the beginning.”

Uncle Enzo goes very still. “How do you know that?”

“Because I’ve been investigating. Because the evidence I found, the documents that showed our fathers were business partners, they’re real. Because every story we’ve been told about that night, every piece of proof we’ve seen, has been carefully crafted to make us hate each other instead of looking for the real killer.”

“That’s impossible.”

“Is it? Think about it, Uncle. Who benefits from the Moretti and Bellini families destroying each other? Who’s been feeding you information about Dom’s family for sixteen years? Who convinced you that Antonio Moretti was your enemy instead of your friend?”

I can see Uncle Enzo processing this, see the doubt creeping into his eyes.

“Riccardo came to you after my parents died, didn’t he?” I continue. “With proof that Dom’s father was responsible. Documents, photographs, witness statements.”

“Yes, but—”

“All of it fake. All of it designed to turn you into his weapon against the Moretti family.”