Page 132 of Nico

“Then so are you,” he taunted her. “Apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. You look nothing like your mother or her wretched family.”

The silence that followed that statement was deafening, and I knew Bianca, just like Cassio and Luca, hated the resemblance to Benito. Except that none of them were him. Yes, they had his dark hair and eyes, but so did a million other people on this planet.

She glanced around the room, her eyes landing on the gun she clutched previously. There was something mundane and too numb about the way she stepped away from Benito.

“Bianca, love-”

She didn’t stop. We all watched her walk to the gun, pick it up and come back, holding it tightly.

“Any last words, Father?”

“Bianca,” I took her face and forced her to look at me. Sorrow, anguish and pain reflected in those beautiful eyes. I was used to seeing desire, softness there… not this. “If you pull that trigger, it stays with you forever.”

“Bianca, let me do it,” Cassio stepped in.

“No,” she protested, clutching the gun. “Let me go, Nico.” Fuck, I didn’t want her to do something she might regret. That would eat at her for the rest of her life. “I won’t regret it for the rest of my life,” she whispered, her eyes locked on her father’s face. “You know why?” She didn’t wait for an answer. “Because he killed my mother. He’s been killing her for twenty-six years. A bullet in his skull is better than he deserves, but I’ll settle for it.”

She aimed the gun against his skull, her hand sure and steady. “Any last words, Benito?”

“I’m your father,” he hissed, his eyes on his daughter with some sick devotion.

She tilted her head as if considering his words. “Maybe, but I still would have killed the man who raised me for hurting my mother. Biology won’t save you.”

Alexei and Vladimir stepped aside, getting out of the line of fire. I swore there was admiration in both their eyes as they watched my wife.

“Rot in hell, Benito.” Her final farewell and then she pulled the trigger. My wife killed Benito King. Men have been trying to kill this man for years and failed, including me. Yet, she stood over his body and watched the life extinguish in his eyes.

The silence that followed was deafening, yet the loudest sound I’ve ever heard. The other men felt it too. Everyone remained still, watching the youngest member of the King family as a goddess of revenge standing over her father’s body.

“Bianca, love. Give me the gun.” I gently took her hand and peeled her fingers off the gun. “Let me take you home.”

She blinked hard, her lower lip trembling. “M-mom,” she breathed out, the hurt in her eyes breaking me. “I can’t leave her.”

I handed the gun to Cassio, without looking away from my wife. “We’ll take her home too. We never leave anyone behind.”

She nodded, her eyes darting back to her mother’s dead body. She went to it again and lifted her.

I shared a look with her brothers and the other men. If the underworld gets wind of Bianca killing Benito, some might want to retaliate. Marco King would want to retaliate.

“What happened here cannot leave this room,” I told them all. Bianca’s soft sobs shattered the room and all of us glanced her way.

“Agreed,” everyone muttered.

“We should say either Cassio killed Benito,” Vladimir chimed in. “Or you, Nico. Otherwise, conclusions will be made. Marco King is just as sick as Benito. He’ll come for her if he hears it was her.”

I never thought I’d work side by side with Vladimir.

Cassio and I shared a look. It didn’t matter to me. The list of people that wanted Benito dead was long and I was on it. So were his illegitimate sons.

“I killed him,” Luca commented. “Cassio cannot be the one. Otherwise, some families might be hesitant to follow him when he takes over. It cannot be you, Nico. Otherwise, my sister becomes the target. I shot him.”

Two heartbeats. A jerky nod. Handshakes and more alliance were forged.

The cleaning crew was already on site and men walked away to give Bianca space.

I strode to her and wrapped my arms around her. I wished I could fix it, bring her mother back.

“Let’s go home,” I whispered against her hair. “We can stop at my penthouse, clean you up before we go home. The twins need you.”