Page 95

Maeve grumbles under her breath, hand flipping her signature pearl-inlaid knife. We all know how she feels about women being given away to men.

She glances back at Hayes. “Did you ever meet Carina?”

He rubs his beard, jaw tense. His time in the Bruno household is never a pleasant experience.

“Once,” he confirms. “Val came downstairs to stay with me. She fell asleep, and Carina came to bring her upstairs.” He looks to the side, brow furrowed. “She brought me new clothes after that. Little toys. A pair of sneakers. All gifts randomly left for me. I’m not sure why.”

I file that away.

“Do you think the wealth is a stash from Carina?” I ask. “That Roman was left his mother’s money?”

Nico shakes his head. “No, no. You misunderstand. If that money is really from Carina, it wouldn’t have been left to Roman.”

We all shift, looking to Nico, confused. As the oldest, Roman was owed. The only way it wouldn’t⁠—

He exhales, coughing slightly. A drop of blood paints his bottom lip, but he quickly wipes it away.

“A long time ago, I had a young girl come to my house. Broken. Bleeding.” His soft eyes land on Maeve, and the tip of her nose reddens. Her jaw works, but she doesn’t shy away. Sloane glances at me, but I don’t look at her, eyes focused on the floor. “We healed her wounds, but it wasn’t the first time we saw a woman broken and bleeding like that. It’s not the first time I've seen those scars.”

He clucks his tongue. “Carina did not have a good marriage. It is well known that Roman and Julian were not brought into this world through love, but forced upon her.”

My sister winces, and Killian grips the back of her neck, thumb rubbing her pulse point. I tighten my fists as a deep sadness chokes my throat. Maeve still carries her wounds, and it kills me, that I didn’t end Ferguson that night to protect her.

Sloane tilts her head, watching the two of them, frowning. She doesn’t know. Maeve hasn’t told her.

Silently, I catch gaze and shake my head.

I made the mistake of being young, and walking the halls. I saw what Michael did to my sister. Her body on the floor, bleeding, limp. She had disobeyed him, refused to give him what he wanted, so he beat the shit out of her. I was stuck, glued to that door, frozen with fear. If he could do that to her—this larger-than-life girl—what would he do to me?

The rage that exploded out of me when I confronted Ferguson afterward wasn’t only anger at Michael, or him. But at myself. I’ll never forgive myself for not doing more.

“So, she hates them.” Subtly, Maeve wipes at her cheek. “She wouldn’t have left her money to either of them.”

“No,” Nico murmurs, “she wouldn’t.”

“But she’d leave it to Valentina,” I surmise. “You didn’t say anything about her connection to her daughter.”

Nico taps his nose. “Valentina was special to Carina. She bore her from love.”

Sloane scoffs. “I can’t imagine Carina decided to love Senior one night and got pregnant with her daughter.”

The old man winks. “Who’s to say? All we know is Valentina was her precious gift in the world, and she treasured her.” Nico taps the cane once. “That money? Is most likely for Valentina, and Roman is accessing it somehow.”

That greedy bastard.

An idea strikes me; ideas come to me so quickly, I can’t help but speak. “Cut off the supply.”

Maeve smirks, catching up. She’s always been like that. “Take away his money. And he’s dead.”

If I can access the account and stop Roman from pulling from it, he’s sunk. If Maeve can keep attacking his routes, Marco won’t want to carry him much longer.

The Bruno family will die.

25

VALENTINA

You looked like moonlight tonight. I wanted to lie under your rays and soak into your light until morning.