Chapter 30

30

Olivia

"He shot him, point-blank." Solene hiccups from the bed.

"He did it to protect me." I, too, should be hyperventilating, but somehow, when he shot my brother, then turned to me with the blood splatters on his face and pocketed his gun, a calm had descended on me. I'm not sure if it's shock, but I don't think so. It's more like a certainty I had to be there at that point in time to hear what my brother said, and to see Massimo defend my honor. I'd seen his nostrils flare as my brother had told him about his plans to marry me off to the much older Mafia head of a rival clan. I'd sensed the anger pouring off of him, seen his shoulders bulge, his biceps twitch, and I'd known what he was going to do a second before he whipped out his gun and shot Diego.

Do I mourn Diego? Yes. He was my brother. I have memories of us playing together when we were little. As we grew, so did our differences. I'd seen through his bluster, his tall claims, his constant need to prove himself to our father, while not always succeeding; his jealousy when my father had seemed to favor me over him, even though he was the man of the family. He hadn't been in favor of my leaving home to pursue my dream. And he hadn't waited an hour after my father's passing to declare himself the new head of the Camorra . But he was still my brother, so yes, I was sad to lose him. Even though, the truth is, I lost my brother a long time ago.

Declan carried Solene to bed, where she refused to let go of him. It's hard to believe they met only once. She seems to trust him in a way she hasn't trusted me for a long time. He held her while she cried, and when she finally subsided, he left her in my care as he headed off to confer with Massimo and Adrian.

I haven't seen my mother yet, although I'm sure she heard the gunshot, and by now, she must know what happened. I'll have to go to her, but first, I want to make sure Solene's okay.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there for you more growing up." I push the hair off of her forehead. "I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect you from Diego. I left to follow my dream, and let you bear the brunt of his need to prove himself in the eyes of the world."

"Livvy, don't be so hard on yourself." Solene sits up in bed and reaches for her glass of water. I place it in her hand, and she sips from it. "He wasn't too bad as a brother."

"He was only concerned with growing his power and consolidating his position as the head of the Camorra ," I retort.

"He wasn't abusive."

"Only manipulative, and ready to offer up his sisters to rival clans without a thought for their happiness."

"He didn't deserve to die."

"It was only a matter of time before he was shot. You know as well as I do, when you pursue the path he did, you meet your end by the same means."

Solene's features crumpled. She places her glass on the bedside table and buries her face in her hands.

"Oh, sweetie." I throw my arms around her and allow myself to mourn the boy my brother once was. "He was going to marry me off. He'd have held me here and done so, whether I agreed or not."

Solene doesn't refute me. She knows I'm right.

"But shoot him?" she says in a small voice. "Did he have to do that?"

"In this business, you don't leave loose ends. You can't. There was no other way Massimo could have stopped him."

She lowers her hands and stares at me. "So, you're on his side?"

"I—" I pause, not sure what to say. Truth is, I was never not on his side. I may have pushed him away over and over again, but I've always believed in him. I've trusted him and rooted for him. I've never stopped wanting him. It's just, I can't afford to let myself get lost in him while I'm trying to figure out what my new reality is going to be.

"You are, aren't you?" She peers into my eyes. "He still loves you, you know."

"What's that got to do with anything?"

"You keep pushing him away, yet he's always there, waiting for you. He's not taking ‘no' for an answer. He's being persistent because he feels something genuine for you. I wouldn't treat it so lightly. If you take him for granted, one day he'll be gone, and then you'll really miss him."

"Like how you already miss Declan, even though you just met him?" I tease.

Her cheeks flush. "I'm not sure what there is between Declan and me. All I can say is that I feel safe with him. I don't know him very well, but I'd trust him with my life."

"Whoa." I sit back in my chair. "I didn't think you'd fall this deep, this fast."

"Neither did I." She twists her fingers together in front of her. "I don't think I've ever felt this connected to anyone before."

"I know the feeling." I shake my hair back from my head. "Looks like both of us are goners, eh?" I chuckle. "Who'd have thought this could happen."

"You know I can't marry him, right? Not that there was ever a doubt that he was going to marry anyone other than you."

I rise to my feet and begin to pace. "I can't marry him, Solene. I really can't. If I do, I'll get distracted. I'll lose myself in him and not be able to focus on what I need to do."

"And what is it you need to do?"

"I need to figure out what I want. Whether I still want to be an actor. Whether I want to do something else with my life, and if so, what that is. I left home with a promise to myself, never to become a Mafia bride." I spin around and face her.

"Umm, Livvy?" Solene interrupts me, but I ignore her.

"I told myself I'd never be dependent on a Mafia guy, that I'd make something of myself before I settled down. Yet here I am, in the one situation I've been trying to avoid. I can't do this."

"Livvy, stop," Solene says urgently.

"I can't. I need to get this out. It's been eating away at me." I throw up my hands. "If I married him now, I'd be untrue to myself. I'd turn into the very woman I've wanted to avoid becoming, know what I mean?"

"I do." She blows out a breath. "And now, so does he."

"What?"

She glances past me. I turn to find Massimo at the doorway. Heat suffuses my face. Oh hell, I hadn't meant for him to hear me ranting like a lunatic.

"I tried to warn you." Solene twists her fingers together. She keeps her gaze averted from Massimo.

The silence stretches for a few seconds, then Massimo leans a hip against the doorframe. "Can I talk to you, Via?"

Ugh, not exactly what I want to do right now. I squeeze the bridge of my nose.

"Livvy? I think you need to speak with him," Solene whispers.

I lower my arm and search her features. "Are you going to be okay?"

"I'm fine," she smiles a teary smile. "A little in shock, but I'm okay. I'm not sure about you, though."

"Me?" I shake my hair back from my shoulders. "I'll survive. It's all going to work out, Sol, you'll see."

She holds my gaze for a second, then nods. "Okay."

"Okay." I lean forward and kiss her cheek, then rise to my feet and make it to the doorway. I brush past him and down the corridor to one of the guest rooms, aware he's on my heels. I walk toward the window and glance out.

He stands in the doorway. "Think she'll ever forgive me for what I did?" he asks.

"Probably not."

"Will you forgive me for what I did?"

"There's nothing to forgive. If you hadn't shot him, he'd have married me off to that Mexican Mafia lord." A shudder grips me. "Nothing I could say or do would have stopped him. He'd have probably made me a prisoner in my own home, and if I had escaped, he'd have found me and brought me back." I turn toward him. "You saved me from a future worse than death, so really, there's nothing to forgive."

A pleased look flashes across his face. "Now that we have that out of the way—" He steps inside the room and shuts the door behind him, then locks it. "Let's talk."