Page 35 of Righteous Deceit

I don’t know what to think. The man infiltrating my life in a hazardous wayreplantedmy roses because he trampled on them. My only question is what he plans to do when he destroys my life in the same way, and the only soil he’ll be playing with is the kind we have to bury him beneath to save our own skins.

CHAPTEREIGHT

ALESSIA

Isend Caterina a text, telling her I’m on my way, and pull my front door closed behind me. The automatic locks click into place, and my mind wanders once again to the obscene kiss I shared with Diego, only steps away from where I currently stand.

If you could call it a kiss.

I stood there in complete and utter shock, Diego’s hand at my throat, his teeth pinching my bottom lip, his tongue licking out to taste my surprise.

At his outward show of intimacy.

At his identity.

He drank it all in, growling in approval at the eager moan that escaped my open mouth. God, I’m loathe to admit it, but I wish he had pushed it further. I wish he had taken advantage of the desperate rip I had torn into my skirt and pressed his hand against me to feeljusthow eager I was for everything he could give me.

I shake my head, ridding myself of the thought. Today is a fact-finding mission and not an opportunity to delve into all the salacious ways I’d like to know Diego Greco.

As much as he lights a fire deep within my soul, I don’t trust him.

It all seems a little too coincidental that my stranger from the hunt, the man who had personally requested me, is also a capo from a rival family.

Countless times I’ve considered talking to Salvatore about the quandary I’ve found myself in, to tell him the truth.

I think we’ve been made.

Bridges to peace have been erected, but that doesn’t mean a monster isn’t lurking below, waiting to destroy us as we tentatively make our way over.

I’m no longer certain that New Yorkareour friends, and I’m starting to contemplate the idea that they’re undermining us in our home-fucking-town.

Is Diego some elaborate plan set up by Lorenzo Caruso to destroy Salvatore? Are they preying on the helpless widow who they surmise issodeficient in intimacy and affection that she lets men hunt her for fun?

I should talk to Salvatore, but the saddest part of thissituation is that even if I am a ruse to dismantle our outfit, I’ll grieve the loss of what Diego and I share. Even if it’s not real for him.

Because it has been real for me.

I’ll always do what’s right for my family. If there is a guaranteed threat, I’ll eliminate it.I have to.Our world isn’t made for hesitation. It’s not just kill or be killed. It’s the decision between saving your entire family or watching them die. If it was only my life on the line, I’d gamble a little longer and a little harder. But it’s not. There are women and children, and men I count as blood. There is no room for error. Not unless we want an outright war.

Before I decide either way, I need to figure out if New York has already brought that battle to our home ground. Salvatore is a protector. He’ll execute a plan before thinking if he believes someone is a danger to the world he has worked so hard to build. Until I’m sure doubt on either side will ignite a fight I’m not confident we can win.

I pull up to Salvatore’s gate on autopilot, not remembering the drive over. Francesco, Salvatore’s head of security, waves me through with a dip of his chin.

I text Caterina again, telling her I have arrived, and let my car idle while I wait for her.

Caterina and I have lunch twice a week—just the two of us. In the beginning, it was a chore Salvatore gave me while he was still incarcerated. Initially, Caterina was a reluctant participant, preferring the company of her Kindle to anyone in the Chicago outfit. I don’t blame the poor girl. She was pulled from one city and dumped into another without so much as an introduction. But as cautious or unwilling as she was, she showed up to every invitation I extended, and the more time we spent together, the more my affection for my future sister-in-law grew.

She’s sweet and funny. She’s shy and kind and has a warmth that could thaw the ice settled over my brother’s heart.

Caterina has warmed to me as I have her. Our lunches went from stilted and awkward to something we both look forward to.

One day a week, I choose where we eat, and she chooses the second.

She spends time scrolling social media searching for up-and-coming hot spots, and I always choose tried and tested restaurants at the heart of Chicago.

I’m determined to make Caterina Rossi fall in love with our city. My hope is that if she opens her heart to Chicago, she’ll be more inclined to open her heart to Salvatore.

“Hey.” She opens the passenger door of my Maserati.