Sweet Temptation by Cora Reilly

dismembered told me they had a contact and the description fit Andrea.”
“Did you press a confession out of him?”
“It’s what I should have done,” I admitted. I held Luca’s gaze. “When I came
home after attacking the clubhouse, I found my naked, heavily pregnant wife
riding my brother-in-law—her half-brother—under my roof with my little son
downstairs thinking they were playing some game. When I confronted Andrea,
he bragged to me about fucking my wife from the first day of our marriage and
that my children weren’t mine. I beat him to death with my bare fists, broke
every fucking bone in his body, smashed in his cheating face until his eyes
popped out, and I would do it again.”
Luca nodded because jealous rage was something he understood only too
well. “Did you kill Gaia?”
“No. I didn’t even consider it,” I said. “She killed herself, like I told you. She
missed him too much.”
The pain of the past didn’t come this time. Gaia was the past. Giulia was my
present and future. She’d showed me what it meant to love a woman as fiercely
as I loved my children.
Luca sheathed his gun. “I expect the truth from my men.”
“I didn’t want anyone to find out that Gaia had cheated. Some people did, of
course, and their reaction was bad enough.” I hated admitting this, but Luca
needed to understand. I swore to Giulia that I’d return to her, and I had every
intention of keeping that promise.
“I understand,” Luca said simply. “I’m going to make sure Felix keeps his
fucking mouth shut unless you want the truth out.”
The truth about Daniele and Simona, about their blood, and why they didn’t
look like me. “Daniele and Simona are my children in every regard that matters.
They can’t ever find out the truth.”
“They won’t.” Luca picked up his phone.
“I should handle it.”
Luca smiled wryly. “Your wife might not be happy if you kill her father, and
Felix might count on it. Felix knows I wouldn’t hesitate to end his sorry life,
however.”
I inclined my head. Luca had killed family members before, so Felix
definitely couldn’t hope for mercy.
Luca pressed the phone to his ear. “Ahh, Felix, I hear you acquired some
interesting tidbit of information. Have you told anyone yet?” Luca waited. “And
it’ll stay that way. Understood? I think it would be best to discuss the matter in
person, just so I can really get the message across to you.” Pause. “No, you will
meet me in New York tomorrow at four p.m. Don’t make me wait.” He hung up.
I nodded my thanks because the actual words would never pass my lips.
“You should go to your wife now.”
I turned around and headed to the door, but before I could open it, Luca
spoke up again, “This was your last omission, Cassio. Even three children won’t
protect you next time you lie to me.”