Shattered Throne: A Dark Mafia Romance: War of Roses Universe (Mice and Men Book 3) - Lana Sky (top romance novels .TXT) 📗

Shrugging off the haze of sleep, I sit up. The way her lips twitch makes me look down.

Damn. I stripped my shirt, wearing just my slacks, lying on top of the sheets. Her sudden modesty is a puzzle I’ll mull over later.

Shifting to sit on the end of the mattress, I snatch the note from her and open it, straining my eyes to make out the scrawled letters in the dark. A sliver of moonlight plays to her advantage, illuminating the tail end of her statement.

You owe me the truth. If you’re not afraid of it, then give me the rest of the letters.

“I don’t owe anyone a damn thing,” I point out, but hell, even I can hear the lie in those words. I owe her more than an answer. If only the truth wasn’t far simpler than what I think she’s after. She wants a detailed confession, a broad outline of all my sins.

All I can give her are three words—I don’t remember.

She should crave the lie. It’s the only closure she needs. I make a far better villain that way. Still, I promised her.

Inclining my head, I ask, “What do you want to know?”

She inches forward, letting the moonlight bathe her face in its silvery glow. Those eyes convey her thoughts so clearly I grit my teeth. Fuck, it’s like…

I’m in her head, able to hear her beg—Tell me. Just tell me!

“You want to know why I left you? Really?” The answer on my tongue is a variation of the same one I’ve grown accustomed to telling. Because I didn’t give a damn. You meant nothing.

Then I swallow and change tact.

“You want the truth? I… I don’t even remember why. I remember what happened,” I clarify as she steps forward, unable to disguise her interest. “Gino… Your father was working for the Hortega cartel. There was a trio of them, embedded in the famiglia, each taking their orders from a different location at different times so they couldn’t be traced. It was smart,” I admit. “Smart as hell, but Gino slipped up. I learned he was one of the moles, and I confronted him.”

It’s funny how some parts of the past are so murky while others? They’re crystal fucking clear. Gino had swaggered around, convinced I’d never suspect him. Without direct evidence, I never would have. I trusted him. My right hand, a man I considered a brother, a fratello.

For a second, he’s in front of me…

Then I blink and realize I’m looking at his daughter. She never resembled him outright, but they have a similar ability when it comes to me—I always underestimate them.

“He wasn’t the only one,” I say. “Antonio Salvatore was working for the cartel as well, I think—the bastard was just better at hiding it. They wanted to take over. Wanted me dead. But do you know what I did when I found out about the son of a bitch?”

She doesn’t react. Does it hurt her to hear this? God, I hope so. At least then, she has something more to hate me for.

“I showed him mercy,” I croak. “For you. I didn’t want… I was going to let him go. I beat the fucker within an inch of his life, but I didn’t kill him. And then… Well, you know what happened next.”

She was there. I see her face, tethered to a fragment of memory. I wrack my brain to follow it, trying to remember. Sea salt. Hot sand. “We were at the beach, weren’t we?”

Her eyes flash with recognition, and it’s enough to recall the rest.

“You, me, and Vin. I was teaching you both to swim.”

The sun had been shining, the day beautiful. She and Vin frolicked in the sand, and it was damn near perfect.

“Then Liv called. I don’t remember what she said, but I went back.”

And I found her dead.

“I lost my shit that day,” I tell her hoarsely, not that it matters. It’s a pathetic excuse, but it’s all I can give her. “I must have blacked out. Gone insane. If there was a reason… I don’t know. I can’t—it doesn’t matter. I did it, and I know it’s too late for sorry…but I am. I’m sorry for hurting you.”

The way her breathing hitches echoes like a train crash. Time hinges on the slow pause before she swallows, stunned by the admission.

It takes effort to decipher the rest of her reaction. I turn and see her standing there, just watching. I will never understand how I can meet that stare and know that I have nothing else to offer her.

I lost the right to make amends seven years ago.

But what did Fabio say? Try.

“If you were a man… If you were in the famiglia, we’d settle this one way,” I say, though I know what she wants—me dead. Soon enough, she’ll get her wish. In the meantime, there’s no harm in trying Fabio’s plan. Get inside her head. Get her on my side.

Find out what the fuck Mischa might be hiding—and who the hell tried to set me up.

“I’d let you have an offering,” I tell her absently. “I know a man once who demanded the cock of a bastard who violated his daughter. Is that what you want? Castration? Money? Blood? Just say the word, and it’s yours.”

I mean it. Like hell, do I mean it…but her flashing eyes convey her answer. I don’t want anything from you!

“Sleep on it,” I suggest. “Save it for a rainy day. Maybe Mischa’s life would be a good starting point—”

Tears. They don’t belong, glistening on her cheeks. I’m on my feet, advancing on her within a heartbeat. Confused, I swipe at one bead of moisture, cradling it on the tip of my finger. I don’t believe it’s real until it breaks open, wetting my thumb.

I’m telling her what little of the truth I can, but I’ve only wound up hurting her more.

“You loved me that damn much, huh?” I croak. “When I turned out to