“Some voices are louder, and any man’s voice carries more weight than a wife. You know what I’m talking about, don’t you? The Unseen have been watching you for some time as The Gardener. I’m a fan, if I’m honest.”
My skin prickled all over as she let out a soft huff. Was she trying to bond with me? My thoughts raced as I twirled the needle in my hand. I thought she’d come alone, but if she was part of a bigger organization, she must have brought others with her.
“So, your husband listened to Lanton Vani more than you, so you left? Made everyone think you died a brutal death. How was that keeping things under the radar?”
Our gazes clashed like steel, and she wavered under my brutal stare. The more she spoke, the more I felt the taint of her lies, a sheen of oil over my skin. Her voice was soft, her features more lined but still striking. But I had been underestimated so many times before, I wouldn’t make the same mistake. Her spine was iron, and she would break me if I gave her the chance.
“Some things require more direct methods, and I was angling for a different outcome.” She brushed her hair over her shoulder and looked meaningfully at me. I clicked my tongue, my temper flaring out of control.
“I already told you that I don’t have time for coy. My stomach is very temperamental, and I need to lie down before you’re wearing my lunch.”
The guards passed by outside of the house, and I pressed my finger to my lip until they strolled out of view.
“Matteo loved me as one loves a trophy, but he wasn’t the only one. His best friend, Lanton, was vying for his crown and his wife. The war between the Donatos was inevitable. I hoped my ‘death’ would take care of two of my problems. Lanton Vani would avenge me, and the Donatos would be crippled enough for Matteo to absorb their land.”
My forehead furrowed as her admission sank in.
“But that didn’t happen.”
She toed the grass, making a divot of mud in the ground. The muck spread over the tip of her boot. Rosetta had tried to play puppet, but it backfired. Nothing she planned came to pass. Except for more death. A chill froze my spine straight.
“No, he was always unpredictable and—” she sighed. Her fingers drifted to her melted sunshine hair. Lanton hadn’t done what Rosetta wanted at all. He’d channeled his obsession into an even darker avenue.
“Killed and tortured blondes in your stead?”
She gave me a brief nod. His face flashed into my mind, the twisted way he had spat out Rosetta. There had been so much vitriol, untapped, impotent rage. Every single one of those blondes was Rosetta in his mind.
“He was…fixated on me. Anger at losing his toy had a strange way of manifesting.”
I waved off her explanation, chest pinching at the revelations. They weighed heavy on my ribs, as if they were close to cracking.
“Why are you here now? Business? Or to reconcile with Romeo?”
“No.” Surprise softened her features. “I-I thought you would understand. I’ve seen you with him. You’re a talented actress. The Unseen need to make sure you understand there can’t be war with the Donatos. Small skirmishes, fine, but we have drawn too much attention to this area.”
I sneered, disgust snapping out of me like a lunging snake. My stomach roiled with nausea again, but I breathed, flared nostrils, through dizzying judgment. I understood her, saw myself in her ruthless cold, and I hated it. She didn’t care about Romeo; he was a byproduct of her work. I leaned against the wall of the greenhouse, bringing my clutched fist to rest on my front.
“Very well, we’ll behave. You can go now, and you will never return here. Greenich Bay will be free of your machinations while I draw breath, while my child breathes. Do you understand me? I never want to hear a whisper of you again, or you will see what it means to incur the wrath of The Gardener.”
I brandished my needle and enjoyed the doubt that flashed over her features. Her hair whipped behind her as she cut for the trees, not bothering to give me a goodbye. Good riddance.
“Rosetta?” I called out, uncaring if the guards heard me this time.
Her back straightened, but she didn’t turn to look at me. I’d pricked her pride, and she knew it. Rosetta saw herself in me, two women who had worked behind the scenes of powerful men. But she had been wrong about one thing. She thought I was pretending with Romeo. She miscalculated. Iron flooded my mouth, and it tasted like revenge.
“If I find out your precious Unseen have attempted to infiltrate my city, I will kill you myself.”
If The Unseen thought they could control me…they hadn’t watched me long enough.
My palm pressed on my stomach.
I would do anything to protect my family.
1964
My back folded against the nursery door, and I slid down. My ass hit the floor, and I smothered an incredulous laugh, felled by a toddler. I poisoned Lanton Vani, one of the most dangerous murderers in Greenich Bay’s history. I watched his life wink out with barely any strain on my soul. But trying to put a toddler to bed had broken me, mentally and physically.
“This is a pitiful sight.” My cousin nudged me with his boot, but I couldn’t even look Paolo in the eye. The tiny dictator behind the door roared in his crib, and I felt the cry shudder through me like glass shattering. Paolo scooted down the wall next to me, whistling softly at the furious battle cry. The door barely muffled the sound, and I fought the urge to clamp my hands over my ears.
