Silent Prejudice

24

I slowly list backward against the back couch cushions as I try to grasp what Zeno is telling me. I’ve always known Nevio was a playboy, but that’s a far cry from s*x addiction. When did it develop? Why? Can that type of addiction evolve out of nowhere, or did something tragic happen to trigger his disfunction? No matter the cause, I’m devastated to hear that Nevio’s issues are even worse than I’d thought. “Z, I feel terrible for him. How did this happen?” Zeno joins me on the sofa, leaving enough space that we can face one another. “If you’ll recall, I told you that we found reason to send him away after his sophomore year of school. The truth is, he had an inappropriate relationship with a teacher. According to the law, he was too young to consent, but he swore he was the one who seduced her. You know how he is —how he’s always been. I don’t doubt he could have been very persuasive, and the girl was in her second year of teaching, hardly older than him. It was an incredibly challenging time. My parents decided to remove him from the situation and get him counseling. While he was away, he proceeded to have s*x with every female he could get close to. I’m not sure if the addiction came first or if the first relationship created the addiction. I’m not sure if he even knows. Regardless, his struggle has been a pervasive problem in his life. One he can’t seem to escape.” Z pauses, his gaze distant. “The one thing he didn’t allow his addiction to stain was his love for you. I think the reason he never tried to get you back in his life after school is because he wanted to protect you. He adored you—we both did— but he knew he’d only hurt you. As he suspected, once you two were together here at the estate, the craving was too much. He had to try to get with you.” Surely, the universe can only dole out so much heartbreak to one person. Have I not reached my quota? Isn’t it time to sprinkle the gloom and doom on some other unsuspecting sap? I want to be angry with Nevio, but how can I be when he’s clearly so broken? Instead, I’m left with an abundance of sorrow. “He made it sound like you guys ganged up against him and sent him away out of spite.” “Sometimes, he’s more honest with himself than others. When his issues are at their worst, he blames us exclusively. When he’s doing better, he accepts responsibility. But I wouldn’t expect him to ever reveal his darkest secrets to you voluntarily. The shame would be immeasurable.” What a horrible way to live. Every relationship is shallow at best, if not toxic and manipulative. And now, Livia has bound herself to him for life. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. “How many children does he have out there?” “Not as many as I might expect. There are two that I know of, and now two more are on the way. I do my best to keep apprised of his … activities. Before Livia, he got the housekeeper, Anna, pregnant on a visit home. I’m embarrassed to admit, but he tried to coerce her into aborting the baby. When she disappeared, I worried it had something to do with him. I confronted him, and he admitted what had happened. I tracked her down as quickly as I could. I needed her to know that he didn’t speak for the family and that her child was safe and would be provided for.” His explanation aligns perfectly with what Gia witnessed in the city. Poor Anna. She had to have been terrified if she thought the Mafia wanted her unborn baby dead. Z scoots closer on the couch and angles my face with gentle fingers to get a look at my eye. “It’s looking better. How does it feel?” “Fine. It doesn’t hurt too bad unless I press on the bruising.” I glance down at his hand and notice for the first time that his knuckles are mottled with dried blood. My fingers drift to his wounds and ghost over the broken skin. “What happened, Z? Did you fight with someone?” I stare deep into his kaleidoscopic eyes and search for the truth, but he is an expert at concealment. “I did what I said I’d do—I took care of things.” Aldo. That’s why his knuckles are bloody. A flutter stirs in my chest from a surge of adrenaline. “What does that mean? You can’t just kill him if he worked for the family, right? I don’t want him coming after me, but I don’t want you to get in trouble either— with the family or the law.” My heart skips into a run, pitter-pattering against the confines of my chest. Zeno brings our foreheads together, his hands cupping my face as he seems fond of doing. I’m pretty fond of it as well. His intoxicating scent fills my lungs when we’re this close. It’s delicious and distracting and is zero help in calming my frantic heartbeat. “It means he’s not an issue. You’ll have to leave it at that. He won’t bother you again, and Grace’s debt has been cleared. Forget the name Aldo Consoli ever existed.” And that’s how I know Zeno De Rossi killed a man for me. He didn’t admit to it, but he doesn’t have to. I know in my bones he would never allow such a threat to exist in the world. Does it bother me to know he’s capable of murder? I picture Aldo’s beady eyes and shiver at the thought of his lecherous hands reaching for me. He was a disgusting excuse for a man, and I have no reservations about his death. In fact, I’m touched that Z would risk his own life and freedom to protect me in that way. The answer is no. I’m not at all bothered by what he’s done. “Thank you, Z.” I can only whisper because another set of words—three very special words—has wedged its way in my throat, but I’m not ready to release them. Not yet. Instead, I bring my lips to his. It’s meant to be a tender kiss of gratitude and affection, but it quickly morphs into something heated and carnal. He pulls me onto his lap, hands kneading firmly into my backside. Breathless, mindless minutes go by until Zeno draws his lips from mine and allows us both to settle our racing hearts. “I’m taking you to dinner tonight.” “You are?” I smirk. “Yeah.” “Is that your way of asking me on a date?” “You can call it whatever you like, as long as you’re there beside me.” My answering grin is effervescent. “When you put it like that, how can a girl say no?” A satisfied rumble fills his chest while my mind drifts back to my sister. “What are we going to do about Livy? She’s convinced Nevio is going to marry her.” I don’t want to force them together, but I also don’t want her abandoned and alone. He releases years of frustration in a weary breath. “That is a far more complicated matter.”