Chapter 17: Bound By Hatred: Chapter 16

I’d known all along that the Christmas party at the Bardoni’s house was going to be a huge flop, but it was even worse than I’d thought. The only good thing about this ordeal was that Matteo had Sandro take off the ankle monitor so I could wear my cocktail dress without flashing that thing at everyone. That would have been the talk of the evening, no doubt.

The Bardoni’s lived in a townhouse, which had been decorated to an inch of its capacities. They’d even set up a massive angel, which had been carved from ice, in their front yard. The decoration was white and gold, expensive crystal baubles adorned the massive tree. It screamed money, and felt so impersonal that I was sure an interior designer had arranged it. Mrs. Bardoni didn’t appear as if she’d ever moved a finger for anything. She was also at least twenty years younger than her husband.

She and her husband greeted Aria and Luca first, and while their smiles hadn’t been exactly warm or honest, they turned positively fake and condescending when it was time to greet me.

I shook Mrs. Bardoni’s hand with a polite smile, or at least I hoped it looked polite. Her expression was as if an untalented sculptor had tried to carve a smile into a statue. The smile of the ice angel outside had been warmer than hers. When Mr. Bardoni turned to me, I had to suppress a shudder. He reached for my hand but while he’d barely brushed Aria’s skin, his lips pressed firmly to my hand and then his tongue darted out and licked my skin. The accompanying leer he sent my way almost made me punch him. I quickly retracted my hand, only barely managing not to wipe it on my dress, and only because the silk was too beautiful to come in contact with that asshole’s slobber.

Matteo was in conversation with Mrs. Bardoni who was introducing him to a young woman my age. It was obvious that the old hag was trying to set Matteo up with her daughter. Anger bubbled up in me but I knew better than to show my emotions. When I finally turned my eyes away from the scene, I found Aria watching me with a worried expression. I gave a small shake of my head. Matteo tore himself away from Mrs. Bardoni and her daughter, and wrapped his arm around my waist. He scanned my face as he led me into the living room where the remaining guests had gathered. “You look pissed.”

I shrugged. If I told him what Mr. Bardoni had done, things would become ugly. “Looks like you have a fan,” I said instead, nodding in the direction of the Bardoni daughter whose eyes followed Matteo.

“Jealous?” he asked, smirking.

“You wish.” But was I?

We didn’t get the chance to talk more, because other guests approached us, and while most of them were acting polite, I could see in their eyes that they despised me. I had a feeling that they would show me what they really thought of me the moment Matteo wasn’t around. They soon got their chance. While Matteo and Luca joined the other men, Aria and I strolled toward the buffet. Of course we weren’t alone for long. Soon the bitch Cosima, Matteo’s stepmother Nina, as well as Mrs. Bardoni, and a few other women joined us. Aria’s presence still offered me some protection from direct insults, but none of the women bothered talking to me. It was as if I wasn’t even there. Even Aria’s attempts to include me in the conversation failed. I didn’t care. I hated these women, hated their fake smiles and nasty personalities. But the worst was watching Aria being polite to Cosima despite what that bitch had done.

Eventually I excused myself and headed toward the terrace door, which allowed a view into the small snow-covered garden. My reprieve was very short-lived however.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” a high female voice said.

Nina Vitiello stood beside me, her mouth stretched wide in the imitation of a smile. She no longer wore black. Her husband’s funeral had been more than a year ago. She linked our arms to my utter disdain and led me outside despite the cold. I knew this wasn’t going to be pleasant. Even though she was Luca’s and Matteo’s stepmother, she’d never come to visit. I had a feeling she was scared of her stepsons.

The moment we were away from privy ears, she turned her back to the windows and faced me with a face devoid of any pleasantness. She reminded me of an ugly toad. “You might be parading around like you are one of us, like you belong in our circles, but if it weren’t for Matteo, nobody would invite you.”

I raised my eyebrows. Did she really think I gave a damn? I’d never wanted to be part of this world, that was why I had run away. It took immeasurable control on my part not to say what I wanted. Instead I tried to return to the party but Nina Vitiello held my arm, obviously not done. “A decent girl would have died from shame after being caught with another man. The only reason you’re still alive is Matteo’s good-heartedness. That boy is too dutiful. Although nobody would have blamed him if he’d discarded you like a dirty rag after what you did. If my husband were still alive, he’d have fed you to our dogs.”

Dutiful and good-hearted? That didn’t sound like Matteo.

Deep breaths, Gianna. Don’t cause a scene.

Again I tried to leave, but her fingers dug into my skin. “Aren’t you ashamed of yourself? You’ve dishonored your family, and now you are bringing shame to the name Vitiello. Your mere presence is an insult to every honorable woman in this house. Your existence is sin.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “Sin? You want to talk to me about sin?” I pointed toward the windows, behind which New York’s worst criminals were gathered. “That room breathes sin.”

Nina Vitiello lifted her chin. “Do us all a favor and kill yourself.”

I wrenched my arm away, shocked. “I won’t ever do any of you a favor.” I turned and headed back inside. Matteo spotted me from across the room where he was talking with a younger version of Mr. Bardoni, Luca and a couple of other men. I quickly looked away, hoping he wouldn’t approach me. I wasn’t in the mood to talk to him now. Aria was still where I’d left her, completely entrenched in conversation.

I crossed the room as quickly as possible, pretending I didn’t hear the whispered “whore” a couple of people called me. Despite my best attempts not to let those insults get to me, I felt relief when I finally left the living room and found myself alone in the front hall. I needed to find the bathroom to freshen up and clear my head before I entered that room again. I was seriously worried that I’d attack someone if I didn’t get a grip on myself. Taking a deep breath, I went in search for the restroom. I hoped I’d come across someone leaving the bathroom so I didn’t have to open every single door. I definitely wouldn’t ask Mrs. Bardoni to point it out to me. Unfortunately the only thing I found was Mr. Bardoni who must have been following me. The leer the bald idiot sent my way made me want to puke.

If Bardoni thought I hadn’t noticed the way he’d eye-fucked Gianna when we’d arrived, he was even more stupid than I thought. If it weren’t for Luca, I would have plunged my knife into the fucker’s face right away. But Luca was a new Capo and couldn’t use any more trouble, so I had promised him to stay on my best behavior. As the party progressed I slowly came to the realization that I might have to break my promise.

Gianna was trying to put on a brave face but I could see how upset she was after a talk to my bitch of a stepmother. I didn’t want to know what the old goat had said to Gianna. She would never dare say something to my face. She was scared of Luca and me, had been for as long as I could remember.

Unfortunately, it took me a few more minutes before I could finally follow Gianna after she’d fled the living room. Luca’s warning glance almost made me want to laugh. I had no intention of doing something stupid, except for having a quickie with my wife to lift her spirits. What was wrong with that?

When I stepped out into the lobby, I didn’t see Gianna anywhere. I paused, listening closely, but the sounds of the party behind me were drowning out everything else. What if she’d run? I should have told Romero or Sandro to keep an eye on her at all times, but I hadn’t wanted to embarrass her further. People had enough to gossip about as it was.

I headed in the direction of where I remembered the bathroom to be, hoping I’d find her there. A deep voice made me quicken my steps and when I came around the next corner I found Gianna alone with old Bardoni. One look at her face and I knew she was on the verge of a freakout. She didn’t see me as I approached, her narrowed eyes directed at Bardoni.

“Why don’t you show me what you learned in Europe. I bet you’re very talented with your lips. That’s why Matteo was so eager to marry you, hm?” Bardoni said and reached for Gianna’s arm. Before she or I could react, he pulled her against him and fucking kissed her while groping her breast. My blood boiling, I stormed toward them, pulled my knife, shoved Bardoni away from Gianna and slammed my blade into the soft spot below his chin, piercing his fucking brain. Gianna gasped and stumbled back against the wall, her eyes darting from my knife to my face.

“Fuck,” I muttered. I chanced a quick glance around, then dragged Bardoni’s body toward his office, letting my knife in his chin so blood didn’t shoot out.

“You killed him,” Gianna whispered harshly.

“He shouldn’t have touched you.” I nodded toward the door. “Open that for me.” After a moment of hesitation, she stumbled forward and pushed the door open for me. I dragged Bardoni inside and Gianna quickly followed me inside before closing the door.

I put Bardoni down in his desk chair, then took a step back. This was bad. Luca would kick my ass when he found out.

“What are we going to do?” Gianna asked in a toneless voice from her spot near the door.

“We are going to make it look like I didn’t kill him.”

“Your knife is in his head.”

I grinned but sobered when I saw Gianna’s expression. It reminded me of the look she’d had after Sid had been shot. Sometimes I forgot that not everyone was as used to blood and death as me.

Slowly she came closer, gaze frozen on the body. “Why did you kill him?”

“Because he was an asshole.”

Gianna stopped beside me and dead Bardoni. She looked like she couldn’t quite believe what she saw. She raised her arm as if she was going to touch the corpse to convince herself of its existence.

“Don’t touch anything,” I ordered a bit too harshly, gripping her wrist to stop her.

She stared up at me with huge eyes. After another moment, she nodded almost robotically. She looked like she was going into shock. That was the last thing we needed.

Ideally I would have gone in search of Luca but I couldn’t leave Gianna alone with the body. If someone came in, she’d have more trouble dealing with that person than I did.

I touched her cheek to bring her attention back to my face. “Go and get Luca,” I told her.

She hesitated.

“Go.”

“Okay.” She whirled around, crossed the room in a rush and slipped out. She closed the door silently. I really hoped she wouldn’t give everything away because she was so freaked out.

I lowered my eyes to Bardoni. I really loved the sight of my knife in his skull.

“Matteo?” I heard Luca’s quiet voice a couple of minutes later. I jogged toward the door and opened it a crack. When I saw Luca standing in the corridor, I ushered him in.

“What do you want? Gianna didn’t say anything,” he said, but shut up when his gaze settled on Bardoni behind the desk. “Oh fuck.”

“Bardoni had an accident,” I said with a shrug.

Luca gave me a look. “Fuck, Matteo, what did you do?”

“If you ask me, I think good old Mr. Bardoni killed himself,” I said.

Luca circled the body, then he glared at me. “It’s because of Gianna, isn’t it? Bardoni did or said something that annoyed you and you lost your shit. I knew the girl would bring nothing but trouble.”

“The asshole has been on your death list for a while. He’s been stirring up shit. You are glad he’s gone, admit it. We’ve discussed having him killed countless times. I decided to finally act.”

“Of course I wanted him dead, but not in his own fucking home at his Christmas party. Damn it, Matteo. Can’t you think first and shoot second for once?”

Luca was right. I should have chosen a better time to kill Bardoni, but he shouldn’t have talked shit to Gianna, and he most certainly shouldn’t have touched her. He’d dug his own fucking grave.

“I’ll call Romero. He’s keeping an eye on Aria and Gianna but we’ll need him here to deal with this fucking mess.” Luca ran a hand through his hair, sent me another glower, then picked up his phone and called Romero.

A couple of minutes later, someone knocked. Luca held up his hand to stop me from opening it. Instead he went and let Romero in. Romero’s eyes scanned the scene before him before focusing on me. “You killed him?”

I raised my arms. “Why did it have to be me?” It was a rhetorical question. It was almost always me doing the killing at improper times.

“Because you’re the crazy one,” Luca muttered, then said to Romero. “Can you make this look as if Bardoni killed himself?”

We all looked toward the dead asshole, hanging limply in his chair, lifeless eyes still expressing surprise at his early demise.

Romero grimaced. “Few people stab themselves in the brain.”

“There’s always a first time for everything.” I chuckled but fell silent at a look from Luca. “Oh, come on,” I said. “It was funny.”

Luca’s lips twitched but he was too stubborn to admit I was right. I knew he was more than a little glad that I’d gotten rid of Bardoni for him. “Search the room for a gun that could have blown his fucking head off. I don’t need the Bandonis on my back right now. I want this matter dealt with quietly.”

“No matter how we make it look, the Bardonis will suspect something. They won’t believe it was suicide. Bardoni was far too narcissistic to end his own life,” I said.

“Maybe I should put a fucking ankle monitor on you, too,” Luca growled. “You are a ticking time bomb.”

Romero stopped searching the drawers of the desk. “Even if the Bardonis suspect something, they won’t say it aloud. If they don’t have proof, they won’t seek retribution.”

“I wouldn’t count on it,” I said. “But we’ll make sure they won’t get a chance for revenge.”

“Maybe you should pull your knife out of Bardoni’s head. Nobody will believe it was suicide with your blade stuck in his chin,” Luca said.

I walked toward the body and slowly pulled my knife out, then quickly took a step back before blood could get on my clothes. I checked my white shirt for any specks. My black trousers and jacket would hide blood better, but luckily I was clean. The same couldn’t be said for Bardoni’s clothes. Blood was quickly soaking his shirt and trousers.

Romero pulled a high-caliber Smith & Wesson from a drawer in the cupboard behind the desk. “This could do.”

“Good,” Luca said with a nod. “Matteo and I will return to the party. Wait about five minutes before you blow his head off, then get the fuck out of here. Matteo and I will hopefully be here first and in the commotion nobody will notice you are gone.”

Romero was already busy figuring out the best angle to shoot Bardoni and barely reacted when Luca and I slipped out of the room quietly and closed the door. The corridor was deserted except for Gianna who was lingering at the end, looking anxious.

“Make sure she doesn’t let something slip,” Luca ordered. “And we’ll have a talk about this fucking matter later.”

“Don’t worry. Gianna can lie if she has to.”

“Oh, I don’t doubt she can lie very well if she wants to. But she’s not exactly the most trust-worthy person.”

“She’s my wife,” I reminded my brother with a bit too much force.

“That’s the problem.” He walked off back to the party before I could reply, and I headed toward Gianna.

I couldn’t believe Matteo had rammed his knife into that man’s chin. It had been a horrible sight, seeing Bardoni with dead, shock-widened eyes. He had been an asshole, and I certainly wasn’t sad to see him gone, but seeing my own husband kill him without a second thought had been horrible. Matteo had acted so quickly, no hesitation, no preparation. Every move had spoken of experience. I’d known he was good with the knife of course. Even in Chicago people had talked about his skills but it hadn’t prepared me for watching him actually use a knife on someone like that.

After I’d told Luca to find Matteo, I waited in the corridor. Aria had gone back into the living room; it would have looked suspicious if all of us had suddenly disappeared. And people were very eager to talk to Aria so her missing would definitely have drawn attention. Nobody would mind my absence however.

I’d barely waited for a minute, when Romero hurried past me toward the office. People always said I was unpredictable. I had nothing on Matteo.

I wrapped my arms around myself. My heart was still pounding in my chest, and I couldn’t stop checking my surroundings nervously.

I was still trying to come to terms with my feelings for what happened when the door to the office opened and Luca and Matteo stepped out without Romero. Luca passed me without a glance. He probably blamed me for the mess his brother had caused. I didn’t think Matteo needed much of an incentive to kill, but naturally I realized that I had been the reason for Bardoni’s death.

Matteo had acted out of jealousy and possessiveness. Seeing another man touching me had made him snap. Matteo scanned my face as he approached me. I probably looked pretty upset. The problem was I didn’t feel nearly as upset as I knew I should. I couldn’t bring myself to be sad about Bardoni’s death, no matter how much I tried.

Matteo’s movements were so lithe, so self-assured. And somehow, despite everything, I felt myself drawn to him, even to that dangerous side he’d showed me today. Matteo wrapped an arm around my waist and led me toward the front hall. Instead of returning to the living room, he steered me into a small guest bathroom near the front door.

“What the hell are you doing?” it burst out of me. “I won’t make out with you after you killed someone.”

Matteo gripped the back of my neck and pulled our bodies flush against each other before pressing his mouth to mine, kissing me hard. I panted for air when he drew back. His lips brushed my ear. “You look so fucking sexy. I could fuck you in a room with a dead body and wouldn’t care.”

“I don’t doubt it,” I muttered, but I didn’t try to pull back. His warmth and strong body steadied my trembling limbs. Maybe the events were affecting me more than I thought.

“But that’s not why we are here,” he murmured.

A loud shot carried through the house. I jumped. “What–”

“That’s why,” Matteo said calmly. “We’re going to pretend we had a quickie. We don’t want people to think we had something to do with Bardoni’s unfortunate end, right?”

He ruffled my hair, then his own before unbuttoning his top two buttons. He raised his dark brows. “Ready?”

I nodded.

“Remember we don’t know anything. We are shocked, and surprised.”

Matteo ripped open the door, and headed out, pulling his gun. The lobby was filled with other guests, most men with their weapons drawn. Confused looks were exchanged. Luca and Bardoni’s son ran toward where the gun shot had come from. Several people gave me and Matteo disgusted looks. They seemed to believe the lie Matteo wanted to. It probably helped that they all thought I was a whore.

“Stay here,” Matteo said. “I’ll have to see what’s going on.” He looked so honestly worried and alert as if he really didn’t know why a shot had sounded. Nobody would doubt him. If I didn’t know better, even I would have believed in his innocence after that show.

He hurried toward the crime scene. I could only watch in stunned silence. Matteo was a master manipulator.