Chapter 16: Passion and Secrets

POV: Vincent

"Get away from her!" I shouted at my mother.

Isabella stepped back, but her cold smile didn't disappear. "Vincent, we need to talk about—"

"No." I grabbed Scarlett's hand and pulled her behind me. "Whatever game you're playing ends now."

"This isn't a game, son. This is survival."

I could feel Scarlett shaking behind me. My mother had that effect on people. Isabella Capone could freeze blood with just a look.

"Come on," I told Scarlett. "We're leaving."

"Vincent, don't walk away from me," my mother called out.

But I was already leading Scarlett toward the door. I couldn't let my mother sink her claws into the one good thing in my life.

We drove through the dark Chicago streets in silence. I kept checking the mirrors, making sure no one was following us. My mother's words echoed in my head, but I pushed them away.

Scarlett was quiet until we reached my private apartment across town. The place my mother didn't know about.

"She doesn't like me," Scarlett said softly.

"She doesn't like anyone."

"Vincent, what did she mean about me being dangerous?"

I looked at this girl who'd turned my world upside down. Her brown eyes were filled with worry and something else. Something that made my chest tight.

"You're not dangerous," I said. "You're perfect."

"I'm not perfect. I'm just..."

I kissed her before she could finish. The moment our lips touched, everything else disappeared. The threats, the lies, the war brewing around us. Nothing mattered except her.

She kissed me back with desperate hunger. Like she was drowning and I was air.

"Vincent," she whispered against my mouth.

"Yes?"

"I need you to know something. Whatever happens, what I feel for you is real."

"What do you mean whatever happens?"

Instead of answering, she kissed me again. This time it was different. Urgent. Like she was trying to memorize the taste of my lips.

I picked her up and carried her to the bedroom. Every touch felt electric. Every kiss felt like a promise and a goodbye at the same time.

When we came together, it was with a passion that burned through me like fire. She moved beneath me like she was made for this moment. Made for me.

Afterward, we lay tangled in sheets, breathing hard. Scarlett traced patterns on my chest with her fingers.

"Tell me something true," I said.

"What do you mean?"

"Something real about yourself. Something nobody else knows."

She was quiet for a long time. "When I was little, I wanted to be a dancer."

"What stopped you?"

"Life. Reality. The world being too dangerous for dreams."

I understood that. I'd wanted to be a teacher once. Before I learned that Capone men were born for violence, not books.

"What about you?" she asked. "What's something true about Vincent Capone?"

"I never believed in love until I met you."

She looked up at me with tears in her eyes. "Vincent..."

"I know it's crazy. I know we barely know each other. But I love you, Sarah."

The tears spilled over. "Don't say that."

"Why not?"

"Because it makes everything harder."

"Makes what harder?"

But she just curled up against my chest and closed her eyes. Soon her breathing became steady and deep.

I stayed awake, watching her sleep. She looked so young and innocent. Nothing like the hardened criminals I'd grown up around.

That's when I noticed her purse on the floor. It had fallen over, spilling its contents across the carpet.

I got up quietly and started gathering her things. Lipstick, keys, a phone with a cracked screen. Normal girl stuff.

Then I saw the corner of a photograph sticking out from under the bed.

I picked it up, expecting to see maybe a friend or a pet. Something innocent and sweet like everything else about her.

Instead, I saw a picture that made my blood freeze.

Scarlett stood next to a man in an expensive suit. He had silver hair and sharp eyes. They were both smiling at the camera like they didn't have a care in the world.

The man was FBI Director Marcus Justice.

My father's killer. My family's greatest enemy. The man who'd sworn to destroy everything the Capones had built.

And Scarlett had her arms around him like he was family.

I stared at the photo, trying to make sense of what I was seeing. Maybe it was just a coincidence. Maybe she'd met him at some event. Maybe—

But then I noticed the inscription on the back of the photo.

"Happy Birthday, Daddy! Love, Scarlett."

The world tilted sideways.

Scarlett Justice. Not Sarah Miller.

The FBI Director's daughter was sleeping in my bed.

I looked at the girl I'd just told I loved. The girl I'd risked everything for. The girl who'd made me feel human again.

She was the enemy.

Everything about her was a lie. Her name, her past, her reason for being in Chicago. Had she been sent to spy on me? To get close to me so her father could destroy my family?

My phone buzzed with a text message. Unknown number.

"Now you know the truth. Bring her to the pier at midnight, or your mother dies. - Tommy"

I stared at the message, understanding flooding through me. Tommy had known who she was this whole time. He'd been waiting for me to figure it out.

Scarlett stirred in bed, opening her eyes. She saw me holding the photograph and went completely still.

"Vincent," she said carefully.

"Who the hell are you really?"

She sat up, clutching the sheet to her chest. "I can explain."

"Explain what? How you've been lying to me since the day we met?"

"It's not what you think."

"Really?" I held up the photo. "Because I think you're FBI Director Marcus Justice's daughter. The man who killed my father."

Her face crumpled. "Vincent, please—"

"Is that your real name? Scarlett Justice?"

She nodded, tears streaming down her face.

"Have you been working for him this whole time?"

"No! I swear to God, no."

"Then why are you here? Why did you come into my life?"

"Because I was running! Because people were trying to kill me!"

"What people?"

"I don't know! Someone found out who I was and sent assassins after me."

"So you decided to hide with your father's biggest enemy?"

"I didn't know who you were at first!"

"When did you figure it out?"

"A few days ago. But by then—"

"By then what?"

"By then I was already in love with you."

The words hit me like bullets. She loved me. The daughter of the man who'd destroyed my family loved me.

And I loved her back.

Which made this the cruelest joke in the world.

My phone rang. Tommy Romano.

"Time's up, Vincent," he said when I answered. "You know who she is now."

"Tommy..."

"Bring her to the pier. Now."

"What do you want with her?"

"Justice for what her father did to us."

I looked at Scarlett, who was watching me with terrified eyes.

"And if I refuse?"

"Then say goodbye to your mother. And the girl dies anyway."

The line went dead.

Scarlett reached for me. "Vincent, whatever that man told you—"

"Get dressed," I said quietly.

"What?"

"Get dressed. We have somewhere to be."

"Where are we going?"

I looked at the woman I loved. The woman who'd lied to me about everything. The woman whose father had killed mine.

"To end this war once and for all."