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“Was he a good man, Raphael?” she asked in a soft voice It was a question no one had ever asked, and it burrowed through his flesh and blood like an arrow, lodging deeply and painfully

“He was a coward,” he said harshly And flinched, for his oords hurt him Still After all these years

“You…how old were you?”

“Seventeen”

“Raphael, you don’t think—”

He pushed away froer “I owe Giovanni everything but I’ll be damned if I let Stefano’s shadow touch Vito Automobiles What was your answer to Enzo?”

Her gaze turned searching, and then she sighed “I refused hiet everyone off my back, and e is sacred”

He snorted She glared at him “It is for me I could no more marry Enzo as a convenience than I could marry…you to make Gio happy”

“There’s one point in h to joke less than aabout his attraction to her

“Fat good that does me,” she mumbled

“What does that enuinely curious now Dio, no woman sent him on a roller coaster as she did

Color stole up her cheeks “Can I finish telling you what happened?” she said tartly

He grinned, liking her all riled up like this “Si”

“After they left, Gio told me I should accept Enzo, that he would be a kind husband When I said I had no intention of itated I told hi ht to select a husband for me, to make sure another man didn’t cheat me like Frank did