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At the sound of this, my head snapped to Nana’s in wonder. Without pausing, she continued speaking.
“Your mother left a few weeks after her eighteenth birthday. She was to marry an influential young man who would take care of everything, including me, for the rest of our lives. But unfortunately... your beautiful mother fell in love with somebody else.”
“Who?”
“Your father.”
My heart pounded at this revelation. Plenty of times, I’d begged Nana to tell me more about my parents, but she always dodged the question. Now I was finally getting the answers I craved so badly... Except I wasn’t sure whether I was ready for them.
“He worked for the man she was supposed to marry. They fall in love and your mother - my daughter - realized she was pregnant. They ran off. Months later, you were born.”
“What happened then?”
“Your parents came to live with me in Castellamare,” she went on, softly stroking my hair. “But before you were even three years old, they were killed in a car accident.”
“Was it really an accident, Nana?”
“I don’t know,” she whispered softly, her smile trembling. “But after that, I took care of you like you were my own. I knew one day they’d come for you. And I suppose that day was today.”
“What’s going to happen now?”
“We’ll stay here, and you’ll hide from everyone,” she sighed. “That’s all we can do to keep you safe. Do you understand now why I had to kill that innocent woman?”
“So she wouldn’t give away our location,” I whispered.
“That’s right. They would stop at nothing to get it out of her.”
“Do we have to stay here... forever?”
“No,” she shook her head. “Because you are also a Castellamare girl, you are protected, Rain. But I’m afraid it comes with some... conditions.”
“Like what?”
“Just like your mother, you will have to marry someone once you turn eighteen. The boy has been picked. He is a little older than you. His name is Heath Gunn.”
“But why can’t we go there now?”
“It’s too dangerous for you. We have to hide. The man who tried to take you today... did you recognize him?”
I shook my head.
“I’ve never seen him before.”
“Did he look like this?”
She pulled a wrinkled photo from the pocket of her dress. I recognized my mother in it, and my father standing to the side. But my mother was with another man in the photo. A handsome, muscular man with a twisted smile.
“Not really,” I muttered. “Maybe a little...”
“You’re probably just confused,” Nana said softly. “A lot has happened today. But the man who tried to take you, I don’t know him. Because you’re a Castellamare girl, though, there are plenty of men who want to have you.”
“Why is Castellamare so special?”
“It’s an old wives’ tale that Castellamare girls are the most beautiful, obedient and meek wives,” Nana murmured. “And they give birth to strong heirs. But most of it is superstition. Something that has been around for centuries. Marrying a Castellamare girl opens a lot of doors, Rain. And because you are one... we can’t trust anyone right now.”
“Not even... Heath?”
I tried his name out for size on my lips.
“No, not yet,” Nana said. “Or the man in the picture.”
My fingertips traced over the image of my mother and the cruel-looking man standing between her and my father.
“Who is he?”
Nana sighed before saying, “His name is Xavier Gunn, Rain. And you should be very, very afraid of him.”
Chapter 16
RAIN
My ankle and cut have almost healed up completely. It’s a painful reminder of how long I’ve spent here now. Painful only because I know there’s still a chance Xavier will somehow steal me back.
I know Heath is determined to keep me here, but I’m not so sure Xavier will just let that happen. Especially once he finds out Heath is still out there - after all, he’s the proper heir to the Scorpion cartel. Something Xavier will never risk losing.
My fear is all the more reason I’m excited to finally have a shooting lesson with Liberato.
Since Heath will be away for business this morning, Liberato had agreed to show me the ropes for shooting. I wait for him eagerly in my bedroom, and when the knock finally comes, I run to the door.
“You’re not exactly dressed for shooting?”
“How?” I demand, twirling in front of him.
“You look like you’re going riding in an English field.”
I roll my eyes and follow him into the hallway. I know I should be afraid of Liberato, but because he’s Heath's best friend, I know he’ll go easy on me. There’s a friendship between us. I don’t even quite understand myself, but I’m grateful for it. As we walk out into the field, I see some targets have been set up in the gardens, along with a makeshift gun range.
“Won’t people hear us out here?” I wonder as I touch one of the laid out guns.
