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“My father worked for yours. His specialty was procuring weapons. A rudimentary process back in those days, but essentially, my father was Alessandro Calegari’s weapons dealer.”
She gasped but waited for me to continue. “I found out later that they had a falling out and your father was worried that Dad would turn on him. But my father had connections, and your father desperately needed those men on his side.”
“I don’t understand. If you didn’t see those men that day... If you didn’t know anything about your father’s business, Sebastian, how do youknow?”
I cupped her cheek. With words barely above a whisper, I told her the truth about her father.
“Because he told me, that’s how. Alessandro had a plan. Get rid of the inconvenience my father had become and get the next in line to the St. Valentine throne to take over. Only, unlike him, my father wasn’t grooming one of his children to take his place. I had no fucking clue what my father was doing. I was in college at the time of his death. After Dad’s funeral, I went back to school. Then your father and a few of the bastards that worked for him showed up at my apartment one morning. He told me everything, Lilly. He told me how my father had double-crossed him. Only, he didn’t believe me when I told him I knew nothing about my father’s work. He thought I was lying, that I was holding out on him, so he made me an offer. Either I took up where my father left off, or I paid the price.”
I couldn’t face her any longer as the painful memories replaced my need for her. I walked to the window and stared out into the darkness beyond the sheltering glass.
“I didn’t have a clue what your father was talking about and back then, I still had some ideas about truth and honor and morals. I wasn’t going to become an arms dealer just to make a low-life mafia leader happy.”
“What...what did he do?”
“He beat me to within an inch of my life is what he did. Or, at least, his goons did. He just stood in the doorway, not wanting to get his hands dirty on someone like me.”
“Oh, Sebastian.”
Clearly, she believed me. The compassion and sorrow in her voice unmanned me. This was what I had wanted to avoid. My weakness. My pride. It was unveiled and crumbling in front of the daughter of the man who’d stolen the world from me. I had to pretend what we had didn’t exist. If I faced her, if I let what I felt for her go unchecked, we’d never move forward. No matter what occurred, she was still his daughter.
“I made a decision that day, Lilly. Once I was coherent again, I vowed I’d never be weak again. I wouldn’t letanyone, weaken me. I’d protect myself. I’d protect my family. And I’d bury anyone who got in my way.”
I heard her sniff behind me and knew she believed every word I said.
“Do you know what else I vowed that day, Princess?”
“No.” Her voice shook. “What else?”
“I vowed I would make your father pay for what he’d done to my father and to me, and probably to dozens of other innocent men. I was no one then. I didn’t have the money or the power to follow through on my vow. But what I did have was time. I spent years rising to the top, building my business, getting into the world I never wanted to be a part of. Unfortunately, my time ran out and someone beat me to it. Someone killed your father before I could do the job myself. But I couldn’t let go. I was drawn into a world that personally, I don’t particularly like. It couldn’t be for nothing. I had turned my back on all my plans, my future, the things I really wanted out of life.” I clenched my fists as I turned to face her.
I had succeeded. My tale had done what I personally hadn’t been able to do.
Lilly’s arms were wrapped around her. Her head hung low as she cried.
I’d broken her. Thetruthhad broken her. All I had to do was reveal it.
“The man I was gave up hislifeto get revenge for my father’s death and for nearly dying himself. The idea consumed me. It became who I was. Once your father was gone, I couldn’t walk away. It’d become a part of me. I couldn’t let it go. I had to wait. My business grew. My power grew. Your brother and I became rivals. And I was finally in a position to get my revenge. Not murder like I had originally intended. After all, your brother didn’t commit the act himself, but Gabriel Calegari represented your family. He became your father.”
“No,” Lilly whispered through her tears. “Gabriel...he’s not like that. He’s not my father. I don’t know the details, Sebastian, but I know Gabriel. He doesn’t murder people like that. He’s more. He’s a good man, Sebastian. He’s compassionate, and funny, and—”
“It doesn’t matter, Lilly. Like I said, I wasn’t going to kill him. Just ruin him. Take him down. Destroy his business. Make him pay the price your father couldn’t. I didn’t want this life, but after I was forced into it, I couldn’t let it go. Gabriel was next in line for the business, to carry on your father’s name, which meant he was next in line for retribution.”
“It’s not right.”
“No,” I grated harshly. “None of this was fucking right, Princess.”
I approached her again. “And you know what was most unfair?”
She shook her head, raven locks waving back and forth. “The night I walked into The Beast to watch you, to decide how I could use you in my scheme to make the Calegaris pay—I didn’t plan on talking to you that night and I sure as hell didn’t plan on spending the night with you. Nearly two decades of planning and I threw it all away because I couldn’t resist you. I didn’t plan on you, Princess. You have more power in one look than I have in my entire army.”
Lilly shook harder as her crying intensified. I may have broken her, but it was nothing like what she’d done to me.
“What the fuck am I going to do with you now, Princess?” My arms wrapped around her again. I couldn’t help myself. With her return to my hold, my humanity returned. I felt her warmth and the ice in my soul thawed.
Her arms wrapped around my waist as she leaned against me for support.
“Hold me.”
She cried in my arms until she couldn’t cry anymore. She’d had a long day and then she had to deal with my shit.
“You need to sleep, Princess. This shit’s been here for two decades. It will still be here tomorrow.”
She didn’t protest when I scooped her into my arms and carried her out of the room.
