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Son of a bitch.
Chapter 4
Leslie
* * *
I can’t breathe.
Hayden Cash is staring down at me from under his cap low over his bright blue eyes. His tattooed arms are crossed, showing off just how muscular he is. His hard exterior and expressionless face have me shaking.
He grabs my elbow and I scream out in fear. “Please, let me explain.”
I search his face, what I can see of it in the dark, pleading with my eyes for him to hear me out. It’s a last-ditch effort which I’m sure won’t work, but I need to try. If not to save my life, at least for the truth to be heard.
He isn’t saying anything, just staring down at me. The hardness in his eyes is something I’ve seen before. Tears that I can’t stop roll down my cheeks as I tighten my hold on my bag.
“I’m begging you to allow me a chance to explain. Please let me say what needs to be heard,” I whisper.
The hardness of his eyes and expressionless face don’t change and a sob escapes me. I’m not a naive woman. I’m not an innocent woman. But I am vulnerable. I did what I could to save myself, but this is the end. My life is cut short because of decisions I had no say in.
“You don’t owe me anything, but I’m begging you,” I plead, as he digs his fingers in a bit harder on my elbow.
He pulls me forward and I nearly trip on my feet, trying to get them to move. I try to pull away, but he does not allow it. He leads me toward the hotel where I assume he’s staying. I’m shaking and the tears are unstoppable. I thought leaving at night was the best idea, but as I’m being led to my death, I realize how stupid it was. I should’ve known better, but at this point I’m not sure I’m able to even think straight. I haven’t slept, haven’t had anything to eat, and haven’t showered in a few days. I was lucky enough to find two water bottles that I’ve managed to divide up between the last few days. I already feel like I’m dying, so I suppose it should come as no surprise I truly am.
When we enter the hotel, he still hasn’t said a word. I squint my eyes against the brightness of the lights. My legs are struggling to hold me up as he leads me into the elevator. I keep my head down, so I can only imagine the looks being shot my way.
The elevator doors open, and he steps out, still holding tightly to my elbow. I stumble as I try to keep up and his large arm catches me before I hit the ground.
“Thank you,” I mumble, standing up right.
He doesn’t even look at me, just grabs my elbow as he slides his key card into the door. As he pushes it open, he pulls me inside. The door slams shut, and I jump at the sound. He leads me to the bed, takes my bag, dropping it on the floor. He pulls on my elbow, indicating I should sit down.
I swallow hard as I sit on the soft bed. It’s been so long since I felt the comfort of a bed, that my emotions just burst out of me. I cover my face as I cry. My body shakes with the force of my sobs. It’s kind of poetic in a way. I’ve been craving the feel of a bed and it is where I will die.
“Talk,” he says.
His deep voice shocks me and I drop my hands, finding him standing in front of me. He has his arms crossed once again as he stares down at me. Nothing has changed. There is no expression on his face and his eyes are hard and annoyed. But he’s giving me the opportunity I have begged for, and it has me believe that he must not be as emotionless as he appears.
“Thank you,” I say, clearing my dry throat.
He lifts an eyebrow, his silent way of telling me to get on with it. My empty stomach is in knots and my hands shake as I wipe my eyes.
I drop my hands to my lap, twisting them as my eyes bounce between his. “I was in a relationship with Vinny, sorry, Vincent Dalo. The son of Antonio Dalo, head of the Dalo family.” The mention of his name has acid rise into my throat. I cover my mouth and swallow a few times to keep it from coming up completely. Taking a deep breath through my nose, I continue. “I was a fool to believe he could return my feelings, but I tried. For years I tried.”
I close my eyes against the shame I feel. Love does not exist, yet I wanted it so badly. I did everything I could to try to convince myself he was capable of loving me as much as I loved him.
Love was once something I believed in. I watched my parents love each other every day until they were ripped away from me. I felt their love for me every single day, which was what made me hold on to Vinny as long as I could. I wanted what they had. I craved the attention, the emotions, the feelings. Turns out, it was all a lie. A love like my parents had is so rare that I was tricked into believing I was worthy of it myself.
I open my eyes and look up at his emotionless face. An expression that’s so familiar to me that if my heart was penetrable, it would be breaking. My fingers twist together as I look down at the lush carpeting on the floor. “To say it was a tortured relationship is an understatement. However, I was foolish enough to continue to believe that it could change. That he would return my feelings. So, when he asked me to meet him at the home of Luigi Greco, I went without question. I drove my car. I parked in the driveway. I touched the doorknobs. My heart was pounding, and I was shaking, but I went upstairs to the bedroom. Vinny was standing in the hallway. I stopped in front of him, and he never lifted his eyes. He told me to go into the bedroom and seduce Luigi. He told me to get him to drink the champagne he had poured on the dresser. I take responsibility for my part in what happened. I did get him to drink the champagne. But when he tried getting me to take my clothes off, I screamed. He laughed as I swatted his hands away. He was down to his boxers at this point and that’s when Vinny came into the room. He pushed me aside, jumped on Luigi, and strangled him with a wire. I was screaming and crying. Pleading with Vinny to stop, but he was speaking Italian to Luigi and ignoring my presence completely.”
“I knew at this point, he set me up. When the Greco family looked into what happened, they’d see my car in the driveway. They’d see me entering the house. They’d find my fingerprints on everything, including the glass Luigi drank from. They knew how bad things were between me and Vinny. They’d see it a
s me trying to become a true Dalo. I left when Vinny looked back at me with feral eyes as I heard Luigi take his last breath. I knew I was next. He wanted it to be a double murder, but I ran. He screamed my name, but for the first time in all those years I knew if I stopped, I’d be dead. He wanted me dead before I walked into that house. He was done with me and killing me was easier than letting me walk away. Now, I knew he killed Luigi, so I had to die to protect his secret. I left that night, hid out. I thought I was just hiding from the Dalo family, but I got a text from someone. I’m still not sure who it was, saying both families had decided I lost my mind and needed to be taken care of. They hired you to do what they wanted done. If you kill me, the blood is not on their hands. I know I played a part in Luigi’s death and for that if I must die, I won’t fight it. Death at this point would be a relief. But I needed you to know the truth before I can finally rest. I’m not capable of killing someone, just capable of believing in things that don’t exist.”
I lift my eyes to see his and my body tightens as he moves away from me. I just hope it’s quick, because I’ve suffered enough.
“Here,” he says, handing me a bottle of water.
