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I accept the ring.
She turns to Declan and holds out her hand. "Please, take me away from here."
30
Olivia
“He shot him, point-blank." Solene hiccups from the bed.
"He did it to protect me." I, too, should be hyperventilating, but somehow, when he shot my brother, then turned to me with the blood splatters on his face and pocketed his gun, a calm had descended on me. I’m not sure if it’s shock, but I don’t think so. It's more like a certainty I had to be there at that point in time to hear what my brother said, and to see Massimo defend my honor. I’d seen his nostrils flare as my brother had told him about his plans to marry me off to the much older Mafia head of a rival clan. I’d sensed the anger pouring off of him, seen his shoulders bulge, his biceps twitch, and I’d known what he was going to do a second before he whipped out his gun and shot Diego.
Do I mourn Diego? Yes. He was my brother. I have memories of us playing together when we were little. As we grew, so did our differences. I’d seen through his bluster, his tall claims, his constant need to prove himself to our father, while not always succeeding; his jealousy when my father had seemed to favor me over him, even though he was the man of the family. He hadn’t been in favor of my leaving home to pursue my dream. And he hadn’t waited an hour after my father’s passing to declare himself the new head of theCamorra. But he was still my brother, so yes, I was sad to lose him. Even though, the truth is, I lost my brother a long time ago.
Declan carried Solene to bed, where she refused to let go of him. It’s hard to believe they met only once. She seems to trust him in a way she hasn’t trusted me for a long time. He held her while she cried, and when she finally subsided, he left her in my care as he headed off to confer with Massimo and Adrian.
I haven’t seen my mother yet, although I’m sure she heard the gunshot, and by now, she must know what happened. I’ll have to go to her, but first, I want to make sure Solene’s okay.
"I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you more growing up." I push the hair off of her forehead. "I’m sorry I wasn’t there to protect you from Diego. I left to follow my dream, and let you bear the brunt of his need to prove himself in the eyes of the world."
"Livvy, don’t be so hard on yourself." Solene sits up in bed and reaches for her glass of water. I place it in her hand, and she sips from it. "He wasn’t too bad as a brother."
"He was only concerned with growing his power and consolidating his position as the head of theCamorra," I retort.
"He wasn’t abusive."
"Only manipulative, and ready to offer up his sisters to rival clans without a thought for their happiness."
"He didn’t deserve to die."
"It was only a matter of time before he was shot. You know as well as I do, when you pursue the path he did, you meet your end by the same means."
Solene’s features crumpled. She places her glass on the bedside table and buries her face in her hands.
"Oh, sweetie." I throw my arms around her and allow myself to mourn the boy my brother once was. "He was going to marry me off. He’d have held me here and done so, whether I agreed or not."
Solene doesn’t refute me. She knows I’m right.
"But shoot him?" she says in a small voice. "Did he have to do that?"
"In this business, you don’t leave loose ends. You can’t. There was no other way Massimo could have stopped him."
She lowers her hands and stares at me. "So, you’re on his side?"
"I—" I pause, not sure what to say. Truth is, I was never not on his side. I may have pushed him away over and over again, but I’ve always believed in him. I’ve trusted him and rooted for him. I’ve never stopped wanting him. It’s just, I can’t afford to let myself get lost in him while I’m trying to figure out what my new reality is going to be.
"You are, aren’t you?" She peers into my eyes. "He still loves you, you know."
"What’s that got to do with anything?"
"You keep pushing him away, yet he’s always there, waiting for you. He’s not taking ‘no’ for an answer. He’s being persistent because he feels something genuine for you. I wouldn’t treat it so lightly. If you take him for granted, one day he’ll be gone, and then you’ll really miss him."
"Like how you already miss Declan, even though you just met him?" I tease.
Her cheeks flush. "I’m not sure what there is between Declan and me. All I can say is that I feel safe with him. I don’t know him very well, but I’d trust him with my life."
"Whoa." I sit back in my chair. "I didn’t think you’d fall this deep, this fast."
"Neither did I." She twists her fingers together in front of her. "I don’t think I’ve ever felt this connected to anyone before."
