Page 12 of His Rebel

“It can’t be.” His fingers reach for her, and she turns back to look at him. “Where did you get that?” He points to her head.

“They smashed my head into the bricks when they attacked me, I was told.” Her voice is timid and she is pushing back toward me, away from my father. I stand up and face off with him.

“No. The mark,” he barks, his voice full of lethal intent. “Where did you get the mark? Is it fake?” he demands as he crowds her.

I can feel her body trembling against mine as I wrap my arms around her tight. Protecting her.

“Back off, Father,” I growl and stare him down when his eyes flip to mine.

“I need to know. She is Rossi.” His words wash over me like a bucket of ice and I jerk away from her. She cries out and falls to the side of the bed.

“McKenna, the mark on the back of your neck. Tell me.” She looks confused and reaches up.

“What mark?” I forget for a moment she doesn’t know herself.

I look up at my father. “The doctor said it was a birthmark.” I try to defend her, but I don’t know either.

“It can’t be. Who is her family? Where did she come from?”

“I don’t know.” Tears flow down her face. “I don’t know who I am, or where I came from. Leave my room, now.” She waves her hand at him. He takes her in for a moment, watching her.

“I’m sorry, but I need to find out. Only one family had birthmarks such as that. It’s not rare, but the size and shape are. It is rare that a family would hereditarily have a birthmark, but it isn’t uncommon. I need to know. Please.” He pauses, and I watch as he tries to control the emotion flowing through him. “Figlia.”

“No.” Her voice is firm and full of pain. “Leave, now. You can’t call me family and then yell at me like that.”

“That’s whatfamigliadoes. They argue and yell. We are Italian; we are full of passion.” These are words I’ve heard him say since I was young. I move back toward her, but this time she holds a hand up to me too.

“Dante, I need a moment. Please give me time. You doubted me the first chance you could. How can we be engaged if you don’t trust me? You don’t even tell me you love me.” I hear the pain in her words, but the pull in my chest to leaving her has me lashing out.

“Doubting? You doubted me first.” I throw up my hands with my bruised knuckles. “I’m not leaving you. As for love, I wasn’t pushing you.” I don’t tell her I’ve loved her from the moment I saw her in the market buying flowers. I don’t tell her I’ve wanted to tell her that every chance I could. But I can’t and won’t leave her. I won’t push her away.

“Please leave. All of you.” She keeps her head down and I watch as her shoulders shake from her sobs.

“Please,mia amore, you are hurting yourself. Calm down.” I reach for her. Her head flips back and her beautiful eyes flash in anger.

“Calm down? Calm down! Get the fuck out of my room, now. Don’t call me love now after I’ve pointed it out.” The fact she knew what amore is doesn’t faze her, but it does me. I move on heavy legs toward the door. My father and his guards go through it first, but I stop and turn back to her.

“Little doll, you can push and rebel against us all you want, but I’m only going out this door so you’ll calm down.” I step through the doorway, and as it closes, my heart sinks, my body becomes hyperaware of everything around me. It’s then that I see two people moving down the hallway. How the fuck did they find out?

ChapterSix

McKenna

The door closes like a final thud, and I’m scared he won’t come back. I look down at the ring still on my finger and I settle for a moment. He won’t leave me. I just needed a moment to process what his father said. A birthmark a family here had. Thehadpart is what stopped me. Where are they now?

I only know what Dante has told me, and it’s been very little so far. The door opens again and a woman and man enter. Something inside me recognizes them, but I can’t place them. It’s like déjà vu.

“I asked to be alone. Can you please leave?” I say, trying to wipe away the tears from my face with the sheet because I can’t reach the tissue box.

“Keni, you don’t recognize us?” the woman asks. I look at her again and that’s when the flash of a memory tumbles through my mind.

“Kara, right?” I say her name, and she rushes across the room. The man moves too, but I pull back from him. Something inside me doesn’t trust him. She hugs me to her, squeezing me tightly, and I cry out. The door swings open and Dante’s huge body is taking it all up. I didn’t realize how big he was before. He almost has to duck to come in through the door, he’s so tall. His shoulders are just as wide. Next to the man who scares me, he is like a giant.

“I’m okay, Dante,” I tell him, but he doesn’t leave. He stands to the side of the door, letting it close but not leaving the room. I’m honestly glad because I don’t feel comfortable being alone with this other man. I’m okay being alone with Kara. She doesn’t cause my stomach to feel like I’m going to throw up like he does.

I take him in as his eyes bounce between Dante and me. He has dark hair that hangs over his forehead. His eyes aren’t a soft brown but darker and muddy looking. His body is ripped with muscles but not as big as Dante. I can’t place his name like I did Kara’s though, which makes me wonder if I know him or if we were even close.

“You don’t recognize me, baby?” he asks. His accented voice isn’t like the others. Or even mine. It hits me then, he’s American.

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