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“Accomplice?” I whisper.
“Fuck! I want to hurt you so badly for thinking you can get away with stabbing me in the back,” he snaps. I reach out to him instinctively, but he steps away, his eyes narrowed and accusing.
“I swear, Lev, I have nothing to do with this. I didn’t drug your men. I’m innocent. You have to believe it!” I’m pleading with him, hoping he will listen to me, but his eyes are cold as ice.
“Innocent? How about all those calls to your so-called aunt, who you told me you were meeting?” he asks.
There’s no sense in denying it anymore. I’ve sensed from the start that I’ll have to come clean at some point. I have to tell him.
“Okay, that is the only thing I wasn’t truthful about, and I’m sorry. I went to meet with my mother. I know I should have—,” I say, but Lev’s laughter cuts my words short.
“Your mother??” he scoffs. “Are you fucking kidding me? Jesus, another lie. But why am I even surprised? You’re De Luca’s spawn. The apple didn’t fall far from the tree,” he says, but this is a step too far. I don’t care what he thinks about my father, but I need him to understand that I’ll never be like that man.
“I am not like my father! I’ve been loyal to you, Lev. I know I should have been honest about my mom, but it was all just so complicated.” Tears well and start spilling over. Nothing I say seems to affect him anymore.
“There’s nothing complicated about what you did, Aurora. You lied, pure and simple.”
“But for a reason!” I blurt, knowing it’s not going to help.
“There’s no excuse for your lies, whatever the reason! You, of all people, should know that after what your father did!”
Again, he has me confused. My father has done so many horrible things I can’t figure out what he’s talking about.
“You mean what he told you about my mother?” I ask, hoping I’m heading in the right direction. “I know that was wrong, but you have to understand, men like my father set everything on their reputation. He was trying to save face.”
He’s staring at me as if I’ve taken leave of my senses.
“His reputation? Your father destroyed your mother, Aurora. That had nothing to do with his fucking reputation. Do you think I’m so blind I can’t see through that?”
I feel my mouth open and close as I try to process this. Destroyed her? I spoke to my mother just hours ago. She seemed fine.
“I know it’s insane, but you have to understand that he’s old school.” God, I sound so desperate. “He’d rather tell you that she’d died than admit that she left him.”
“What?!” His eyes narrow on me, and I flinch. “He didn’t have to tell me anything, Aurora! Christ, when are you going to stop trying to feed me this bullshit? Your father fuckingkilledyour mother twenty years ago! Everyone in our screwed up world knows it. Jesus, I know the men who buried her, for fuck’s sake. Stop wasting my time with more of your goddamn lies! I can’t…” He trails off as I sway, and then sag down onto the bed behind me. My legs don’t want to support me.
“You… That… No!” I sob out. “No, that’s not true.” Bitterness floods my throat and I try not to gag. “She… I’ve seen her! I’ve been speaking to her.” He’s still glaring at me, but now, mercifully, he’s quiet. “I know I shouldn’t have lied about that, but it’s the only lie I told you. I’ve been speaking to my mom, Lev… I swear it. She came back for me,” I babble out.
As I stop speaking, the silence hangs between us like a black cloud. Because even as I said the words, things started falling into place. Leila’s sudden appearance after my father had orchestrated an introduction. The strange unfamiliarity I’ve felt around her. Her curiosity about Lev’s activities, and how she seems to know things about him she shouldn’t know.
Oh, my God!
I’m staring at him in horror when a knock at the door breaks the spell.
“Your mother is dead, Aurora. And you fucking betrayed me.” are the last words he says as he turns to the man standing at the door. I see that it’s Ludis; the man sneers at me as he peers past Lev’s shoulder.
“We need to get to the warehouse, Boss,” he tells Lev, who’s acting as if I no longer exist to him. They exchange several muffled words and then without a backward glance, he leaves the room and shuts the door behind him, leaving me alone with my thoughts.
I’m gutted.
I don’t know what to think.
If what Lev is saying is true, then everything I’ve believed in the past few weeks – for my entirelife– is a lie.
It feels like an hour passes before I’m able to reach for my phone again. Dialing the number I have for Leila, or whoever she is, I hold my breath as the call rings unanswered. I try a dozen more times before I finally give up.
Holy shit.
Of course she’s not picking up anymore.
