AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Stop fighting me. Then we’ll talk.” My orders were lost in her moment of rage and disbelief.
“Why would you do this? Why?”
“Because it’s the truth.”
She managed to jerk out of my hold, backing away while staring me in the eyes. “You can’t be him. Why would you do this to me? Why? I loved him. It didn’t matter that I couldn’t have him, that I wasn’t allowed. Or that we were too young. He was my everything. My entire world. When I lost him I wanted to die.” She gasped, almost doubling over.
“I didn’t know,” I said in truth.
“Bullshit! Fucking bullshit. Did you send the music? Did you? To torture me? Why? What did I ever do that was so wrong? Do you know how I suffered? No, of course you don’t because you’re an imposter.”
Tears streaming down her face, she flung herself at me, raking her nails down my face.
“That’s enough!” I grabbed her around the waist, spinning her around so I could more easily control her. When she refused to stop, managing to break one arm free, I shoved her over the edge of the table, pushing the bag out of the way. I pressed my full weight against her, both of us taking labored breaths. “Listen to me.”
“Fuck you. I don’t care who you are. You had no right to do that to me. He was special and sweet. And…” As she stopped wiggling, now gasping for air, I nuzzled against her neck.
That seemed to calm her. Her shock was genuine, erasing years of anger and hatred. “It’s okay. It’s Dar.”
“No. No. No!” I was shocked once against at her resilience. When she slammed her hands on the top of the table, she almost managed to scoot out from under me.
I fisted her hair at the scalp, pressing her face down then issuing several hard cracks to her bottom to try to stop her from hurting either one of us.
“Stop.”
“No. Not until you calm down.”
“If you’re going to kill me, just do it. Do it!”
Using the palm of my hand, I smacked her bottom several more times, holding her in place as she continued to wiggle, trying to throw her arms back to keep me from continuing. I refused, bringing my hand down in rapid succession. When she finally let out an intense sob, I closed my eyes, trying to block the horrible images from my mind.
I folded my body over hers, pressing my hands over her fisted ones, allowing her to cry. While I hadn’t planned on telling her this way, there’d been no other choice. I was sick of the lies that had spun the entire fifteen years. When she was finally quiet, I gathered her into my arms, cradling her against me and walking into the living room. I eased her onto the couch, backing away and giving her some space.
Then I paced the floor, raking my hands through my hair. There was so much that needed to be said, plans that had to be made, but I was at a complete loss for words. So was she.
She buried her face into her hands, gasping for air.
I took long strides into the kitchen, grabbing the bottle and another fresh glass, stepping over the shattered pieces. They reminded me that both our lives had been ripped to shreds through endless tales of bullshit.
The ugly truth was that neither one of us had anyone to count on but each other.
When I returned, filling a glass and refreshing mine, she didn’t bother looking at me again. At least once I placed a drink in front of her, she grabbed it without being coerced.
The endless quiet was a barrier that I knew would be almost impossible to cross.
I moved toward the window, peering out around the bars I’d had installed. I’d hoped that I could avoid coming here but was grateful my gut had told me I needed a place where no one could find us.
Or so I hoped.
Enzo had been hit, but there’d been no blood, which was a clear indication that he’d prepared himself if caught in a crossfire. What the man hadn’t planned on was that I’d interrupt his plans. I still couldn’t believe both Enzo and Mattia were so hellbent on gaining power that they’d kill members of their own family.
I had to remind myself that the only family I’d ever cared about was dead. Murdered. The rage had taken my humanity, driving my soul into a pit of vipers when I should have done everything in my power to track her down, learning the truth long before.
I heard an intense sigh and slowly turned my head. Lucia’s eyes were burning a hole in mine, angry and fearful, anxious and full of the spark that I remembered from all those years ago. Suddenly, she was the little girl who was eager for what life had to offer, even at thirteen determined to break free of the harsh environment of her surroundings.
I’d been the fool who’d allowed myself to get too close, enjoying her company more than I should have. I was the one who’d gotten my family killed because of the innocent yet close relationship I’d had with Roberto Lazarro’s daughter.
All the hatred, the anger that had turned me into an animal faded, replaced with something even darker. But my need for revenge was no longer placed on a girl who’d shut down after the loss of her best friend.
