AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Stop being so damn mysterious!I type.If something has happened, I want to know about it. Has he gotten himself into trouble again? Does he owe even more money?
Please, just wait until I’m back.
I deserve to know. You’re scaring me.
Surely, it can’t be as bad as my imagination. Surely, the real demons can’t be as messed up as those in my head. When he calls me, though, I know it must be deadly serious, and when he tells me what he’s found, my world crashes down. Not because of what happened to Dad—I’m a terrible daughter—but because of what it could mean for Mom.
CHAPTER16
Elio
I wrap my arms tighter around Scarlet, smoothing my hand through her hair, wondering if I’m doing anything to comfort her. When Luca and I got our hands on the men and unwrapped the tarpaulin, we found her dad. They’d stabbed him to death over a poker argument. They were going to get rid of his body.
Ever since I got back, my woman hasn’t stopped crying. The sound, the feel of her against me, the pain… It’s all almost too much to handle. She feels like she’s going to dissolve into pure heartache. Before, I thought that nothing could stop the savage in me. Now, I don’t care about the physical side. I don’t care about mauling her. I just want to stop her pain.
“What about M-Mom?” she asks.
“Luca is scouring the neighborhood with several of our men,” I tell her. “I’ve given up on trying to keep this quiet. The whole Family is on the case. They’re all over the city. We’re going to find her.”
“What if the men who hurt Dad find out?”
“We can’t delay any longer,” he tells me. “Anyway, once these bastards hear the Marino Family wants her back, there’s a good chance they’ll simply deliver her to us.”
My woman leans back, looking up at me with red eyes. “Dad never loved me,” she whispers. “He never wanted kids. He ruined my and Mom’s life, honestly. He got her addicted to those pills because it was easier than dealing with her, but he didn’t deserve this.”
She breaks down again, pushing her face against my chest. I hold her tightly, kissing the top of her head, knowing I’m probably less than useless right now. A long time passes like this.
Finally, she crawls up on the bed and lies down. Without a word, I join her. I pull her into my arms and hope she can feel the support burning through me. I hope it makes a difference.
After a while, it’s strange. It’s like I can feel her wanting to say something. Maybe it’s the unspoken connection we have. The connection that was there the first moment I saw her. Or maybe it’s the fact she keeps shifting around.
“What’s going to happen with his…” She swallows audibly. “His body?”
Somehow, I know this isn’t what she wasgoingto say. Maybe I’m placing way too much emphasis on my ability to read her, but I don’t think so.
“It’s in a safe location,” I tell her. “I can help you and your mother with the funeral.”
“I don’t want to think about any of this until Mom is back and safe.”
“I’m going to find her,” I say. “I swear.”
“What about the men? The ones who… you know?”
“They’re gone,” I tell her gruffly.
She swallows. “Gone?”
“We searched their place. You don’t want to know the filth we found on their computers. We had no choice but to end the pricks.”
She kisses my chest, a shiver moving through her. “You did the right thing, and it’s true. I don’t want to know what you found. I think my imagination can fill it in.”
We lie together without talking for a long while. Then she squeezes against my sides, looking up at me curiously.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
She averts her gaze. “Huh? Like what?”
Leaning close, I softly kiss her cheek, smoothing some of her tears away. “Like there’s something you want to tell me.”
