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“It may be true, but he’s still on my brother’s payroll and does horrible things, right Bourne?” I cringed, hearing her say what we both knew was the truth.
“Not as much as others, but yes, they do.”
“Edric, I need a moment alone with Bourne before we call Lucas,”
“Take all the time you need,” he said, leaving us alone after closing the door behind him.
“Why did you leave the phone?” Of all the questions she could ask, this wasn’t one I was expecting.
“I wanted you to trust me, and I felt if you could call your brother or friends freely, that would be a beginning.”
“Of course, I trust you. I have given you all of me; how could you doubt me after what we’ve shared?”
“It was because of how I treated you last night on the beach. I should have never flipped out and stormed off the way I did. I’m just thankful you didn’t kick me out of your bed when you realized I came in to join you.”
“You knew I was awake?”
“I had a hunch, but I wouldn’t tempt fate. Your friends are fine. I told them we are so much more than captor and captive.”
“I bet Lucy loved hearing that,” she smiled.
“Yeah, she’s quite animated when she gets riled up. She’s also under the care of the best doctor to monitor her pregnancy while they are out of town.”
“Thank you, I will call her after we deal with Lucas. And, speaking of the music box, where is it? I can’t find it.”
“Edric has it; it may just be the missing piece to why your father was willing to kill you over it.”
“It’s just a music box that plays a piece of music my mother composed. What else could it be?” And then I watched her visibly change before me, her eyes going blank and her skin colorturning pale. Sabina began to shake and grab at her neck before leaping out of the chair and pacing the room.
“What is it?” I asked in a tone of sheer panic.
“Oh, my God! Bourne, it has to be my necklace. It wasn’t just a birthday present from my mother; it was a lifeline that she said I would understand when the time came. She said our home was a prison, and this necklace and the music box would free me from it. I would be free from the prison that Lucas would never leave, but I could when the time was right. This is the answer, Bourne; I know it is. Edric!” she shouted, and he came running at hyper speed. He looked just as shocked as I was. “The music box? Where is it?”
“My office,” he answered.
“Get it, I know what it does,” Without asking another question, he left to bring the music box to Sabina. He returned and handed it to her. With shaky fingers, she removed her necklace and examined her pendant, kissing it before placing it on my desk and smashing it into two pieces. A small key was inside. Her eyes were filled with tears as she picked up the key and inserted it into the music box. Once she did, a secret compartment opened, revealing several flash drives. “Now I know what my mother meant and why my father wanted me dead.”
LUCAS
“Is it a go?” I asked Gio as he approached me outside the door to the basement where I was holding my father.
“Yes, we're waiting on the alert, and then we can connect the call. One more thing, Sabina will be there. She asked to talk to you, but Bourne wanted more time with her before we did this.”
“Time? Now I've heard everything. This fucking Brit dick has me by the balls using my sister at every turn, and I don't have any room to move.”
“Yes, you do, and he's right behind that door. I’m going to overstep here because you need a reminder of one simple fact: Bourne Atwater is the reason your sister is alive. He saved her by finding and holding her in God knows where, but she’s alive and safe, and that’s more than she would have been if your father had found her first. I’m sorry, Lucas, but you need to open your eyes to what’s right in front of you. You've seen the truth; now it's time to hear it. You have to face this once and for all. Youhave a business to return to and need to get your head back into the game. So come on, and let's finish this.” I balled my fists, knowing he was right about everything he had just said.
“Open the door,” I instructed Gio. The lock clicked, and I saw my father chained to the wall. Once I was standing in front of him, I looked at Gio, who grabbed my father by the chin to make him look at me. “You killed my mother, terrorized my sister, and scarred her with a forever trauma that keeps her in a daily state of fear. You have led a double life since I took over as head of the family. Isn't that right?” He scoffed and glared at me with his cold eyes being just as much an asshole as I’ve always known him to be. Finally, he looked down to the floor as spittle fell from his mouth.
“If you're going to kill me, Lucas, just get it over with and stop fucking around. Be a man with balls and not some pussy that is all talk with no backbone. Come on, do it, you pussy, and end my life if you think you have it in you.” Without hesitation, I hauled back and punched him in his stomach, kidneys, and ribs. I kept hitting until Gio pulled me back, whispering to me to keep myself in check. I wrapped my hand around his neck, squeezing as hard as I could until I let go, with my father coughing and spitting on the floor.
“You'd like that, wouldn't you? A quick and easy death with little suffering? No, you don't get off that easy, and you don't get to tell me when your time is up. Tell me, Father, what did my mother ever do to deserve the ending you gave her?” Before he could answer me, I grabbed his balls and twisted them until he shrieked in pain. “Did my mother scream like this when you ordered that bastard to rape her? No, she didn’t, and you want to know why? It’s because she was strong and brave, just like Sabina. Even in the last moments of her life, she fought you, and you showed her no mercy. Marco Santoro, I fucking hate youand want nothing more than to see you dead, but before I do that, I need answers.”
“The music box, why is it so important to you? And why did you order a kill contract out on Sabina's head at all costs to get it back? Does it have something to do with the Shirmanovs?” The minute I said the name, his entire physical form slumped forward. Gio grabbed him by his hair and made him look at me. “You fool of a man to think you could just fuck over the Russians and be left unscathed to live your life freely. Well, I'm here to tell you, Father, there's no such thing, and you know who told me that? Hmm? It was Sabina, my kid sister. You don’t get to take another life; she gets to live hers without a connection to you because you are dead to her and me. You are a Santoro, and I am a Santoro, and many people would love to take their shot at ending your life, especially Bourne Atwater. Does his name ring a bell? It should, since you were the one who asked him to search for Sabina. What was going through your sadistic mind when you asked him to help you? Knowing you killed his baby sister. How could you look Bourne in the eyes?” I grabbed his throat again, cutting off his oxygen. I pulled my hand away before he passed out.
“Did you honestly believe that I didn’t know about that? Or Bourne, for that matter? He loathes you and has been waiting for the opportunity to end your life, but I will not allow that to happen. The responsibility of ending your miserable life falls on me because I am the boss of this family. I will never show weakness for as long as the air is in my lungs.” I looked over to Gio, then back to my father, and delivered one final blow. “Not even for my own blood.”
I reached behind, pulled out my knife, and plunged it into my father's heart. I knew this knife would do the most damage in the shortest time. I pushed it deeper into his chest until blood began to pour from his mouth. He had seconds to live, and that’s whenI said, “You’re wrong; I do have it in me,” Without remorse, I waited for the life to leave his eyes, and my father was dead, and my mother avenged. He accepted his fate and died quietly, looking right through me, knowing I would be the last person he would lay eyes on. I closed his eyes and left him there to bleed out what was left of his miserable soul.
