wanted to.
When Giancarlo’s men burst through the door and sprayed my capturers’ brains all over the basement, I thought I’d be next.
But I wasn’t.
The only thing in my mind now is revenge. I’m not going to rest until I see the light go out behind my uncle’s eyes. Then it’ll finally be over. Giancarlo can do what he wants with the rest of the lot. Lorenzo is mine to take down. The culling has begun while all his most loyal are meeting their end and the questionable people have been rounded up. Lorenzo is still nowhere to be seen. I’m not surprised. He’s a slippery snake. Yet no one can hide forever, and there will be no aid coming to his rescue.
It’s a matter of time.
Chapter Seven
Vita/Elisa
The days are starting to blur and the weather is warming up. We keep the windows open and the fans going, but it’s still all we can do to keep cool. I understand now why all of the clothing left behind is miniscule. My hair is pinned up on top of my head and I’m trying to concentrate on a word search while I stay in the direct line of the breeze coming in through the window. I hear Prophet coming down the hall. Eager for a distraction, I look up and my heart races.
He’s wearing a pair of jeans that ride low on his hips and nothing else. His chest is slender, but well built. Bullet wounds mar his golden skin, but it only adds to his rugged appearance. He looks up. “You’re wondering about these?” He rubs the scars.
“I’m sorry.” I drop my gaze.
“No, it’s okay. I’d be curious, too. Back when Cora was still pregnant with her son, R.J., the club got raided by a rival gang. Four men lost their lives. Me and Reaper almost joined them. I got off lucky. He was in a coma for over six months afterward.”
I shudder. The life he lives is dangerous. Like I can talk. “You’re strong. You survived.”
His lips curve upward. “I could say the same thing about you.”
I lift my hands to respond and lower them. He’s right, but I don’t feel the pride he does. He continued on with his life… I didn’t.
“You don’t think I’m right?”
I shrug.
“No, you don’t get to pry into my life and clam up about yours.” He takes a seat in the chair across from me. “It’s not like either of us has anything better to do.”
I take a deep breath then let it out. “I wasted so many years and I never saw it until now. Or, maybe until Cora. She showed me I could still have a life. That it was okay to.”
“Wasted? I’m not sure about that. Did you need the time to get your head right?”
“Yeah, I did,” I admit.
“Then it can’t be wasted.”
“You say that, but you picked yourself up—”
“Don’t make me into a saint, Vita. There’s plenty you don’t know about me.”
“What does that mean?”
Creases form on his forehead and his countenance darkens. “If you knew who I really was and what I’d done, you’d know I’m not a man to admire.”
His self-pity angers me. I snap my fingers.
He looks up.
“I’m the reason my brother is a widow.”
“I’m the reason my entire family died.”
My jaw drops. “What do you mean?”
“Exactly what I said.” His face turns red and he stands up to walk away.
I follow and grab his shoulder.
He spins around to watch my hands.
“You can’t say that and walk away. I asked Mia, Ira’s wife, to help me get ready for prom. If I hadn’t…she’d still be alive.” Saline blurs my vision. I blink. I will not cry.
“My wife had my family murdered and tried to murder me. I picked her, brought her into my home, and remained blind until the day I ended up in the hospital, damn near dying from cyanide poisoning. You want to talk about guilt? Let’s start there and continue with the fact that I let her alienate me from them. So, I hadn’t even seen them for damn near a year beforehand. You think I’m strong or noble?” He laughs. “I’m a pox, a curse. I’m not sure I didn’t bring my bad luck to Wesson,
When Giancarlo’s men burst through the door and sprayed my capturers’ brains all over the basement, I thought I’d be next.
But I wasn’t.
The only thing in my mind now is revenge. I’m not going to rest until I see the light go out behind my uncle’s eyes. Then it’ll finally be over. Giancarlo can do what he wants with the rest of the lot. Lorenzo is mine to take down. The culling has begun while all his most loyal are meeting their end and the questionable people have been rounded up. Lorenzo is still nowhere to be seen. I’m not surprised. He’s a slippery snake. Yet no one can hide forever, and there will be no aid coming to his rescue.
It’s a matter of time.
Chapter Seven
Vita/Elisa
The days are starting to blur and the weather is warming up. We keep the windows open and the fans going, but it’s still all we can do to keep cool. I understand now why all of the clothing left behind is miniscule. My hair is pinned up on top of my head and I’m trying to concentrate on a word search while I stay in the direct line of the breeze coming in through the window. I hear Prophet coming down the hall. Eager for a distraction, I look up and my heart races.
He’s wearing a pair of jeans that ride low on his hips and nothing else. His chest is slender, but well built. Bullet wounds mar his golden skin, but it only adds to his rugged appearance. He looks up. “You’re wondering about these?” He rubs the scars.
“I’m sorry.” I drop my gaze.
“No, it’s okay. I’d be curious, too. Back when Cora was still pregnant with her son, R.J., the club got raided by a rival gang. Four men lost their lives. Me and Reaper almost joined them. I got off lucky. He was in a coma for over six months afterward.”
I shudder. The life he lives is dangerous. Like I can talk. “You’re strong. You survived.”
His lips curve upward. “I could say the same thing about you.”
I lift my hands to respond and lower them. He’s right, but I don’t feel the pride he does. He continued on with his life… I didn’t.
“You don’t think I’m right?”
I shrug.
“No, you don’t get to pry into my life and clam up about yours.” He takes a seat in the chair across from me. “It’s not like either of us has anything better to do.”
I take a deep breath then let it out. “I wasted so many years and I never saw it until now. Or, maybe until Cora. She showed me I could still have a life. That it was okay to.”
“Wasted? I’m not sure about that. Did you need the time to get your head right?”
“Yeah, I did,” I admit.
“Then it can’t be wasted.”
“You say that, but you picked yourself up—”
“Don’t make me into a saint, Vita. There’s plenty you don’t know about me.”
“What does that mean?”
Creases form on his forehead and his countenance darkens. “If you knew who I really was and what I’d done, you’d know I’m not a man to admire.”
His self-pity angers me. I snap my fingers.
He looks up.
“I’m the reason my brother is a widow.”
“I’m the reason my entire family died.”
My jaw drops. “What do you mean?”
“Exactly what I said.” His face turns red and he stands up to walk away.
I follow and grab his shoulder.
He spins around to watch my hands.
“You can’t say that and walk away. I asked Mia, Ira’s wife, to help me get ready for prom. If I hadn’t…she’d still be alive.” Saline blurs my vision. I blink. I will not cry.
“My wife had my family murdered and tried to murder me. I picked her, brought her into my home, and remained blind until the day I ended up in the hospital, damn near dying from cyanide poisoning. You want to talk about guilt? Let’s start there and continue with the fact that I let her alienate me from them. So, I hadn’t even seen them for damn near a year beforehand. You think I’m strong or noble?” He laughs. “I’m a pox, a curse. I’m not sure I didn’t bring my bad luck to Wesson,
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