Page 85 of Mafia Scars

I ran up to her but froze when I saw her up close.

My love’s face was hard plastic, but the rest of her had been skinned. Exposed muscle and blood. Veins and arteries.

Victor was eating something.

On his plate was a mix of her skin and what looked like her fingers.

I screamed and pulled out my gun and shot him.

* * *

I jumped up awake. Cold sweat running down my face and back. Fuck.

“Luc, what’s the matter?” Amelia asked.

Amelia.

I took hold of her and looked her over, inspecting her to see if she was okay.

She seemed okay, but I wasn’t sure. The dream, or rather nightmare, was still in my mind. I grabbed my gun from the nightstand. Determined to go find Victor and shoot him for real, but Amelia rushed up to me, stopping me.

“Luc.” She grabbed my arm. “Jesus, what the hell happened? You were dreaming.”

I looked her over. She was naked, just like me. I couldn’t calm my breathing. I couldn’t control myself around her because I loved her like nothing else I’d ever loved.

“I can’t change,” I blurted.

“What?” Something faded in her eyes.

“I tried to have a normal day, so I could gather my thoughts and calm the fuck down, but I can’t. Victor’s here. Here in Chicago. I can’t let him take you away from me. I can’t allow anything to happen to you. Amelia, when I see him, I will kill him. And I’ll cut his head off this time to make sure he’s dead.”

Her face went pale when I said that. “Luc, don’t lose yourself for me.” She shook her head, and a tear ran down her cheek.

“I love you.” The words just came out. The last time I’d said those words was years ago, and they were to my mother, who’d left me. I’d never spoken of love for anyone since, and I’d never planned to until I met Amelia. “I love you.”

I had to tell her again.

She pressed her dainty hands against my chest and gazed up at me.

“I love you too, Luc. I do.” There was a hint of a smile in her words, even though tears streamed down her cheeks. “Don’t become like him.”

“Who, goddess?”

“My dad,” she breathed.

“Amelia… if anyone touches you, they’re dead. Them and whoever else is with them. They’re dead. They won’t get a chance to draw their last breath.”

I hung my head down in shame, unable to look at her.

A tumult of emotion cascaded within me, clashing like angry waves during a storm against jagged rocks.

“I’m not a bad person for wanting to protect the woman I love.” I lifted my head now, and a tear ran down my own cheek. All I needed to do was think back and remember what Victor had done to Henry and his family, and I would know I couldn’t allow that psycho to live.

“No… you aren’t. That doesn’t make you bad at all.”

“Amelia, there is something I didn’t tell you before. Because I couldn’t talk about it.”

“What is it?”