Page 57 of Tainted Obsession 1

The leader draws a gun from his belt in one smooth, practiced motion. The shot rings out before I can shout a protest. My father falls, a crimson stain blooming on his crisp white shirt.

A red haze descends over my mind, protective fury overriding fear. They’re attacking my family. My mother is screaming.

As she throws her slim body over my father’s in an attempt to shield him from further harm, I grab a bottle of beer from the shelf beside me. The glass smashes against the metal shelf, creating a jagged weapon in my hand. I launch myself at the leader, slashing in wild, feral rage.

Three gory gashes shred his face. Another shot booms as he shouts in agony.

The other boys grab their broken, sobbing leader and drag him away. I stand my ground, breathing hard. The broken bottle is still gripped in my fist, my enemy’s blood dripping onto the cream tile floor.

“Massimo.” My mother says my name in a broken whisper.

I round on her, my body still thrumming with violent energy. I should go after the motherfuckers who’d threatened my family. If I don’t make them pay, they might come back. They’ll kill my father, and…

His light blue eyes are glassy, staring up at nothing.

My mother’s body is draped over his. She reaches for me, her blood-soaked hand shaking as she removes it from the bullet wound in her belly. A red stain grows on her sunshine yellow dress, soaking the material until the blood spilled over to pool with my father’s on the floor.

Her caramel eyes are tight with agony as she stares at me, taking in the weapon in my hand.

Massimo.Her lips form my name, but no sound comes out except a wet death rattle. Her eyes are as dull as my father’s, but her jaw remains slack with horror, my act of violence the last thing she’ll ever see.

She’s utterly still and forever silenced, but I hear my name in her pained whisper over and over again. It echoes through my mind, shredding me.

“Massimo. Massimo, wake up.”

Soft hands grasp my shoulders, shaking me gently.

“It’s just a dream.” Evelyn’s melodic, soothing voice promises safety and warmth.

I turn into her and bury my face in her silken hair, breathing in her addictive scent. She presses a tender kiss to my chest andmurmurs my name again, the sound layering over my mother’s final, horrified rasp.

I gather Evelyn into my arms and hold her close, allowing her gentle warmth and sweet scent to ground me to reality.

I’m not a scrawny little boy anymore. I’m strong enough to protect this fragile woman. No one will harm my delicate little butterfly. I won’t fail again.

Chapter 23

Evelyn

“Do you want to talk about it?” I murmur, dropping another soft kiss on his broad shoulder.

Massimo doesn’t answer for a long moment. His heartbeat is strong and too fast, thrumming against my chest as he holds me close.

“You can tell me,” I urge, craving to comfort him.

He’d groaned in his sleep, a deeply pained sound. I see echoes of that pain in the tension that still grips his massive body, even though he handles me with aching care.

“My parents…” He draws in a shaky breath, as though he’s breathing me in. His frantic heartbeats slow, but he doesn’t put an inch of space between our entwined bodies. “I was dreaming about the day they died.”

My heart squeezes. It hadn’t just been a dream; he’d been trapped in a nightmarish memory.

“What happened to them?” I press gently, wanting to ease his pain.

If he tells me happened, he might be able to purge some of the darkness from his mind.

“They were shot.” His voice is oddly flat.

Maybe he isn’t close with his family either.