Page 29

The Wounds Within.

M y cigarette hangs from my lips as I take in the early morning sunrise, her silhouette bathed in the orange and yellow glow as she slips out of the water. She’s been keeping her distance from me. Hasn’t responded to any of my texts or calls, constantly keeping herself in others’ company so I won’t approach her.

I don’t mind watching her for now, waiting until the moment is right for me to take her for myself.

Her slick hair sticks to her back as she stands in the water, staring out into the sunrise, and all I can see is me and her exactly like this, every single day of our lives. Putting my cigarette out, I make my way to her, the sand soft beneath my feet. The water is ice cold as I step in, sending a chill down my spine as it passes my waist.

When she turns to face me, every single worry about the future fades because I see it right here in front of me.

It’s her.

She wanted to set me free, to shed my ties with Falcon’s Keep and to her family, but the truth is, the wounds of Falcon’s Keep run deeper than a knife ever could. I’ll never forget everything I’ve done here. The lives I’ve taken, the promises I’ve made, and the days I’ve spent with the Della Torres.

“Old habits,” I whisper, taking her into my arms as she wraps herself around me.

“I think it’s the most refreshing thing to do to start your day. Someone even told me it was healing.”

I smile at her words, remembering our conversation at this very beach.

“Salt water is also extremely corrosive.”

She takes my lips feverishly, holding onto me like she’s going to lose me, and I give her every deep stroke of my tongue to remind her I’m not going anywhere.

“Not as corrosive as this disease that’s taken my family hostage.”

She places her forehead on mine, water from her lips falling onto mine.

“I miss you,” she whispers.

“ Principessa …” I drawl. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Holding onto me tighter, she lifts her head, fear in her tone as she whispers, “And that’s what I’m afraid of.”

She sniffles, tracing her fingers over my brows, the water from her hand running down my chest. “I’m scared, Raf.”

I close my eyes, willing my heart to find its regular beat again as she expresses her fear, but all I want to do is take it from her and bury it deep beneath the abyss of the sea.

“I promise, you won’t be marrying him,” I whisper onto her lips, trying to comfort her with my words as the sun continues to rise, shining new hope onto the island. She doesn’t know I’m prepared to turn the world upside down to have her, even for five minutes before we enter the earth together. I wasn’t lying…I’d follow her to the grave. And if the world doesn’t want to see us together, then maybe we could create our own world in another life.

“We have rehearsals today,” she breathes, running her fingers through my hair as my cock begins to rise at the sight of water entering the cavity of her breasts. “I don’t want you there.”

“I’ll be there. Front row, Principessa. ”

She releases me and stands, twirling her hands into mine in the water. “Don’t do that to yourself, please.”

I chuckle, appreciative of the hurt she’s trying to save me from. “What do you think it’ll look like to Dante if I didn’t show up? I need to be there, Nera.”

She bows her head, resting her head on my chest, then places gentle kisses on my pecs.

A beat passes, both of us just enjoying the water, the silence and the comfort of each other’s presence before she speaks again.

“What are you going to do?” she asks with hesitation.

“You don’t need to know the details, Principessa . Just know I won’t let him take you from me.”

The shirt feels tight on my skin but it might just be the unsettling feeling of knowing I’ll be watching her with him tonight. Watching her walk close to him, be next to him. It makes me want to throw out my entire plan of waiting until I have back-up, to toss him to the floor and pound the shit out of his face until he’s unrecognisable, or my knuckles shatter. Either one will do.

My phone pings on my bed as I stare at myself in the mirror. Even the fancy suit I have on won’t disguise the terrible person I am beneath.

Are you sure this is going to be good for her?

Maybe she’s better off with him.

At least he has the wealth to give her anything she ever asks for.

My thoughts rattle around in my mind and I grip the pistol in my hand tighter.

You can’t afford to do this on your own. You need Erhan.

I close my eyes, wondering how the fuck I got here. One moment, she was Dante’s annoying, sassy younger sister and now she is the sea that crashes on the shores, the sun that shines through the glass of the greenhouse, and the rain that gives life to parts of me I never knew existed. She’s the last hope I have of becoming who I want to be.

A better man.

A worthy man.

But how can I be better when I want her to myself?

How can I be worthy when I’m willing to watch Falcon’s Keep burn?

My mind is at war and I’m afraid the casualties to suffer will be me and Nera.

Placing my revolver in my holster, I check my phone.

Erhan

My terms are steep, Rafael. Are you sure you’re ready to meet them?

I stare at the message. He’s giving me a chance to back out, to rethink my choices, but I’ve already made up my mind.

Me

Be here in forty-eight hours. I accept the terms.

I take one last look in the mirror as Dante’s words ring in my ear.

Better the devil you know than the one you don’t.

The Fortress has been transformed from coked-up rich kids to prim and proper gangsters, pretending to have morals. I watch them, lifting their glasses, cheering to whatever the fuck they are. Lifting my whiskey glass to my lips, I pause when she walks in. Her champagne dress hugs her every curve, the silk material falling effortlessly around her body, and I don’t hide my staring. Tipping the glass up, I enjoy the sting the alcohol leaves behind as I watch her chatting with some of the guests.

They arrived yesterday. No doubt all of them related to or invited by Frances. It’s intimate, with only fifteen people on the guest list. The Casella brothers were invited but Ezra’s wife, Aries, had gone into labour last night, so they are preoccupied with a new member of the family entering the world. That kid will be one lucky boy.

Her eyes meet mine for a millisecond before she smiles at Frances, and my glass shatters in my hands, the slick blood now covering the crisp white tablecloth, stealing everyone’s attention.

Fuck, Raf. Nice way not to be noticed.

Discarding the glass shard, I wrap a napkin around my hand and get to my feet. Maybe I can’t do this. Maybe I can’t watch her with him.

A hand lands on my shoulder and clamps down. “Don’t be reckless.”

Dante steps beside me as I grip the napkin tighter and clench my jaw.

“Everything is done. There’s no going back now.”

Sorry, brother, but you’re wrong.

“He’s going to hurt her.”

“He wouldn’t do anything to harm her, not when I’m still alive.”

I shake my head as the sound of clinking glasses pierces my ears, and her eyes clash with mine before Frances has his arm around her waist.

The red-hot rage is back and it’s angry, pounding on the door I’ve shackled it behind, demanding to be let out. All I want to do is let it wreak havoc. I take a deep breath as she moves her focus to him and gives him a peck on the cheek. Relief only lasts a moment before he pulls her in for a kiss, angering the beast inside me. My nails dig into the wound on my hand and I can’t look away as his tongue darts inside her mouth. My lip curls into a snarl. Before I have the chance to reach into my holster, two of Frances’s bodyguards fill my vision.

“There will be a shipment tonight, before the wedding,” one of them says, and when I look back, Frances is now seated with Nera beside him.

“How many?”

“Two men. In their fifties.”

“And what are their crimes?” I ask, not out of curiosity but out of habit.

“One of them started a rebellion against the Lucchese family and the other cannot pay off his debts.”

I nod and they leave. Another thing to add to my already growing to-do list. More bodies to gut and toss means less time to prepare for the wedding.

“I’ve called Nicholas, but I don’t know if he will be coming,” Dante says as he pulls out his phone to check it.

“He won’t come…” My eyes follow Nera as she lifts the champagne glass to her lips. “He hates me for what happened with Darcy.”

There comes a moment in life when you’re forced to choose between something that will keep you in your circle of comfort or take you out into the trenches of the unknown. Ninety percent of people choose comfort because it’s what they know and it’s how they’ve always lived their life. The other ten percent that step out of it have a new sense of self, a new reality upon which they can determine their worth and their future.

For most of my life, I’ve tried to live in that ten percent, but somewhere along the line after Dante saved me, I became part of the ninety percent. I forgot what it was like to have control over something as simple as thought and choice.

Not anymore.