Page 89 of Veil of Obsession

The younger one goes to speak again, but his brother stops him with his hand.

“You’re Lucio Folonari, correct?” the older-looking brother asks.

“I guess my legacy precedes me.” I smile. “Now, where is she?”

“Why do you—” The younger one is really grating on my damn nerve.

But he’s lucky because his brother cuts him off again and motions to the stairs and says, “In her room, to the right.”

I brush past them, my steps heavy on the stairs. I try the handle, but her door is locked.

“Princess? It’s me, open up.”

“Lucio?” She confused as to how I made it to her house in under five minutes when the drive is meant to be fifteen.

Only when you drive the legal limit and stop at red lights.

The sound of a click echoes in the space, and the door opens.

“What are you doing here?”

I come face-to-face with her. And I freeze, every bone in my body vibrating with a new kind of rage.

The skin on her fucking cheek is broken, and she’s bleeding. Fucking bleeding.

It takes everything in me to not turn around and put a bullet in between her ma’s eyes, and everyone who allowed her to end up like this. Swallowing back the panic that’s rising, I step into her room and close the door behind me. I move without thinking, wrapping my arms around her.

“Are you okay? What the hell am I even asking? Of course you’re not okay. You’re bleeding, and you were just crying.” I push back a little, taking in her swollen, red eyes, the fresh blood on her cheek, and the streak of blood that runs to the edge of her jaw.

“You didn’t answer my question,” she whispers, lowering her head.

She’s avoiding eye contact, and it’s killing me, shredding me from the inside. I brush a lock of hair behind her ear and lift her face with two fingers beneath her chin.

“I’m here to take you out. I don’t want you here with her,” I tell her, pressing her face into my chest.

Her entire body is shaking, and she takes small, short, deep breaths. I don’t know what to do, and I’ve never felt more fucking useless.

“You’re safe. I promise, no one will touch you,” I whisper into her hair.

We stay like this for a couple of minutes, until her breathing evens out and she seems less jerky. I don’t pull away; I let her take her time.

She pulls back, sniffling a little before saying, “Sorry I ruined your shirt.”

Her fingers run over the crescent-shaped tear stains in the middle.

“They’ll dry. Do you want to get changed before we go, or is this okay?”

She licks her lips, and my gaze drops to them. I’ve never seen more kissable lips in my entire existence.

Focus, Lucio.

“These are fine.”

“Okay, come on,” I say before pulling on her hand and opening the door.

Princess doesn’t argue. She just follows behind me. Her brothers are by the door, and an older Asian woman is standing beside them. She narrows her eyes when she spots us.

“And where do you think you’re going?” She directs her question to Princess, her voice dripping with hatred and poison, which causes Princess to try to drag her hand out of mine.