She’d only be a problem.
Slow me down.
Make me lose my focus.
She was a wild card.
One mistake with her, and she could bring everything crashing down.
I reached for my gun.
Something in my chest tightened. It was the strangest of feelings.
One I hadn’t felt before.
No.
I couldn’t kill her.
Not yet.
She still might be of use to me. Or at least that was what I told myself.
I’d keep her in check.
Getting rid of her so soon would be a waste.
I was about to unlock the door when I realized all she had on was a nightgown, so I raced down the hallway to get her some clothes.
“Boss!” Vico yelled.
“I know! I know!” I shouted.
Already, I was taking a risk because of Isabella.
But I didn’t have a choice.
Chapter 20
I KNEW SOMETHING WAS up because I could hear a whole lot of noise.
It was like everyone was on alert, and they were rushing around. But I couldn’t hear anyone saying anything about what was going on, even though I strained my ears and listened carefully.
Maybe we were under attack, or the cops were coming. It just felt like it was something big, and I couldn’t think of anything else that could cause so much commotion.
When Sebastian burst through the door, he tossed some clothes to me.
“Put this on,” he said. “Quickly. If you want to live.”
I looked at the clothes and realized they were mine. My jeans and my red sweater.
He must’ve taken the bag I’d had at the motel so that no one would find it, and he’d kept it somewhere.
I wished I had some underwear too, but this would have to do. Once I got dressed, I felt a bit weird, as if I’d forgotten what it was like to wear actual clothes.
My back itched a little, and my jeans felt a bit too tight, but the feeling wore off a few moments later.
“Come on!” Sebastian waved me on.
I’d be getting out of the room and out of this house.
It might be a good thing.
Sebastian snaked his arm around me as he ushered me through the door. His touch created warmth all over my back, and I wondered if he was trying to protect me or making sure I wouldn’t try anything.
Once we were outside, my eyes stung a little because of too much light, but I could see there were plenty of cars and a whole lot of men.
Escaping right now would be impossible, but maybe we’d go somewhere with more windows.
Sebastian led me to a car.
We both got into the back seat, and I heard the click of the door as it locked. I was sitting right next to Sebastian, our shoulders touching.
“What’s going on?” I asked as the car started moving. There was a privacy panel in front of us, so I couldn’t see the driver. “Are we in danger?”
“No,” he said, his voice calm. “It’s just a mild inconvenience. There’s a detective who’s after me, and he actually faked evidence to get a warrant. If he caught me, he’d win, and it wouldn’t matter what he did to get the warrant. But if I get away and he finds nothing, I’ll have time to get my lawyers to deal with the whole thing.”
“Why would he do all that just to arrest you? Wouldn’t that put his career at risk? It just sounds like a stupid thing to do.”
“He’s had it out for me since I was a kid. He caught me stealing.”
My eyebrows shot up. “Stealing what?”
He didn’t say anything for a few moments, and I thought he wasn’t going to answer. “Just something I needed to start my business.”
“Wait, you started your business? I thought it was a family thing.”
“Because of our marriage?” A smile quirked his lips.
“Well, yeah. I guess I associate arranged marriages with the mafia and someone with a long family tradition. Otherwise, I’m not sure if it would make sense.” My gaze met his.
“I started from scratch and got to where I am now on my own, but I did join the Leoni family at one point. Their boss didn’t have any heirs, and I started from the bottom and fought my way up the ranks. When he died, I took over and joined my own business with the Leoni family’s legacy. Increased the value of both and created a true empire.”
“Oh. That’s impressive.” I might not know much about his world, but I doubted there were many people who’d achieved the same. “How did you do it?”
“With a lot of work and effort.” His smile widened. “And a lot of bodies. Killing the right people at the right time can be of a lot of help.”
I felt my eyes widen as my lips parted.
I’d almost forgotten how dangerous he really was. Killing people meant absolutely nothing to him. Just one step he had to take to get what he wanted.
He could kill me too if he wanted.
“Are you afraid of me?” he asked.
My gaze fell on his holster.
The gun was within my reach. I could try to get it, and if I got extremely lucky, maybe I could point it at Sebastian without him overpowering me.
But it was a crazy thought.
I’d never even held a gun before. I wouldn’t know what to do with it. He would take it away from me in seconds.
“I was just thinking about something,” I said when I realized I’d taken too long to answer.
I was avoiding actually answering his question, so I hoped I could distract him.
“About what?” he asked.
“I used to dream about starting my own business too, but I realized it wouldn’t get me rich. Probably not even a little. I guess I never dreamed big enough.” I let out a small laugh. “But it would’ve probably made me happy anyway. Not everything is about money, and I never really needed much. It would just be something I truly loved.”
“Tell me.” He leaned closer to me, his eyes filled with curiosity. “What kind of business are you talking about?”
“I’ve always loved painting, and I saw this cute, perfect little space not too far away from my apartment. It would be perfect for an art gallery. I could put up my art there, and maybe someone would like something and buy it. I doubt I’d earn much, and I probably wouldn’t be able to afford the gallery. But it’s just a dream, right?”
Sebastian watched me, an emotion I couldn’t identify flashing in his eyes.
The car came to a stop.
“We need to switch cars,” Sebastian said. “We have to make sure no one’s able to follow us.”
The car door unlocked, and a man opened it a moment later, so I got out. Sebastian didn’t let me out of his sight as we were led to a new car.
Maybe it was weird, but this whole thing was kind of exciting.
Adrenaline was pumping through my veins, and I wondered what would happen if the cops showed up right now.
But that was very unlikely, so I decided not to think about it and just wait and see where I’d end up next.
Chapter 21
THE NEW HOUSE WAS MUCH bigger and nicer. It was surrounded by a huge fence and had a large lawn with some shrubs and flowers as decoration.
A true mansion, this time.
It had huge windows and all the rooms were spacious. Even the hallways were full of light.
Valuable paintings and artwork hung on the walls, and the heavy oak furniture seemed to be custom made just for this place. I couldn’t imagine how much it cost to even rent it, let alone buy it.
I had a new room on the third floor, which was too high up, so escaping through a window wasn’t going to happen.
Aside from a nice big bed, there was also a large closet, a desk with a chair, and a nightstand.
More clothes had been brought for me too, probably because we might find ourselves on the run again. This place was a bit colder, so it was a good thing I could put on some pants and a sweater.
The view from the window was amazing. So mu
ch greenery and trees. It was very peaceful.
But there were way too many guards lurking around. They were good at hiding, but I still spotted them if I looked hard enough.
The bathroom was at the end of the hallway, but this time, I could knock on the door if I wanted one of the men to let me out, and I didn’t have to wait for someone to come for me first.
When the door opened, an unfamiliar man stared at me a little too much, but I ignored him.
Once I was done and on my way back to my room, a beautiful painting caught my eye in the hallway and I stopped in front of it, admiring the colors.
It was as if someone had been looking through the window and had perfectly captured what they could see.
“Hey,” my guard snapped. “Move, bitch!”
Shit.
I turned away from the painting, but before I could take more than a few steps, I heard a yelp and a thud.
My pulse sped up, and I spun around.
Sebastian had the guard by the neck against the wall, and his face was so full of fury like I’d never seen it before.
“Disrespect my wife again, and I’m going to kill you,” he said, his voice cold.
The guard’s eyes were wide, his face red.
“Apologize,” Sebastian said, and he must’ve increased the pressure on the guard’s throat because the guy sputtered and gasped for breath.
“I’m sorry,” he choked out.
“Not to me. To her.”
The guard’s eyes found me. “I’m sorry, ma’am.”
Sebastian let go of the guy, who sucked in a deep breath and started coughing.
“Now get out of my sight,” Sebastian said.
“Yes, sir,” the guy said before almost running off down the hallway.
I stared at Sebastian in surprise.
His anger vanished as he approached me, and a smile curved his lips.
“Do you like this painting?” he asked, glancing at the one I’d been looking at.
“Yeah.”
“Why?” He cocked his head at me. “You could look through the window and have the real thing.”
“Exactly.” I offered him a small smile. “It’s so calming. And peaceful. And you can take it with you wherever you go.”
His brow furrowed.
“I guess you don’t feel the same about it.”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s just a painting.”
I took another look at the painting, and then I let him take me back to my room.
He entered with me, and when I glanced at him, I saw that his shoulders were tense and his smile had faded.
“Are you worried about the detective?” I asked.
“What?” He blinked at me as if I’d just pulled him out of some distant place in his mind.
“You look like something’s bothering you. Is it the detective?”
He shook his head. “He won’t find us here. Not so quickly anyway. And my lawyers are going to stop him. He’s got nothing.”
“Then what’s wrong?” I tilted my head at him.
“Why would anything be wrong?”
“Because you look... I don’t know. Tense.”
He sighed. “It’s just this place. It was the only thing I could find on such short notice and off the books.”
“You don’t like this house?” I gaped at him. “Really? It’s a beautiful house.”
Would he rather be in a bunker somewhere?
Underground, maybe?
I couldn’t imagine why he wouldn’t like the house. Okay, maybe it wasn’t modern enough, but the one where we’d been before was way worse, and he’d seemed less on edge there.
“It reminds me of a house where I used to live as a kid,” he said softly. “Actually, two of my foster homes were similar to this one.”
“Oh. I didn’t know.”
“Yeah, the fancier the house, the worse they were. Or at least that was how it was for me. I moved from house to house a lot until I managed to run away. Living on the streets was no fun, but it was better than living with any of those families.
“They either wanted me so they’d get paid or to show off to their friends. Sometimes they caught me and returned me, but I escaped again. I got beaten up on the street a few times too, but I eventually learned how to avoid dangerous people and stay out of certain areas.”
I couldn’t imagine how bad things had to be for him that he’d preferred to live on the streets where he’d had to steal to survive and deal with all kinds of dangerous people.
“And Detective Sargetti? Did he know about your situation?” I asked.
“Oh yeah. I was unlucky enough that he saw me when I was trying to steal some food. He told me that he could tell who I really was, and that I’d grow up to be a criminal because it was all I was capable of doing. He told me that what was happening to me was my fault, and that if I behaved, then surely all those nice families would treat me better. He actually gave me an idea.
“If I couldn’t get the education I needed and I barely had enough to survive because of the kindness of those families, I realized I had to take it all myself because no one was going to help me. I could either win or die trying. So I got braver and bolder. I got familiar with my surroundings and people. I learned what to look out for and who to friend. I figured out how to be in the right place at the right time. And it all worked out.”
I could barely believe what he was saying, but I could see it in his eyes that he wasn’t lying.
“What about your parents?” I asked softly.
“My father left my mother. Their relationship was already rocky, and she came up with this brilliant idea that having a baby, meaning me, would help her save it. Of course, my father disappeared even before I was born and she was left with nothing. She turned to alcohol and drugs for solace, and she hated me. I was very young, but I still remember when she yelled at me and hit me. They took me away from her after I ended up in a hospital with a broken arm and a concussion. She was glad to finally be rid of me.”
“I’m so sorry,” I said.
“Not your fault.” He gave me a sad smile.
“Not your fault either.”
His lips parted in surprise, and then a frown creased his brown. “You’re not allowed to tell anyone about this. No one knows. Not all of it anyway. If you say anything, I’ll kill you.”
His face was serious, but his tone lacked its usual bite when he was threatening me. Maybe he was just surprised he’d told me all this.
I was glad he had.
“Okay,” I said. “I won’t tell anyone.”
“Good.” He stormed to the door.
I sat down on the bed and stared at my hands in my lap.
The things he’d been through... It was so much to handle. No wonder he was a bit messed up from all of it.
And hell, I’d thought my life was the worst. At least I’d had my mom and my sister who loved me, and I’d never been hungry.
But Sebastian...
He’d had no one when he’d needed it the most.
My heart broke for him.
Chapter 22
I LEANED MY FOREHEAD against the door of my room and groaned. The compassionate look on Isabella’s face as I’d spilled my guts to her haunted me.
Why the fuck had I told her all of that?
I’d kept most of those things to myself because I’d never wanted people to pity me or see me as less.
And Isabella...
She should hate me.
She should rejoice in my painful memories.
Except, she didn’t.
The look in her eyes had been genuine, and her face had been like an open book so that I could see her surprise, her shock, her concern, and her understanding.
She was so full of empathy, even for someone like me.
If I was someone else and capable of love, I would’ve fallen in love with her. She was perfect.
Amazing.
And she was wasting away her life with me.
Her spark was
impossible to extinguish.
She deserved so much better.
But the last thing I could right now was let her go. Sargetti would jump at the opportunity to talk to her.
I closed my eyes for a moment.
Dammit, Isabella!
Why did you have to be so perfect?
IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO stay away from Isabella, so I found an excuse to pay her a visit. She had to be bored out of her mind in that room, even though she’d never said anything.
“I have something for you,” I said, and offered her a large paper bag.
Her brow furrowed as she took the bag, and then a surprised gasp escaped her lips.
“Oh, my god!” Such a wonderful smile spread across her lips that I wanted to remember it forever.
She stared at the canvas and painting kit, excitement dancing in her eyes.
It wasn’t long before she had the canvas spread out on the floor and paint everywhere around her.
She used the rubber band that had been holding the brushes together to tie her hair up. My gaze lingered on her slender neck, and I wanted to kiss her, but I didn’t want to disturb her or break her focus.
She effortlessly moved the brush over the canvas, and the image of angry waves that were hitting the shore during a storm looked beautiful even to me.
Calming somehow too, although it probably wasn’t supposed to be.
I hadn’t even realized how much time had passed when she sat back on her heels and smiled at her work.
“I missed this so much,” she said, glancing at me. “Do you like it?”
I nodded.
“Really?” She cocked her head at me.
“Yeah.” A smile tilted my lips.
“Okay. I believe you.” She grinned.
“We should put it up somewhere so it can dry undisturbed,” I said.
“Oh, sure.” She got to her feet, rubbing her hands together. “But I need to wash my hands first.”
“Yeah, come.” I carefully picked up the canvas.
While she was in the bathroom, I stared down at her painting. I’d never wanted to keep something before because I knew it would eventually be ruined, or taken away from me, or I’d have to leave it behind.
Only His: A Dark Arranged Marriage Mafia Romance Page 7
