by J. L. Drake
I slammed my fist into the wall next to her head. She flinched, clutching her heart.
“You’re not fucking going anywhere.” I punched the wall over and over. Drywall showered her head like pixie dust. My knuckles cracked open. Blood dripped from my hand. “You’re mine. I won’t let you go.”
She covered her tear-streaked face. “I’m not yours, and you’re not mine. We had fun, but it’s over now. I don’t want you, and you don’t want me. Not really.”
This isn’t happening. She wouldn’t give up on us so easily.
My heart squeezed. Pain sliced through me with more misery than I thought possible. My hands curled into her shoulders, and I tugged her against my chest, clawing at her like a fucking animal. “Don’t lie to me.”
Tony’s arms closed around my waist, hauling me backward. “Let her go, Gian. It’s done.”
I struggled against him, kicking and yelling. “Fuck you, Tony. You don’t know anything.”
“This is the way it has to be,” Evie whispered as Tony dragged me out the back door of the restaurant.
The minute the door slammed behind us, Tony released me.
“Get a hold of yourself, man. You’re acting like a fucking pussy.”
I buried my face in my hands. My shoulders jerked up and down, and my eyes stung. I couldn’t believe I was about to burst into tears for the first time in twenty years. My life was spinning out of control. Despair and rage wrapped around me like a straightjacket, and I wanted to storm back into the restaurant and kill Alix and Dominick and set the place on fire.
Instead, I walked away with every inch of me still aching for her.
CHAPTER
THIRTY-FIVE
Evangeline
The moment the door closed behind me, I wanted to die. I’d torn Gian’s heart out, but I might as well have torn out my own. I ruined us. I had pushed away the only person who ever wanted to fight for me.
I wanted to take back my words. I wanted to run after him and tell him I lied. Tell him I loved him. Tell him I wanted him. Only I couldn’t. Not now, not ever. He had already sacrificed enough for me. I wouldn’t let him sacrifice his family and honor too. While I might not like what his life entailed, I wouldn’t let him throw it away for me.
Likewise, I refused to play into my father’s twisted logic and hand him the Trassato territories on a silver platter so Gian could be with me, a woman who he’d only known for a couple of months. I’d rather spend the rest of my life missing him than lining Alix’s pockets.
I swiped away my tears and strode out of the kitchen with my head held high. My shoes hammered against the floor like detonating bombs.
“Where are you going?” Konstantin asked.
I kept going, not meeting any of the stares searing into my flesh. “It’s none of your business.”
“Don’t walk away from me, girl.” Alix caught my arm the second I stepped over the threshold of the door.
Shivering with disgust, I broke his grip. “Gian and I are over. You’ll have to find another way to get what you want.”
CHAPTER
THIRTY-SIX
Evangeline
One Week Later…
“Evie, you were great up there. They’d be crazy not to give you a part. I’m so proud of you. You’re so much better than Mom ever was.”
I spun around. “Kon, what are you doing here?”
My brother shoved his hands into the pockets of his dark jeans. A yellowing bruise circled one of his eyes, and he had a scab on his lower lip. “We need to talk.”
“That’s funny. I’m pretty sure we don’t have anything to talk about.”
I slung my dance bag over my shoulder and pushed open the door to the outside. Wind whipped my hair around my face. The smell of an impending rainstorm mixed with grease from the burger joint next door hung in the air. I pulled my hood over my head and darted down the clogged sidewalk.
Halfway down the block, Kon tugged on the back of my jacket, stopping my retreat. All pretenses of humor had disappeared from his face. “I’m not done talking to you.”
I sighed. “You know what? I don’t care.”
“Why aren’t you answering Mom’s calls? She’s worried about you.”
I ripped my hand out of his hold. “Because I don’t have anything to say to her, just like I don’t have anything say to you or my sperm donor.”
“Don’t be like that.” He frowned. “We’re your family, and you need us. Especially now.”
“No, I really don’t. Quite honestly, if I never see any of you again, it’ll be too soon.”
He rolled his eyes. “Don’t be so dramatic.”
I curled my hands into fists, my fingernails digging into my palms. “You guys lied to me about everything.”
“Come on, Evie. Don’t be like this. You’re making a big deal out of nothing.”
“Seriously?” My voice was low and accusing. “My entire childhood was a lie. Do you have any idea how many hours I’ve wasted combing over every conversation and event in my head, searching for missed clues and hidden meanings?”
“We did what we had to.”
Squeezing my eyes closed, I shook my head. They had dangled the truth right in front of my face my entire life, and I’d been too trusting to follow the breadcrumbs. Every time I thought about it, I felt like someone had taken a sledgehammer to my skull.
“Those summer camps on the East Coast weren’t really summer camps, were they? You spent the summers with Dad. You lied about joining the Army. When I questioned Mom about our dad, you never said a word to contradict her.”
My attempts to stay calm failed. Childhood memories banged around in my head, and they no longer seemed sweet. They were tainted with betrayal and lies.
I yanked on the emerald necklace Kon gave me for my sixteenth birthday and crumpled it into a ball. Its sharp angles bit into my palm, but it was better than letting it hang around my neck like a noose. “This necklace.” I shoved my fist into the center of his chest, and he grunted. “It wasn’t from you. It was from him. You didn’t save all your money from shoveling snow off our neighbor’s walks. He gave it to you to pass along to me. And those stupid Russian classes Mom made us take.” I ground my teeth together. “Ugh. I can’t even go there.”
He pushed my hand away. “Get a fucking grip, Evie. Don’t jump to conclusions. There are two sides to every story.”
I flung my hands into the air, the chain of the necklace slipping like sand through my fingers. “Then please, by all means, tell me yours. I'm dying to hear what compelled my entire family to keep me in the dark about the fact that my sperm donor is a lying, murderous criminal.”
A bolt of lightning flashed through the sky followed by a rumble of thunder. A few drops of rain slapped against the gray sidewalk.
“Don’t make this into something bigger than it is. We did what we had to do to keep you safe. Mom and Dad didn’t want you to get caught up in Dad’s life.” His lips pursed into a tight line. “It’s dangerous.”
“So their solution was to let me fumble around in the dark like an idiot?”
He scrubbed his hand down his face. “It kept you safe. It allowed us to do things we couldn’t otherwise do.”
“Like what? Bury my ex-fiancée under gambling debts so he has to mentor some woman whose sole purpose was to encourage him to cheat on me? Was that fun? Were you lurking around the corner when I caught them fucking? Did you laugh? Was it funny to watch your sister get her heart ripped out of her chest?”
“He didn’t have to gamble. He didn’t have to cheat. We might have manipulated things to shove him in that direction, but he could have resisted the temptation.”
I stared at him. Deep down, I knew he was right—though, it didn’t lessen the blow. “You didn’t have to meddle in my life. You could’ve told me what you thought of him.”
Konstantin tugged on the end of my ponytail exactly like he did when we were kids. I wanted to melt into him and let him shelter me from this like he did
with so many things when we were younger. I stepped away to stifle the urge.
“You know that wouldn’t have worked, and we did you a favor. You didn’t really love him.”
I swallowed over the lump lodged in my throat. “Then what about Gian? Someone chased us in a car and shot at us. Someone threw a brick through Gian’s door. I know Alix is behind both of those things. Don’t try to deny it. All evidence to the contrary, I’m not gullible enough to believe those things were a coincidence.”
He scratched the side of his neck. “We did what we had to do. It’s the way things work in our world. Gian Trassato knows this. Hell, he’s done worse, and that’s exactly why I don’t want you anywhere near him. And trust me, he hasn’t let a day go by over the past week without fucking with us. You should be able to live your life untouched by all this shit. That’s what Dad, Mom, and I always wanted.” A hard edge of anger infused with frustration laced his words.
I stared at my shoes, lost in a daze. The people on the sidewalk wove around us. Horns honked. Music floated out of car windows. People laughed. Somewhere in the distance, a dog barked, and a woman screamed insults into her phone. None of it seemed real.
Memories of Gian assaulted my mind. The way he smiled at me like I was the only person in the world. His taste. His golden eyes. His rough laugh. The way his face crumbled when I told him he wasn’t enough and that we’d never work. My head started to pound again, and my chest felt empty. So empty I might as well have been dead. I clenched my teeth together to suppress the sob on the tip of my tongue.
Over the last week, I had fallen into a deep darkness that only dancing had pulled me out of. When I danced, I temporarily managed to convince myself I would get through this and stop missing Gian. As soon as the music stopped, I’d get caught up in the messy trap of reminiscing, and I’d promptly dissolve into another weepy fit of tears. Thank God the musical I’d auditioned for today dripped with sadness and melancholy. It suited my mood perfectly.
“Then cut the ties. Let me live my life how I see fit and make my own decisions.”
“Maybe at one time that would’ve been possible, but not anymore,” he said so quietly, I strained to hear him.
I adjusted the strap of my bag. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Now that your connection to us is no longer a secret, you’re a target. Without us, you could be killed or kidnapped for ransom by the end of the week.”
Bitterness rushed though me like lava, settling in the pit of my stomach. “Great. What am I supposed to do now? Walk around with giant crosshairs on my back?”
He stepped toward me, reaching into his pocket and pulling something out. He dangled a set of keys from his index finger. “Here.”
“What’s this?”
“Keys to your new apartment.”
I stared at the gold keys like they were a stick of dynamite. “No. I’m not taking anything from you.”
I’d checked into a hotel last week, promising myself I’d find a more permanent place to live as soon as possible because the money I got pawning the engagement ring from Kevin wouldn’t last for more than a couple of weeks with Manhattan prices. If I didn’t land a role in this play, I’d find a job and move out of the hotel.
“It’s temporary, and it will make my job a helluva lot easier. The building has a doorman and security. I wrote the address on the key chain.”
“Is this a consolation prize from dear ol’ Dad?” I raised my eyebrows, an indignant smirk on my face. “Whoops, sorry, long-lost daughter that I abandoned. I know I ruined your life and destroyed more than one of your relationships, but here’s a place to live. This should make up for it.”
“No. It’s actually my apartment. I’ll stay somewhere else until you get back on your feet.”
I inched backward. “No.” I didn’t want to be indebted to anyone ever again. I needed to stand on my own two feet.
“Just take them.” He shoved the keys into my pocket. “Think of it as my penance for lying to you.”
“Are you going stay there with me?”
He glanced to the side. “I’ll stay with Dad’s family.”
My stomach pitched. “He has another family?”
“A wife and two daughters. They’re a good ten years older than us.”
“So Mom was his mistress?” I asked, my mouth twisting with revulsion.
He shifted on his boot-clad feet. “Don’t feel bad for Mom. She knew the score.”
“His wife doesn’t care that he shoves his bastard son in her face?”
“He wanted a son, and she couldn’t have any more kids. They made a deal. He got his son, and she got to keep her life as long as she welcomed me into their house every summer. It worked out for everyone.”
I fought back a scream of frustration. I couldn’t believe this. My life was a joke that never stopped. “I guess that makes me collateral damage. A necessary evil. An unwanted complication on the road to conceiving the golden child.”
“Don’t think about it like that,” he said, pity splashed all over his face. “Dad loves you as much as he does the rest of his kids. He just has a screwed-up way of showing it.”
Fuck this. I was going to use the apartment. I saved and scraped over the last few years, trying to make my dreams comes true. My brother was right. He owed me.
“It’s too late.” I pulled the keys from my pocket and dangled them from my fingers. “Thanks for the place to live. I’ll text you when I move out.”
I took a few steps backward then paused. “Oh, and Kon?”
“Yeah?”
“Don’t contact me ever again. You can slink around in the shadows and do whatever it is you do, but I never want to see you or anyone in my so-called family again. You’re all dead to me, and if any of you meddle in my life again, I’ll find a way to kill you myself.”
CHAPTER
THIRTY-SEVEN
Carmela Trassato
Two Months Later…
I stared at the man known as Bloody Alix and his son, Konstantin. My hands trembling in my lap, I kept my face a cold mask. These assholes would eat me for dinner if I showed any weakness. I couldn’t believe Evie was related to these two men.
“What can you offer us?” Konstantin said, popping a powdered sugar confection into his mouth like we were discussing the weather.
I straightened my spine, refusing to give in to the urge to cower in front of them even though one well-aimed insult would expose me for what I really was—an uptight ball of anxiety waiting for a reason to tuck my tail between my legs and run out of here.
“Just Evie’s happiness. She’s part of your family. Isn’t that enough? She loves my brother, and he loves her.” I lifted my hands in a plea. “Why are you standing in their way?”
“Love is for fools.” Evie’s dad slid his elbows along the rust-colored fabric covering the round table. “They may think they love each other now, but give it a year. The things they loved about each other will become the very things they can’t stand. It will build and build until the love they shared mutates into hatred. In another year, the hatred will become indifference, and they’ll wish they’d never met. I’m saving them a lifetime of bullshit. They should be thanking me for ending the farce before it’s too late.”
Stunned, I blinked, then a rough chuckle escaped my mouth. “You don’t really believe that.”
He ran his fingers through his reddish-gray hair, his eyes void of emotion.
What a soulless bastard.
“I don’t give a shit about love stories. Maybe you can offer me something more tangible to convince me to reconsider.”
I cleared my dry throat. “Like what?”
He leaned back in his chair, propping his thick meaty fingers behind his head. “Like unfettered access to the Trassato territories to distribute my goods. I think your brother owes me that, considering he pilfered six of my high-roller poker players this week alone. Do you have any idea how much money he’s cost me?”
“I didn’t com
e here as a representative of the Trassato family.” I crossed and uncrossed my legs, trying to get comfortable. “I can’t make any deals on their behalf.”
Alix pushed his chair away from the table, and the wooden legs scraped across the cream-colored tile floor. “Then you’re wasting my time, missy. You don’t have anything I want. Send someone who has the power to bargain because I’m fucking sick of your brother’s antics. I’ve let him play his little games, but I’m done.” His eyes narrowed. “Unless…”
Alix wrapped one arm around Konstantin’s shoulder and pulled him close. I couldn’t make out his hushed whispers.
Konstantin folded his arms across his chest. “That’s fucked up.”
Alix grinned like a maniac. “Kon, don’t play coy. I didn’t miss the way you looked at her at the Trassatos’ house, and I know how much you want to make this right for your sister. You’ve been in my ear nonstop about making peace with her. This would be the perfect way to give everyone a happy ending.”
“Everyone except me.”
Konstantin speared me with his icy glare as he drummed his tattooed hand on the table. Intricate stars, triangles, and crosses decorated his fingers like rings. Equal measures of interest and disgust curled in my gut. Since he and his dad stormed into my parents’ home a couple of months ago, he’d dominated enough of my thoughts to make me more than a little uneasy.
“Get over yourself. Men like us don’t have a normal life with a wife and white picket fence. We get something better: power and wealth.”
He blew out a breath. “I’ll do it only if it happens on my terms.”
Alix lifted his chin. “Fine, make it work, and I won’t have any complaints.”
I wiped a sweaty palm down the side of my face. “What are you talking about?
Kon stood, and he looked so much bigger than I remembered. The corners of his lips curled up, making his angular face handsome. He wore a black leather jacket with jeans and a silver-studded leather belt. At that moment, he commanded the room, even more so than his father.
