The Rebel: A Bad Boy Romance

by Aria Ford

  Jerking Sylvi away, I released my grip to send him against the wall as he choked and gasped for air. Knowing I could kill him sent a rush through me that egged my already tense muscles to grab him again.

  “What the fuck is wrong with you, Luciano?” The anger that laced Sylvi’s voice was nothing compared to the raging maelstrom that swirled in my chest. Glaring he straightened to rub his frail neck as I stalked the room in a hard pace. “I told you keeping her was a bad idea. Do you want m-”

  “What are you going to do, Sylvi? Huh? What? You gunna shoot me? You haven’t shot anyone but your stupid fucking whores in years. You can’t even pull out your gun before I snap your fucking neck. Don’t you dare fucking threaten me!” My pacing quickened in the need to move, to do something, anything, to avoid killing Sylvi. In a tiny, weak part of my brain, I knew it was a bad idea, but knowing didn’t silence me. “You’re a piece of shit, and if you don’t shut the fuck up, you’re a dead piece of shit.”

  A snort flew from my chest when Sylvi stayed quiet, but his glare didn’t die down. Tossing my head, I ground my teeth together as our stalemate came to an end. My brother adjusted his collar, tugging on his suit jacket, and his breathing finally evened out.

  “You need to set yourself straight, Luciano. Is that why you didn’t bring that girl? Because she was afraid of you?” Stiffening, I clenched my hands into tight fists and ignored the sting of my knuckles. “You think that she’s with you because she wants to be? You keep her locked in a room, Luciano! Even my whores get better treatment than you give her. Why shouldn’t she be afraid of you?”

  My throat tightened at the accusation, and I hissed as Sylvi straightened. The fire in his eyes flared- a window into his soul that was steadily gaining courage. Taking a threatening step forward, he shook his head hard with a growl.

  “You can’t talk shit about what I do when you’re holding a girl hostage, constantly interrogating her because you think the Russians want her for some reason. At least my whores get to laugh, even if their comfort is a set up.” Thick, heavy breaths flowed in and out of my lungs, forcing my chest to heave. Sylvi’s gaze bit at mine with sharp, invisible fangs, and his words wrapped around me to squeeze tightly. Clenching and releasing my fists, my fingers became sticky with blood that flowed from my knuckles.

  But he’s right… I was going to abandon Aya for being afraid when she had every reason to be. Goosebumps washed my chest, and cold dread raised the hairs that coated my arms. Tearing my gaze off Sylvi, I stared at the shower stall through narrowed eyes. There was nothing but a drain and a shower head to mark the spot, but my memory filled in the missing wall.

  Aya had only touched me after I had nearly broken her neck. Fuck- the only time she even said my name was after she’d nearly frozen to death and woken up on top of me. Growling at the memory, I started to pace again even as I sensed Sylvi take steps of his own.

  “You need to consider letting her go, mio fratello. Ha bisogno di qualcuno che non la farà male.” Sylvi’s perfect, crisp Italian rang in my ears like the death tolls of church bells. Aya needed someone that wouldn’t hurt her.

  Hurt her was all I did. The countless times she’d jumped when I entered her room filled my head. Every whimper beat against my ear drums; each shiver that passed from her to me when I held her strafed my muscles.

  For the first time in my life guilt began to eat away at my gut, and my face twisted in disgust. Not for Aya for making me feel this way, but at myself. She wasn’t delusional. I am…

  The walls started to close in on me, and my legs took wide strides toward the door with no direction from my brain. Splinters dug into my palms from the force I used to open the door. A resounding bang echoed down the hall, but it was lost in the hard, painful bet of my heart.

  Blinking hard, I found myself in front of my car with no memory of how I’d gotten there. Digging my keys out of my basketball shorts pocket, I ripped open the door as the haze finally started to clear.

  If Aya was afraid of me, it was my own fault, a voice in my head hissed with disdain. Let her go, whispered another as I jostled into the driver’s seat- she deserves that much.

  Time moved too fast for me to follow, and I sped home well over 80 miles an hour. Blowing past red lights and narrowly avoiding other cars, my tire tracks painted the asphalt and angry beeping rose above the hoods of cars.

  “Aya!” Bursting into Sylvi’s dark, quiet abode, my stomps were heavy but the only sound I could hear. There wasn’t a single light on, but I moved with ease of practice towards the stairs as panic began to well inside me.

  “Aya!” My roar reverberated through the house and sweat beaded down my neck and back. An uncomfortable heat clawed at me as I took the stairs two at a time. Aya should’ve heard me and would’ve appeared.

  But her room was stark and sweltering when I beat down the door. Her empty bed was made, and for a moment I couldn’t do anything but stare at it.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  AYA

  Panting hard, my throat burned and my lips cracked from how chapped they were. My bare feet slapped against the pavement, and I only slowed to gasp for air. The sun had set, casting the streets in shadows as hopelessness crept up from the bowels of my being. Looking around wildly, my eyes widened as I struggled to figure out where I was.

  This city was too big, too winding, but the pads of my feet still scraped against the pavement. Stumbling over a crack in the sidewalk, I flailed automatically only to lose sensations in my fingertips.

  My heart beat too fast, too hard, and blood couldn’t flow properly.

  “Oh no- no- no- no!” I’m lost… The urge to scream was overwhelming, and my vision blurred as I stared down at my shaking hands. In the quiet darkness of the city, my cries were loud and echoing. Turning my gaze to the huge buildings, I spun in frenzied circles trying to recognize anything.

  Anything that would lead me to Luciano’s little, one room apartment.

  Carrying me deeper into the city, my feet ached, and sweat trickled down the nape of my neck. Each street I turned to looked just like the last, and panic squeezed my lungs.

  The orange door. My wide eyes nearly boggled from their sockets as I stared across the small, full parking lot. The energy seeped from my body, and I fell to my knees in relief. Light streamed from the clouded windows, my own personal opening of the Heavens. A hymn floated down from the glass panes that had been flipped open, the grunts, groans, and smacks of punches being thrown.

  Tears streamed down my face, and shivers raked down my spine as I stared at the door. Under a faded, yellow light bulb it was the most glorious thing I’d ever seen.

  Stumbling towards the familiar hunk of metal, I struggled to breathe through the tightening of my throat. With each successful step the corners of my lips picked up higher until I finally wrapped my hands around the handle. Grunting with the effort it took my weakened body to push open the door, I squeezed my eyelids shut. A blast of heat wrapped around me, threatening to scorch my face as it dried the thick layers of sweat that coated my skin.

  Slowly I blinked, my muscles going rigid in preparation for what I’d see. Panting harshly, I trembled under the weight of a dozen pairs of eyes before falling back onto my butt. A hysteric giggle bubbled up from my throat, and I couldn’t control the harsh laughter that replaced my breaths.

  “What the fuck…?”

  I couldn’t breathe, my laughter growing in intensity until it was nothing more than noiseless wheezing. The confused murmurs that reached me became white static in the background of my mind, and I clutched my chest. Rocking back and forth, tears of relief, of happiness, trailed down my face to dangle off my chin.

  “Shit- she’s gunna suffocate herself… Sarah! Sarah- get some alcohol! What the fuck happened to your feet?” Dylan’s voice cut through my raging emotions, and I gasped for air to fill my starving lungs. Hard, unfamiliar hands ran down my legs, lifting my feet up off the floor and sending me onto my back. “Fuck- Aya, what the Hell… di
d you run here all by yourself?”

  “L- Luc-ciano-o…” Rasping, my weak voice scraped against the back of my throat. Staring at the ceiling, the beams were so high I couldn’t see them through my haze of tears.

  “Tell me what happened. Where’s Luciano, Aya?” I didn’t answer; I couldn’t bring myself to speak and stop my heaving, desperate breaths. “Shit… Just relax. I’m going to pour this on your feet- it’s gunna hurt.”

  “He’s not answering his cell phone, Dylan.” Blinking hard, my tears fell towards my ears before Sarah came into view. Her hands gently pushed away hair that stuck to my forehead, and for once I was glad to see her. Frown lines added to the light wrinkles on her face, concern raining down from her brown eyes.

  “Keep calling until he answers, baby.” Pulling the phone up to her ear, Sarah pursed her lips and thumbed my cheek. “It’s the adrenaline- she probably can’t feel much. That’s good.”

  “Aya, honey, where’s Luciano? Why are you alone?” My eyelids popped when Sarah said my name, her worry bleeding into her voice. For a moment I stared, trying to process her questions over the swell of fog that settled heavily on me.

  “D- don’t trust Sylvi… don’t trust Sylvi… No- no-” Shaking my head, I struggled to keep my eyes open. Running for so long made me numb, and I watched through blurring vision as Sarah hit a button on the phone before returning it to her ear.

  “Hey- hey… sh-h… stay awake. Stay awake so you can talk to Luciano when he picks up, Aya.” A hiccup jerked my chest, and I whimpered weakly while Sarah repeated her action a third time. The past few hours seemed to catch up to me- first the car ride, then the boutique, and Sylvi’s traitorous whispers. Running; I had run too hard, too far.

  But it was going to pay off. Now, I could get to Luciano. We could go to a place where Sylvi couldn’t reach us.

  “Luciano! Oh my God- you need to get to the gym right now! Aya- she ran all the way here. Her feet are mang-” Shooting up, my fingers scratched Sarah’s hand heavily before wrenching the phone away from her. Luciano’s gruff, hoarse voice boomed through the receiver, and my throat clogged with tears. Staring at the device as it shook from my trembling palm, I couldn’t hold my sobs back; I had no energy.

  I squeezed the bulky phone with white knuckles, my arm failing me to bring it to my chest.

  “Aya! Fanculo! Non piangere, mia Aya. Sto venendo per te.” Tires squealed in the background of the call, and harsh, rasping breaths scraped against my throat. The lump that had formed morphed into a cackling sound; it echoed around the room, distorting into something I didn’t recognize came from me.

  He’s coming… for me. For me… for me… for me.

  “Me- me- me… me… me… me…” My eyes widened, and I pulled the phone up to my face. “Me! Me! Sylvi- Sylvi lied! Liar! He’s a liar! Never- never- never! Luciano! Luciano, he-! He- I betrayed you! No! Never! Never, ever, ever!”

  Screaming into the phone, I choked on air before it suddenly sailed across the concrete floor. The device burst instantly, and I tensed from the deafening silence. It landed far, too far for me to see it properly even as I realized what had just happened.

  I lost him again. Luciano was gone.

  Luciano was gone.

  “No…” My jaw ached, and a strange sound tickled my ears. Reaching for the phone pieces, I struggled to kick my feet free even as more hands wrapped around my shoulders. “No! No! No!”

  “Get the fuck out of my way!” The roar bordered on inhuman, and I stilled completely as it rocked the concrete beneath me. Tearing my eyes off the phone, they ached taking in Luciano running at me. His soulful, blackened orbs were red rimmed, face contorted and muscles bunched up tightly. With each massive step he took the veins bulging from his arms and neck became more clear.

  “L- Luciano…” My crackling whisper made me wince, and Luciano dropped to his knees to pull me to him. Crushing me against his hard chest, he rocked back on his heels to draw me into his lap. Shell shocked, I didn’t even try to breathe as his warmth enveloped me in safety.

  “Aya.” Luciano’s hoarse groan was so pained it brought on fresh, heavy tears, and I gripped his bare sides. Anchoring my fingernails in his thick flesh, a cry tore from my depths, and against my chest his heart raced in tandem with my own.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  LUCIANO

  Staring, unblinking, at Aya’s prone form sprawled across my bed, I grated my raw knuckles together. My mind worked almost too fast, and I sucked in a sharp breath. She’d gone unconscious within seconds at the gym; whether from the adrenaline bottoming her out or my tight grip I wasn’t sure. I didn’t care.

  Something fucked up was going on; I wasn’t sure what, but I knew it had to stop before Aya fucking killed herself. Gnashing my teeth, I silently recounted this sick day; it didn’t seem like everything that had happened had in just 12 hours.

  “Fuck me…” Mumbling to myself, I reached to swipe my jaw with shaking fingers. Some crucial part in Aya’s mind had broken tonight. Digging in my pocket for my phone, I grimaced when the bright back light nearly blinded me. My studio apartment was dark, and I glanced over to make sure I hadn’t woken her before finding Tyler’s contact.

  “Luciano- Jesus Christ, did you find her yet?” Grunting absently, I listened to the shuffling on the other end of the line as my tongue failed me. “You need to listen to this. I put audio surveillance in Aya’s room like you asked. Here-”

  For a split second there was static, and I tensed as blood rushed against my ear drums.

  “Now, you’re here alone for the first time with me because Luciano decided you’re no longer worth his effort. He’s going to ignore you because you disgust him, just like that slut did- just like you did with Trevor. You need him, but he can’t even bring himself to look at you. You betrayed him, and this is the consequence.” When the recording stopped a writhing, angry black mass started to grow where my heart was.

  “Sylvi…” Hissing his name, I bolted to my feet to storm to the window. “I’m going to fucking kill him…”

  “Well don’t hang up yet. I also managed to rule out the Russians- Trevor worked with them, but they have no clue about Aya at all. Marco got the safe, and he’s on his way back now. You need to get back to the mansion.”

  Staring at my reflection, twisted in anger, I let out a hot breath as a tiny sliver of tension slipped from between my shoulder blades. The Russians were out- that only left the mystery party. Glancing over, I made sure Aya was still soundly asleep before leaving the window. The refrigerator hummed quietly, and I pulled open the door to grab a water bottle.

  “There’s one more thing, Luciano. I talked to a friend at a hospital. She said she wouldn’t mind coming to peek in Aya’s head. With everything that went on, and Dylan called me, I’m worried about you, fratello.” Pausing with my bottle at my lips, I squeezed my eyes shut as Tyler lowered his voice. “I know you, Luciano. You raped the sister, shot her in the face, to get back at that clerk for giving Aya a new fear of you. You comforted her when she fell in the shower and almost froze to death. Does she know you love her?”

  Pursing my lips together, I couldn’t bring myself to answer before Tyler sighed heavily.

  “Look, just get back, okay? Once we figure out what’s in the safe you c-” A sharp gasp from behind me stole my attention, and I whirled around to watch Aya kick out her feet. If she had been covered by a blanket I wouldn’t have noticed, and my phone fell to the floor. Through narrowed eyes she whimpered, a deep crease appearing between her slender brows.

  There was no warning, and my heart jumped into my throat when Aya shot up to curl around her knees. Her hands disappeared into her mass of wild, red hair, and I held my breath as my blood pounded against my ear drums. For a moment she was still, quiet, her breath coming in harsh, short pants that filled the room.

  “Luciano- Luciano… no- no- no…” Aya’s head whipped up, exposing her blown pupils and tear laden eyelashes. The sight of it weakened my knees, and her ho
arse whispers threatened to crush my heart. Climbing onto the bed, I pursed my lips together even as my fingers brushed her roughened cheek. More guilt poured into my belly when she jumped, a hiccup of a sob flying from her mouth.

  “Stop crying, Aya.” Mumbling softly, I cupped her face as she deflated like a balloon that hadn’t been tied. Her body folded in on itself, and I carefully wrapped my arms around her. Anxiety tingled my nerves, warning me not to touch her too hard or roughly.

  She would break like a china doll, shattering into a million irreparable pieces.

  “Why…? Why d- did you le- leave me? I’m-m-m sorry… I’m sorry. I’m sorry… Pe- Please don’t leav-v-ve me…” My breath caught in my throat at Aya’s broken, bubbling whisper. Sitting back, I pulled her frail, cold body into my lap to stroke her hair with trembling fingers. Twisting and churning, my gut sent sharp pains through my midsection, and my legs went numb.

  I can’t get rid of her if she’s like this. The thought swirled around inside my head, and part of me swelled at that knowledge. Aya was mine; I didn’t care if I ruined her chance to live a normal life because I could keep her. I wanted to keep her. Even if I never fucked her, if all she was good for was a body to drag around, that was enough for me.

  “It’s alright. Basta rilassarsi, mia Aya. Nessuno può farti del male più.” Soft, shivering lips met mine, and I stiffened, struggling to avoid crushing Aya a second time. Her kiss was gentle, tentative, but the longer she kept the contact the more firm she became. The words I’d just spoken disappeared from my mind, and I cupped the back of her head with a clammy palm. Groaning against my mouth, she wrapped her arms tightly around my neck as my body recovered from shock.