On shaky legs, I stood and lifted the hem of my hoodie along with the sleep shirt underneath. Keeping my gaze on the floor, I showed my cousin the scar that started on my lower stomach and circled around to my back. It was from the strap of Papa’s belt, and while it wasn’t the first scar he had inflicted upon me, it was the largest one. I couldn’t remember what had set him off, but I would never forget the look of pure hatred he’d had on his face, the blankness of his eyes as if he didn’t realize or care who he was hurting. There was a switch that Papa was able to flip, and he became another person, one who was incapable of feeling love or remorse.
“What happened here?” my cousin demanded as he touched his fingers to the raised flesh. Instinctually, I jerked away from his touch.
My body was so used to feeling pain when touched by a Vitucci man that my fight-or-flight sense was screaming at me to run, but Dante was there to catch and hold me. Having his arms around me eased the fear causing my heart to pound. I wanted nothing more than to hide behind him, but I knew I had to be strong. My cousin was not the same as my father. He would never hurt me.
“Who did this to you?” Cristiano half growled in a voice low and deadly.
“P-Papa,” I whispered but forced myself to meet his gaze. “It’s gone on for years. No one knew, not even Nona. He learned early on how to hurt without leaving a sign that wasn’t easily covered up. He got a lot of experience with my mother.”
Danger seemed to spark off Cristiano as he came closer, his fingers raised as if to touch my damaged skin once again. But at the last moment, Dante pulled me back, and Cristiano dropped his hand, only to ball it into a fist. “Gio did that?” I nodded, unsure if he was really speaking to me or to himself. “Why didn’t you tell me, Allegra? I could have stopped him.”
I wanted to laugh at the question. Tell someone? He had no idea just how desperate I’d been to speak up, but fear was a powerful force. “Papa warned me not to tell anyone. He always said no one would believe me, and even if they did, he would kill me… Just like he did Mamma.”
“And Nona didn’t know?” he gritted out between clenched teeth.
I grimaced. “I don’t think she did, because she’s never said anything over the years. And if she did, she wouldn’t have let it continue for so long.”
His brown eyes met Dante’s darker ones over my head. “How long have you known?”
“I suspected for a while, but I found out for sure while the twins were living with him in Sicily. Why do you think I visited so often? I wanted to protect her.” His hold on me tightened but quickly eased before it could begin to feel uncomfortable. “Then I realized I was probably doing more harm than good and tried to stay away. He would take his hate for me out on her.”
“Goddamn it,” Cristiano growled and turned away. His back muscles tightened a little more with each harsh inhale he took. “That dirty fucking bastard. No man should ever put his hands on a woman, but to do so to someone so small and precious—” He broke off and punched his fist into the wall beside him.
I flinched at the sound of the distressed wood protesting under the physical assault, and I pressed into Dante’s warmth, trying to absorb his strength. With him holding me like this, I wasn’t scared, but he couldn’t save me from the memories.
The nightmares.
“You’re scaring her,” Dante warned in a low voice. “Calm your ass down and focus on what she’s telling you, Cristiano. Anya told you he came to her to put a hit out on me. Do you still think that’s a lie?”
My eyes closed as sickness roiled in my stomach. A hit? My father had tried to pay Anya to kill the man who meant everything to me?
It didn’t surprise me, but just the thought of someone killing Dante, and Papa being behind the whole thing, terrified me. I knew he could do it, had the money and resources to accomplish it, and that was what scared me the most.
My cousin’s shoulders tensed as he slowly turned to face us. Regret flashed in his eyes before he masked it, making his expression completely blank. Like this, he reminded me so much of his father; the power emanating from him was so strong I could nearly taste it.
“He hates you that much? Surely, the stories aren’t true…” He broke off when I felt Dante go statue-still behind me. Lips twisting in disgust, Cristiano nodded. “Right. If he can hurt his own daughter like that, then I believe he would turn against my father without batting an eye. I won’t underestimate him again.”
“I’m taking Allegra back to Chicago. I have a place we can lay low for a little while. Once I know she will be okay, I’ll be back to finish this.”
I snapped my head up. “You’re going to leave me there?”
The hard look in his eyes softened. Catching hold of my hand, he lifted it to his lips and pressed a kiss to my knuckles. “Don’t worry, Allegra baby. I’ll be back for you in no time.”
A hundred questions ricocheted through my head, but I kept silent. I trusted Dante, with my life and my heart. He was only doing what he thought was best for me, and while I only ever wanted to be beside him, we had to be extra careful right now. My father was unpredictable.
Urging me to retake my seat, Dante took the food out of the microwave and started dividing up the contents of the containers. He set a plate in front of me, but I still had zero appetite.
Cristiano and Anya took the other chairs at the table, snacking on the leftovers. Whenever Dante wasn’t looking my way, I would put a little of my food onto my cousin’s plate. No one but Anya seemed to notice because the men just continued to discuss the plans for while Dante was away. It seemed everything had changed now that Cristiano knew the truth about Papa.
“Don’t do anything until I get back,” Dante counseled. “Between Fontana, Junior, and now Gio all against us, you have to watch your back. Don’t take chances without some backup.”
“He has backup,” Anya assured him as she lifted a cabbage roll with her fingers and took a bite. “I might want to kill him myself more often than not, but I will always have his back.”
“Neither of you knows Gio like I do,” he argued. “Don’t do anything where he’s concerned until I get back.”
“And how long will that be?” Cristiano asked, sounding and looking bored. “A few days? Weeks? Months? I’m already disliking this hiding bullshit, fratello. I don’t hide from my enemies. I destroy them.”
“Give me two weeks. Just promise me you won’t take care of Gio until I’m back.”
The two men stared each other down for a long moment. As I watched them, I could almost see the wheels in both their heads turning, as if they were having a mental conversation with each other.
Exhaling a harsh sigh, Cristiano gave in with a nod. “I vow not to touch my uncle. That oath does not extend to Junior and Fontana, though.”
“I’ll take that much,” Dante said with a satisfied grin teasing at his lips. His gaze turned to me and dropped to my now mostly empty plate. “Are you done? I’d like to get going soon. We’ll have to change cars halfway there.”
“I would like to use the bathroom before we go.”
Anya pushed her empty dish toward Cristiano and stood. “Come. I’ll show you where you can freshen up while these two clean up the mess.”
I followed after her hesitantly. I liked Anya, but honestly, she scared me. There was something about her that pushed the blaringly red button that screamed danger whenever she was near. At the same time, I was kind of jealous of her too. Her confidence, her strength, were both things I didn’t possess. Papa had effectively beaten those out of me, and I wished I could be more like Anya.
She showed me the bathroom, but before I could step into the tiny room, she stopped me. “I’m sorry about what you’ve had to put up with from your father. If I’d known he had done such things to you, I would have killed him the moment he tried to hire me for the hit.”
I was clueless how to respond to that last part, so I ignored it. “You couldn’t have known, Anya.”
/> “You were very good at hiding it. Normally, I can sense these kinds of things.”
That had me lifting my brows. “How?”
Her blue gaze drifted over my head, her mind lost in thought for a moment before she shrugged. “I’ve had some experience with child abuse victims.”
“Y-you?” I wasn’t sure I could believe that Anya had ever been the victim of abuse. Nothing about her would convince me she had ever been a victim of any kind. But then again, maybe that was why she was so hard now, so emotionless at times.
She shook her head. “No. My brother would have killed anyone who ever dared lay a finger on me when we were kids. My experience is from clients, mostly. I do a little pro bono work from time to time.”
The fact that she was admitting to me she was an assassin blew my mind, but at the same time, I felt like we were bonding in some warped kind of way. It didn’t lessen any of the fear I felt for her, but it did make me respect her that much more. Boldly, I touched her arm. “You’re a good person, Anya. I’m glad my cousin has you watching his back.”
“He’s a pain in the ass, but he’s my pain in the ass.” She smirked as she stepped back. “You should hurry in there. Dante doesn’t seem like the most patient man right now.”
That was where she was wrong, I thought as I closed the door of the smallest bathroom I had ever seen. Dante De Stefano was the most patient man I had ever met. In the months he was courting me, trying to convince me to marry him, he could have so easily seduced me. Instead, he won me over with chaste kisses and the most innocent yet maddening caresses, determined not to rush me into a physical relationship.
His patience had nearly been the death of me. I was dying for so, so much more with him.
Chapter 6
Scarlett
The need to pee woke me from a fitful sleep. Opening my eyes, I frowned when I realized where I was. Damn it. I’d hoped it was all just a really bad dream, but the reality of everything crashed down on me like a ton of bricks.
Tears instantly sprang to my eyes, but I blinked them back. I wasn’t going to cry. Not now. I had stuff that needed my attention, and with Papa still too distraught to deal with anything but his loss, it fell on me to take care of everything. I would mourn the loss of my brother and dear friend once everything was sorted.
Ciro shifted, and my heart melted a little at how vulnerable he looked in sleep. The grief of losing his closest friends showed in every line on his face. A sharp pain to my bladder had me easing out of bed, careful not to wake him as I went to use the bathroom.
He was still asleep when I came out, and I quietly left the bedroom.
I didn’t need to stop at her bedroom to know she wasn’t there. I could feel her in my bones as I eased open Cristiano’s door and padded softly to the huge bed in the center of the room. Victoria was lying on her side, our brother’s pillow clutched to her chest as she wept.
Tears pricked my eyes yet again as I crawled in beside my twin. Taking the pillow from her, I pulled her close. One arm wrapped around me, and we pulled each other as close as my pregnant belly would allow. I kissed the top of her head as she sobbed silently into my chest.
There was no need for words. We both knew what the other was thinking. The loss was weighing me down, making it nearly impossible to breathe, but with her right there holding me, it made it a little easier. I clenched my eyes closed, wishing the entire day away.
It never happened. It never happened. It never happened.
Sometime around dawn, I finally fell asleep, only to be woken almost immediately by my twin.
“Scarlett,” she hissed. “Scar, wake up.”
I groaned and opened an eye to glare at her. “What is it?” I hissed back, wondering vaguely why we were whispering. “Allie’s gone.”
That had me shooting upright in bed, my heart racing. “What? How do you know she’s gone?”
Victoria tossed something beside me. “I went to check on her, and she wasn’t in her room. I went downstairs to see if she was in the kitchen, but I can’t find her anywhere. Her covers were rumpled, and some of her clothes are missing. I think she ran away.”
I reached for the piece of paper and what looked like my cousin’s diary that my twin had tossed on the bed. I scanned my eyes over the note, my stomach tightening into huge knots as I read and reread the words on the page.
If something happens to me, it was Papa. Don’t trust him. Ever.
The words didn’t make sense to me. Don’t trust Gio? I never really had, not after what Dante had told me about my uncle. Then the way Gio had tried to argue with me earlier about taking care of business for Papa had sent up red flags all over the place. As soon as I was alone with Ciro, I’d told him we needed to keep a closer eye on my uncle. Ciro hadn’t understood, and I had just put it down to paranoia after the day’s events.
But I’d always thought Allegra adored her father. Why would she tell us not to trust him?
Grabbing the diary, I got out of bed. Victoria followed me back to Allegra’s room. As she had said, the covers were rumpled but tossed back like Allegra left it in a hurry. Crossing to the closet, I saw several hangers lying haphazardly on the floor and gaping holes in between clothes where items were missing. Allegra liked everything to be neat and tidy; everything had its place in her closet. She wouldn’t have left this mess willingly.
Unless she was in a hurry to get away.
A kick had me touching my stomach where a little foot had just protested the sudden change in my heart rate. I sucked in deep breaths, one after another, in an attempt to calm the baby only to stop breathing completely when a faint but familiar scent filled my nose.
Dante’s cologne.
I sniffed again, moving around the walk-in closet until I found where the scent was the strongest.
“What’s wrong?” Victoria asked from the door.
“Get Adrian and Ciro, but don’t tell them what’s going on,” I commanded. “I don’t want anyone but the four of us knowing she’s gone.”
She rushed off to get the men, and I turned back to where I smelled Dante’s scent the clearest. Heart pounding, I searched under a small stack of folded clothes and had to bite back a sob of relief when I found the tiny piece of paper.
I have her. She’s safe. Don’t trust Gio. Don’t turn your back on him even for a second. Stay safe, my friend. D.
I heard the rumbling voice of my husband demanding to know what was going on, and I hastily balled the piece of paper up in my fist. I didn’t know why I wanted to keep this a secret from my twin, but something was screaming at me not to tell Victoria. Not yet. If Dante was alive, then there was a chance Cristiano was too.
But there was also a chance he wasn’t.
Someone’s body was lying in the morgue right now. Albeit in mostly disintegrated pieces, but nonetheless, there was still someone there. With Cristiano’s ring.
I didn’t want to get her hopes up.
Turning away from the closet just as the others were walking into the room, I made my face completely neutral. “What’s going on, vita mia?”
“Allegra ran away,” I told him in a quiet, calm voice.
His eyes widened, and a hundred different questions flashed through his eyes. I lowered my lashes, letting him know I would explain everything later, but for now, we had to have a plan. He schooled his features, crossing his arms over his chest. “Why would she run away?”
I took the note Allegra had left and handed it to him. “She’s scared of what her father might do to her, I think. She’s warned us not to trust him.”
“Gio?” he asked skeptically.
“I told you yesterday I thought he was acting shady,” I reminded him.
“And I told you I thought it was just the chaos of the day making you overly sensitive to everyone.” But there was doubt in his voice now.
“What’s that in your hand?” Adrian asked, turning his attention from looking around the room for clues as t
o what was going on.
I tightened my hold on the little book. “It’s her diary.”
“Should we read it?” Victoria held out her hand for it, and I handed it over. Flipping it open, she skimmed her eyes over the first few pages, taking it all in that quickly. “The first entry was six months ago.” Her eyes widened as she kept reading, her face darkening as she whispered, “Oh my God!”
“What?” the three of us demanded at the same time, and I moved so I was reading over her shoulder.
“He beat her.” She flipped through a handful of pages. “Oh God, I might be sick.”
I read the top of the page. The entry was dated the day my sister and I had left Sicily and returned to New York five months earlier. Nausea rolled in my stomach as I read how much pain she was in after her father had come to her room and beat her.
“How did we not know about this?” Victoria whispered in sickened horror. “How did he do these things to her and we didn’t even suspect?”
“Kotyonok, I’m a patient man. But if you don’t tell me what has put that expression on your face right now, I may explode and go kill this uncle of yours just for making you look like this.”
I snatched the diary away and closed it quickly before tucking it under my arm. “You shouldn’t read this right now. It’s only going to upset you, and I need you calm right now.”
“Scarlett, he beat her so badly she couldn’t walk the next day,” she gritted out. “He hurt her over and over again. While we were living with them. How… Oh God, how did we not see this?”
“I don’t know, Tor.” I was totally disgusted with myself for not having suspected even a little bit. Allegra hadn’t given me so much as a clue, but she must have been terrified of her father on a daily basis.
Rage like I had never experienced before began to hum in my veins, and for once, the twins in my belly didn’t give an angry kick in protest at the alteration in my heartbeat. Gio was a monster, hurting his daughter much like Junior had hurt me when he’d kidnapped me all those months ago. Only, what had happened to me once, had been happening to my sweet, precious cousin for who the fuck knew how long.