I tucked the key into my pocket and reburied Cillian. After a while, I found a groove with the shovel, blocking out the fact I’d made a horrible mistake to save a girl. At least she was leaving town. I hoped she would never return, never tempt me again. I couldn’t afford any weaknesses in my line of work.
I took one last look at Cillian’s grave, then threw the shovels in the trunk, and stripped off my suit jacket. Rhi rested her head against the window, eyes closed. It had taken me longer than I had expected, and it was well after midnight.
I stripped down to my boxers and changed into a new suit. When I finished, I slid into the driver’s seat and closed the door.
Rhi sat up and leaned back against the headrest. “Is it done?”
I nodded. “Promise me one thing, Rhi.”
Her pretty pink lips parted. “I won’t tell anyone.”
“That’s not what I want from you.”
She raised a curious eyebrow. “Then what do you want?”
“Don’t come back. I mean it. I want you to take the money Sonny gave you and start a new life. Open a tattoo studio far away from here. Live the life I would have given you if things were different.”
A single tear fell from her eyes. “But…”
“Not buts, Rhi. You deserve better. Please, just go. I would leave if I could, but my family needs me.”
“I need you,” she breathed. “Come with me.”
I shook my head. “I can’t be what you need. If anything were to happen to Luca, I would have to step into his role.”
She bit the inside of her cheek. “You would have to marry his girlfriend?”
“Yes. My father made a deal with The Founders Society. We’ll lose our standing if a Salvatore doesn’t produce an heir with a Wellington.”
“That’s why you’ve always watched Alexandrea,” she guessed.
“Yes. She’s important to my family.”
“I thought it was because you were in love with her.”
“No.”
It was the truth. Luca’s girlfriend was gorgeous, but my fascination with her never extended past her beauty. She was the future Queen of The Devil’s Knights, which left me in charge of her security. Besides, she was in love with my brother. Even though they’d never confessed their feelings for one another, I knew they would end up together. Alex was never an option, not unless Luca was six feet under.
She leaned over the center console and kissed my cheek, placing her hand on my thigh. “Thank you for everything, Marcello. I’m going to miss you.”
I clutched her chin and kissed her lips. “Goodbye, princess.”
Part Two
Five years later
Chapter Eleven
Rhiannon
I made it five long years away from this nightmare town before my father summoned me. I should have known it was too good to be true. Sonny’s money paid for my nomadic lifestyle while I traveled around Europe. For the first time in my life, I finally felt free. Like I could make my own decisions and pursue my dreams.
I was in Madrid when my father’s goons found me. The surly Irishmen cornered me outside of the tattoo studio where I worked. I was finally earning real money from my art. It was too good to be true. I was naive to think I would ever be truly free from my dad. His men forced me into their car. They didn’t even let me pack my bags before they whisked me to the airport.
With Sully’s hand on my shoulder, he led me into the house, as if he were afraid I would slip from his grasp. I tried to fight them back in Spain. Even bit Michael in an attempt to get off the private jet. But my efforts were pointless, and now that I was home, I would pay for fighting them.
“Bring her in here,” Dad yelled from the main hallway.
He sounded super pumped to see me, annoyed at my existence. When we entered his office, my skin pebbled with tiny bumps. Fear rolled down my arms in hot waves as our eyes met. My father was dangerous, even to me. I’d anticipated his wrath the entire ride home, wondering how he would hurt me most.
Technically, I hadn’t done anything wrong. I was an adult and in charge of my own decisions. Maybe I should have told him I was running away from Beacon Bay or at least left a note. Instead, I packed the bare minimum and with Sonny’s help, I fled the country like a fugitive.
Dad sat behind an enormous mahogany desk. He rested his muscular, tattoo covered arms on a high-back leather chair that made his huge body seem even more prominent.
Pointing his finger at one of the chairs across from his desk, he yelled, “Sit. We have business to discuss.”
I plopped into a chair and crossed my legs to still my trembling limbs. An awkward silence filled the room for a moment. The eerie stillness freaked me out. I was used to the constant hustle and bustle from my apartment in Madrid, and I missed it already.