Turning on his computer, he searched the Internet, putting in the name that called to him. When an image of her popped up, his heart began to hum in his chest. It was a picture of a much younger her; the scars much fresher, bright red and unlike the faint pink he had seen today. To put it simply, they looked gruesome on her perfect porcelain face.
Zooming in, he gripped the mouse tighter, seething with pure anger. He knew all too well they were caused by a knife. The cuts were clean and precise, at a calculated depth to cause immense pain in those sensitive areas, and to scar her for life.
Whoever the fuck touched her better be dead.
Going back to the search, he looked for who had marked her, but the only thing that came up was a car wreck from three years ago. Reading the old newspaper article, he found out that her father, Maxwell Masters, was the one behind the wheel that night, and that her scars were blamed on the windshield glass breaking and hitting her in the face. Bullshit.
Lucca went back to the photo of Chloe, now zooming out to reveal her father getting sworn in as the mayor of Kansas City, Missouri. Not a single scratch was on him, confirming what he already knew.
The thirst for blood now coursed through his veins. He was going to do anything and everything to find out what had happened to her. Anyone who had anything to do with it would be buried six feet under by the time he was done.
Looking at her bitch of a father and mother, he had a feeling the list was going to be quite long. They will all die.
He went back to his search of her, wanting to learn everything he could.
Seeing a much more recent picture of her at some function, he stared at the image, his heart humming even louder, somewhat satiating his blood thirst. Fuck, he wanted her more than he had wanted to be made or become the underboss.
His gut twisted at thinking about how long he was going to have to wait for her to become eighteen. He wasn’t sure how he was going to keep himself from taking her, unused to these strong feelings. Her tortured eyes seemed to be screaming at him to save her, only making his urges worse.
Putting a cigarette to his lips, he flipped open the lid to his cold, metal lighter before burning the end and taking a long drag.
Smoking always gave him something to do and focus on when his sick, twisted urges came upon him. He only hoped it was going to help him stay away from Chloe as well.
Flipping the lid close, he placed his Zippo back on his desk before looking at the recent picture of her once more.
One single thought entered his mind.
Mine.
Two
If Salvation Is What You Seek, Violence Is Not the Answer
Lucca waited in the tiny, dark room, wondering why his feet brought him here in the first place. The only times he had come here were when he thought about his mother. However, not since his mother had died had he ever sought penance. Penance was for those seeking absolution. He wasn’t that type of man. Lucca only sought retribution.
A swiping noise had him lifting his eyes to the intricate window where hardly any light filtered through. He could see the shadow of the older man on the other side of the wall.
The thought of leaving entered his mind, but instead, words came out like it had been just yesterday since he had last spoken them. “Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned. It has been a long time since my last confession.”
As Lucca sat there quietly, unable to find words past that, the figure behind the wall said, “Yes, my son?”
“My mother used to make me come here to confess when I was younger, but when I joined the family, she couldn’t get me here anymore. I still remember the day I joined. She begged and pleaded with me to come here. I told her there was no saving me after what I did.
“She used to joke, saying there was a demon inside of me. That was the day she realized there really was. I’ll never forget the look in her eyes when she saw me for who I really am, when she saw nothing but pure evil.” Lucca paused for a brief moment. “Still, somehow, even up until she was murdered, she believed there was a way to save me, that somehow I could still seek salvation after all I’ve done.”
“Is that what you’re here for now? To find salvation?” The knowing voice filled the space between them.
Gray eyes stared back at him in his mind. “Yes.”
“Then you must repent, my son.”