A sarcastic laugh burst from me before I could stop it. "Yes, she does."
His expression was solemn. "Those men, Veda. They did...unimaginable things to her."
That's where he was wrong. I could imagine. Clearly. I wondered how my mother would feel if I showed her my own scar? It seemed to be Mario's calling card. I couldn't help but feel glad mine wasn't on my face.
"We both tried to fight," he went on. "Your mother"—an expression of pride flashed across his beaten face—"she was more than they bargained for. But in the end, there was nothing we could do." His shoulders began to shake with silent sobs, and I took his hand. I'd never understand what it was he saw in a woman like my mother, but he truly loved her. As did I. Just like I'd loved my sister. After all, she was still my blood.
"One of them pulled out a gun, and I had no choice but to watch as they...they...my god, Veda." His voice broke. "They raped her. Right in front of me. They beat her to a pulp, and they raped her. There was nothing I could do." He lost it then. Great, heaving sobs making him crumple where he stood.
I reached for him and, closing my eyes, I wrapped my arms around as much of him as I could, holding him upright. When I opened them, over his shoulder, I met icy blue eyes.
"They would've had to shoot me," Luca said in a deadly voice, "if it were us in that situation. It's the only way any of them would've laid a finger on you."
I held his gaze with tear-filled eyes as Dad, realizing someone else was here, straightened and wiped at his face. "That's because you're just as fucked up as they are," I told him.
"Veda," my father admonished. "This man was kind enough to bring us here, where we would be safe until we can figure out what to do."
"This man is the reason you're here, Dad. Not me. Don't let him shame you because you're not a cold-blooded killer."
Luca smiled, but there was no kindness there.
"And I'm taking my parents out of here," I told him. "Right now."
"And where are you going to go?"
"Anywhere but here," I said.
We stood at a standoff until my dad interrupted our staring contest. "Veda, I don't think we should move your mother. The ride here from the hospital was hard on her. She needs to rest. To heal."
"She can heal when we get somewhere else." I tried to make him understand. "It's not safe here, Dad, despite whatever bullshit he's been telling you." My eyes flicked to Luca, who still stood in the middle of the hall, watching us, watching me, and then back to my father. "Did he tell you it was his brother who did this to you? Did he tell you why?"
"We don't know that for sure," Luca hedged.
But he was lying. I stepped around my father to face him head on. "Are you being serious right now?" I asked. "Who the hell else would it have been?"
He didn't respond.
I grabbed my father's arm to take him back into the room to get their things. "Come on, Dad. We have to get out of here. Can mom walk?" I pointed at Luca. "And you're not going to stop us."
But Dad pulled away and threw up his hands. "Veda, honey, we can't go with you. I know it was the man who was engaged to your sister who did this to us. Well, not him, but his goons. They didn't admit it outright, but I know. What I don't know is why they did this, and honestly, right now, I don't care. All I care about is having somewhere safe for your mother and I to heal. And your friend here—"
"He's not my friend." I didn't know what he was, but a "friend" certainly wasn't it.
"And Luca," he emphasized his name, "took us in and offered us shelter." He paused, waiting for me to meet his eyes. "I'm not blind, Veda. I know what kind of man he is. And that's exactly why I think this is the safest place for us. And why you should stay here, too. With us."
I stared up at him in disbelief. "Dad, that man kept me prisoner here."
My father frowned. "That's not what you told us. You told us you were a guest here. To keep you safe."
"I lied. So you wouldn't worry. He's not witness protection, Dad."
"No," he said after a pause. "He's not. And that's why I know this is the safest place we can be."
I could tell by the stubborn tilt of his chin that I wasn't going to get my way with this. "I can't stay here," I whispered. "We can't stay here." Not because it wasn't safe for them. Because it wasn't safe for me. "Daddy, please come with me. We can go back to the hospital. We can tell the police everything and they can have guards there." Sammy was right. I should've gone to the cops as soon as I was able. I didn't even care that Luca could hear me.
"They did have guards there," my father informed me. "And Luca's men got into your mother's room anyway. Took us from right under their noses. I hate to think what would've happened if I hadn't been there and it wasn't Luca's men who came for us."
Son of a bitch.