She steps out of the vehicle, and I follow her inside. Olivia heads straight up to her room. “Can I get you anything?” I offer.
Just as she reaches the top of the landing, she spins around to face me. One hand on the banister, the other pointing at my chest. “There’s nothing I could ever want from you.”
“I never meant to hurt you,” I say. It’s probably the worst apology, but it’s true. My intent wasn’t to hurt her or her family.
“You know what, Jace? Luka was right.”
My mouth is parched. I’m afraid to ask where she’s going with her line of thinking. It’s dangerous.
Lethal.
While I’d never hurt her, I can’t say the same about him.
“He said I should keep the baby, that only then you’d know it was like to lose your own flesh and blood, your only child.”
He wanted Olivia to hurt me. I’d expect nothing less. I destroyed two families that day: Luka’s and Olivia’s.
Luka’s father had been the mission, destroying one don to disrupt the empire, and the hope was that the two families might merge, again, under new leadership.
That was wishful thinking. It was foolish to believe Luka would accept his father’s death without retaliation.
“In case you’ve forgotten, Luka is the monster.”
“From where I’m standing, you look like one as well.”
She spins on her heels and heads for her bedroom.
I follow close behind. There’s so much that she doesn’t know about our feuding families. My role in this wasn’t by choice. It was out of necessity.
“The Caruso’s are violent psychopaths,” I say, chasing after Olivia. I follow her into her bedroom and slam the door shut abruptly behind me.
She jumps.
Did she not realize I was on her heel, following her?
“Well, you’re a murderer,” she says pointedly.
Even as she voices the words, she doesn’t look the least bit afraid of me. Is she hiding her fear? Or does she realize that some men are worse than others?
“I only did what was in the best interest of the family and the city,” I say.
I take her hand and lead her into the bathroom, slamming the door shut. I flip the fan and turn on the shower.
“I’m not showering with you, Jace.” She folds her arms across her chest.
“You don’t have to. Strip. I need to see that you’re not wearing a wire. Then, I’ll tell you everything.”
She grumbles and slowly strips out of her clothes. It’s not the easiest of tasks. She leaves her underwear and bra on. “Happy?”
“Nothing about this makes me happy,” I say. I gesture for her to turn around so that I can inspect every inch of her.
She rolls her eyes, turns to show me she’s not wearing a wire. There’s nothing attached to her undergarments.
“Spill it,” she demands.
There’s no backing out. She deserves the truth and to hear it from me.
“Luka’s men are dangerous. They threaten women, children, anyone who they deem beneath them. You’ve seen firsthand how Luka treats a grieving widow,” I say, reminding her of what she endured at his hands.