Her voice trails off and I wonder if there was more her stepfather did to her that she doesn’t want to talk about.
“Sometimes people can’t see the truth when they’re in love.”
“Yes. And that applies to me too. I followed in my mother’s footsteps when it came to Hunter. I guess maybe now I finally understand. She couldn’t see my stepfather for what he was and I couldn’t see behind the mask Hunter showed me. At least, thanks to you guys, I’m not dead.”
I rest my hand on top of hers. “I think the situation with Hunter was different for you because you knew him back in high school. We don’t expect people like that to screw with us.”
“No, we don’t.” A faraway look comes into her eyes. “Everything still hurts, Levi. Time has passed and life has moved on, but I’m still in pain.”
“Because you haven’t had closure.”
“No, I haven’t. Even if I do get that, I’m not sure the pain will go away.”
“It lessons, but you never really get over things like that.”
She studies my face. “You sound like your speaking from experience.”
“I am.”
“What happened to you?”
“When I was twelve, I watched my grandparents get killed. We were attacked on the beach in Sicily.”
She sucks in a sharp breath. “Oh my God, Levi, that’s awful.”
“It was horrific. My grandfather just managed to get me to safety with my older cousin. We escaped on a motorcycle. I remember him getting shot and screaming for us to keep going. We did. Sometimes I regret that. At other times I remember how much my grandfather loved us and would have hated himself if he’d died knowing we did too.”
“I think he would have. Were the killers ever found?”
I look away for a moment. Every time I tell this story, it hits me hard. Looking back at her, I reaffirm my thoughts on what I did during that time. “Yes. Years later, I found out it was my uncle who arranged it all.” Those skills of mine revealed things I never thought possible about a man I trusted.
Her skin pales. “Your uncle?”
“Yes. My dear uncle found out my grandfather had discovered his shady dealings and wrote him out of his will. The massacre was the only way he could have any claim to the family inheritance.”
“That’s beyond evil. He killed his parents.”
“And countless others.” Many of my cousins died that day and I could have died too.
“What happened to him?”
“I killed him.” I say that with the same lack of emotion I felt when I shot my uncle in the head. That was mere moments after I ran my car into him. The bullet to the head was to ensure his death.
My grandparents were more like parents to me than my own. So my uncle was mine to kill. Especially since I knew my father wouldn’t do it. My uncle was an asset to him who brought in all sorts of money that nearly rivaled the Riveras. Knowing the kind of bastard my father is, he would have found some excuse to keep my uncle alive. That’s why I took matters into my own hands and ensured the rest of the family knew about his treachery so I wouldn’t be punished for my actions.
I expected Megan to be fazed by my words, but she isn’t. There’s no ounce of judgment in her eyes. Instead, I see compassion and understanding.
“Did you feel better? People say revenge isn’t real justice, but I don’t know if I believe that. My mother was my everything. She was both mother and father to me. I… never knew my birth father. I watched her drop dead in front of me and my world ended. I knew even as I watched her die that my stepfather did something to her.”
Her words seep into my heart and I find myself vowing to do all I can to make up for her loss.
“I promise you I won’t stop looking for him.”
The light comes back to her eyes. “I can’t thank you enough.”
“Come here.” I take her hand and pull her onto my lap. We fall into a longing kiss and as my cock hardens, I just want to get lost in her.
“I need you,” she whispers against my lips.
“Then I’m all yours.”