She nods. “Yes. And there was no one to stand between my father and me, no one to defend me. Angelica would never let my father marry me off to a Frangione, not without a fight. She got into plenty of them. She’s strong, and I’m …”
“You’re enough, Bianca.” I can’t seem to stop myself from taking her hand in mine. “Don’t doubt yourself because you’re different from your sister. Difference isn’t the same as weakness.”
When she beams at me, my cold heart does a stutter step, and I have to keep my eyes on the road so I don’t do anything stupid. Anything like—like kissing her. Because damn do I want to take her mouth, to feel how soft she is, to taste her tongue and more. So much more. Because I’m a beast, and this innocent soul beside me is a lure I can’t seem to resist. She’s like a bit of shiny perfection, and I’m a crow who can’t look at anything else.
“I like the way you think, Fernando.” She squeezes my fingers. “You’re a very positive person.”
That finally draws a laugh from me, the sound rusty from disuse.
“What?” Her eyebrows pop up as I turn onto the lane that leads to the house.
“I just don’t think anyone has ever referred to me as ‘positive’ before.”
“Never?”
“Never. No. I’m anything but.”
“I don’t think that’s true. I think there’s a whole lot more to you than what other people say. And maybe I can see you better than most.”
If that’s true, then I’m fucked. Because I’m as rotten as they come. If Bianca knew my real line of work, she’d promptly take to her heels and run far, far away from me. My real name may be Fernando, but my real calling is the Butcher. I hurt bad men for sport, and I enjoy it. I’m not the sort of person Bianca should ever associate with. All the same, I don’t seem to be letting go of her hand.
In fact, I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to let her go, and isn’t that a fucking kick in the nuts?
6
BIANCA
“Is it okay if I name them?” I ask Fernando, who is sitting on the sofa watching me play with the kittens. He helped me barricade an area for them so that they had more room to play without us having to worry about losing them.
“If you want.” Fernando has been a bit quiet since we got back. I think my whole marriage idea might have shifted something. I can’t help but wonder what kind of girl he would be into.
He’s a man of few words, so he really doesn’t give much away about what he likes or dislikes. He’s a big man, so I’m sure he’d want a girl with more curves. I have some, but they’re nothing in comparison to Angelica. Father always called her chubby, but I didn’t see it that way. I wished my clothes fit me the way hers hugged her.
“Maybe I shouldn’t name them.” One of the kittens chases the mouse on the end of the string as I move it across the floor. The other two kittens are feeding from their mama.
“Why not?” he grunts.
“I’ll get attached.”
“You don’t want to get attached?”
“It’s better not to. It hurts less when someone takes it from you, and it always gets taken or worse, used against you.” That’s been the story my entire life growing up in the Larone family.
“They are your kittens. No one will take them from you.” His tone is hard, daring someone to challenge him on this.
I peek up to see him standing with his arms folded over his chest now. He looks so serious, as if he's going to stand guard to protect against anyone who might dare to enter and try to take them.
“You’re adorable.” I laugh.
“Adorable?” His expression turns to one of confusion, which only makes it more true.
“When it’s time for me to go, I can’t take them with me. Even if my new husband okayed it, I bet he’d somehow use them as a tool against me. I don’t want them in any danger.” I jump to my feet. “Maybe you could take them to my sister?” I know she’ll keep them out of harm's way.
“I’m not taking them anywhere. They’re your kittens. Name them.”
“Is that an order?” I fight a smile, but I’m sure I’m losing.
“It is.”
“Okay, good because I already picked out names!” I clap excitedly. “Since they’re all girls, I was thinking Patria, Minerva, and María.”
“The Mirabal sisters.”
“You know their story?”
He nods. “I’m a bit surprised you do. It’s my understanding your father didn’t allow you to go to school.” He’s definitely done his homework on me.
“He didn’t, but Angelica and I would read anything we could get our hands on. They were brave. Together they fought for what was right against a dictatorship even knowing they could die.”