Total pages in book: 161
Estimated words: 151410 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 757(@200wpm)___ 606(@250wpm)___ 505(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 151410 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 757(@200wpm)___ 606(@250wpm)___ 505(@300wpm)
I leaned back in the chair I’d been occupying for almost an hour while pondering my next move. “What’s wrong?”
Dad pulled up a chair in front of me. “Fabi informed me that Aurora has asked to spend the summer in New York, possibly even longer. My instincts tell me this has something to do with you. Tell me I’m wrong.”
I forced down the flood of emotion his words caused in me. Dad was watching me closely, fury swirling in his eyes. I’d thought Aurora’s mention of New York had been an empty threat to get my attention, but apparently, I was wrong.
“Are you listening to a fucking word I just said? Tell me I’m wrong, and this has nothing to do with you.”
“Why does it have to be me?”
“Because Alessio and Massimo have too much common sense to mess with Fabi’s daughter.”
I almost mentioned Massimo’s interest in Carlotta but gritted my teeth instead. I simply returned Dad’s gaze. Anything I said would only make the situation worse, and it was already fucking bad.
Dad grabbed my shirt and jerked me closer to him, causing my bandaged arm to bang against the armrest. I hissed through my teeth.
Nino cleared his throat. “His ulna is broken.”
“He can stand the pain,” Dad said. He was pissed, really pissed, and I doubted he really knew what had happened, or he would have broken my wrist and every finger too.
I grinned. “I get off on it like you, Dad.”
“Careful.”
“Did Aurora break your ulna?” Nino asked calmly as if the situation wasn’t about to detonate. Considering how pissed both Alessio and Massimo were, I was surprised they hadn’t run to their dad and snitched on me.
“You think she could?”
“If you mean mentally? Most people are capable of violence if given the right incentive, and you’re very adept at bringing people to the brink. From a physical standpoint, she obviously wouldn’t stand a chance against you, but in the right situation, Kiara could injure me.”
I didn’t like the comparison. It lacked a comparable basis, which was really not Nino’s style.
“You would die before you’d ever hurt Kiara.”
Nino motioned to my bandage. “How’s the arm?”
Dad, who’d been listening closely, tugged at my shirt, bringing my attention back to him. “You wouldn’t hurt a member of this family, and I count Fabiano’s family in it.”
Good thing that we weren’t related by blood…
I didn’t miss the slightest hint of uncertainty in his voice, and I had to admit it stung.
Though I had no reason to get my fucking boxers in a bunch. After all, I had hurt Aurora.
“Not on purpose,” I admitted, as honest as I rarely was.
Dad released me and jerked to his feet. He drew in a deep breath through his nose. His rage filled the room. Many people thought I was a carbon copy of Dad, and while physically that might be close to the truth, I was far more unhinged than he was.
“You’ll tell me what you did, or I swear on this family that I’ll get it out of you by whatever means necessary,” he snarled. My gaze dropped to the curved knife at his waist. I’d often wondered how its blade would feel, how I would measure up against Dad’s or Nino’s talent. How would it feel to bathe in my own blood for once?
“I always feared how my genes would come to play in a child, and you surpassed every fear I had.”
My heart briefly throbbed harder, but I simply shrugged in reaction to Dad’s words. I didn’t need reminding that I had inherited every ounce of darkness he harbored.
“Remo,” Nino said.
“You don’t have to side with me. His words don’t hurt me. Nothing does.”
“For you, I hope that one day you’ll see that’s not the case.” Dad turned to the door. “I can’t force the words out of you, but I can talk to Aurora. Her respect for me is too great. She’ll spill your secrets.”
I shoved to my feet. “You’ll stay the fuck away from her.”
“I’m Capo, and you’ll watch your mouth,” he growled.
I tried to stalk to Dad, ready for the next step. Nino gripped my injured arm tightly, and I ground to a halt with a snarl.
“You can spare Aurora a conversation if you tell your father what he wants to know.”
I ripped away from his hold. “It’s not in my nature to spare someone. Right, Dad?” I took a deep breath, my chest heaving. Silence filled the room. Dad and Nino simply looked at me. Fuck. I hated them sometimes. “I fucked Aurora at the last party, all right?”
Neither Nino nor Dad could hide their shock. I wasn’t sure why they were being preachy, especially Dad. He’d kidnapped Mom. My transgression was nowhere near as bad.
I could see a question in Dad’s eyes that stung worse than his knife ever could. I was a monster, and atrocities were dear to my heart, but when it came to Aurora, most of them weren’t on the menu. “I was stinking drunk. I could hardly walk, and I remember only bits and pieces from the night, but Aurora came to me. I didn’t force myself on her.”