Page 61 of Hidden Empire
There’s nothing motherly about her. I held on to the hope she’d be a mother to me for far too long, but after seeing what a parent’s love is supposed to look like, there’s not a single ounce of me that yearns for her.
“I’m not sure how the rumors spun for you guys, but I didn’t meet my dad until six months ago,” I admit, feeling a bit shy to deluge any of my past. If they can trust me with a secret so big, I can trust them with some of mine. “Up until then, I lived with Kim and… her boyfriend, Bruce. They were awful.”
The air becomes tense like it does any time my past is brought up around my family. It’s not a fun topic, and for anyone with any semblance of morality, it’s a tough conversation to have.
“I don’t really want to get into it for now, if that’s okay?” I ask vulnerably but don’t leave room for an answer. I was barely able to tell Apollo everything the night that I did, and he’s literally bound to me by DNA. “I just wouldn’t put it past them, doing something like this.”
Dmitri and Ivan have a new dark edge clouding over them, and I know what I’ve said is responsible for it. Thankfully, they don’t press. In fact, it takes a long moment before either of them chooses what to ask next.
“Why do you think they would want you away from your family?” The thoughtfully worded question comes from Ivan.
I let out a held breath. “They’re likely mad,” I admit. “I know what I’m about to say will lead to so many more questions, but if you could not ask them, that’d be great.”
“We’ll refrain,” Dmitri promises immediately, offering me a rush of relief. “For now.”
That’s all I need. If my feelings for this man are as strong as I think they are, it won’t take too long for me to feel comfortable and open up entirely.
“The only reason I know who my dad is is because Kim wanted him to kill me,” I confess shakily. “There was an… incident, and I defended myself against Bruce.”
I rub the back of my neck, trying to get rid of the chill creeping up there.
“I stabbed him, um, a few times,” I admit. “Kim freaked out and tried to kick me out of the house, but I wasn’t eighteen yet, and the cops wouldn’t let her. So when they asked if there was any family that could take me, she said there was.”
It doesn’t matter how many months have passed, I can still feel the betrayal rolling through me when I think about that day.
“I’d always thought my dad didn’t want anything to do with me, but Kim told the policeman that my dad was Dante Moretti. She said she hoped he’d killed me on sight. I haven’t seen her since then.”
I leave out the fact that I hit her repeatedly and that she disappeared from the hospital before my father could get to her.
“Why would she expect Dante to kill you?” Ivan asks through his shock and confusion.
I wince, looking down at my lap.
“She said he wouldn’t want a whore for a daughter,” I whisper, immediately rushing to my own defense after. “But I’m not, I swear. I didn’t ever?—”
“Don’t defend your chastity to me, Krasotka,” Dmitri cuts in, shaking his head. “Your first kiss was on my lips, I know you aren’t what she called you.”
“Even if you were, you wouldn’t deserve death,” Ivan says, his fists tightening.
“Even if you were, you’d still be mine,” Dmitri vows, melting my soul into a little puddle. “Come here, Krasotka.”
I’m surrounded by strong arms in an instant, pulled into a sweet hug that makes my eyes prick with tears. While his brother holds me tight, Ivan presses a friendly peck to the crown of my head.
The comfort they provide calms me enough to speak again, and they pull back. Dmitri stays close, holding my hand while Ivan retakes his seat.
“So we have three suspects,” I surmise, sniffling. “Where do we go from here?”
“I know you think Kim is capable of hurting you, and we believe you, but do you know how she is contacting these people?” Ivan asks carefully. “Is she in some sort of gang? Does she have a lot of power or influence?’
I try to think about it because I have the same question. If this is Kim and Bruce, they’ve leveled up. It’s not impossible to get your hands on contact information for the people they must be communicating with, but it’s not easy either.
“I’m not sure how,” I acknowledge. “I just know they’re good at getting their way, and they’re slippery. My dad knows everything they’ve done, and he hasn’t been able to find them. He’s wanted to kill them for months.”
“Was it hard?” Ivan asks. “Telling your dad?”
It’s a good question, though I’m not sure why he asked it. Rationally it makes sense. This way, he can try to gauge how badly I was treated without asking for specifics. But something tells me he has another reason for wanting to know.
Either way, I’m willing to answer. If anything, to give Apollo credit for how amazing he was to me during that time. I think it’s important for more people to know that he’s not just the grumpy and rude exterior he shows everyone else. He’s an incredible brother and man.