Page 39 of Ruthless Sinner
“Honestly,” Luciano interjects as soon as I finish speaking, his tone sharp and skeptical, “I’m surprised you let her roam the house freely. Aren’t you worried about her running away? She has even more reason now, considering her father’s little gang of miscreants was able to get past the guards at the gate and infiltrate your home. I reckon she might think the streets are safer than being around you or her dad.”
Before the attack, I would have worried about the same. If given the opportunity, I wouldn’t have put it past Adalina to figure out how to escape. But Tommaso’s invasion changed things between us. It has been a subtle, almost imperceptible shift that’s changed our entire relationship. “She won’t try to leave.” It would be a foolish move for her to attempt it. And Adalina Martinelli is far from foolish.
“Cool, cool,” Luciano nods his head slowly. “So, what are you two, anyway? Because rumor has it you two have been sleeping in the same room these last couple of nights and?—”
“Shut up,” I cut him off. “What I’m doing is none of your business. Just watch the damn house, and if you see anyone suspicious, shoot them in the kneecaps.”
Luciano’s hand instinctively pats the cold, hard metal of the gun holstered at his hip. “Don’t worry about me, big brother. I got you covered.”
Sometimes, I think Niccolo had the right idea. He refused to be tied down by our father’s legacy. Despite being a bachelor and a widow in his 20s, he does well for himself.
The rest of us are stuck in this mess, trying to handle it in our own ways. Salvatore makes jokes to hide the pain while Luciano drinks it away. Our sister Lucia had the courage to leave when she saw one too many things she didn’t like. But perhaps Niccolo was onto something all along; maybe we should have followed his example and stayed away from the family business. As much as I hate to admit it, sometimes I wish I had done the same.
But it’s too late to turn back now. Our fate has been sealed, our path cemented in stone. The only way out is through.
Chapter 41
Adalina
The garage door opens somewhere beneath me, and the mechanical whirr wakes me from my slumber. I shoot out of bed with my heart racing, searching for Dante, but his side of the bed is empty and cold. A sickly sweet taste pervades my mouth, and I realize I’ve been chewing on the inside of my cheek.
“It’s okay,” I whisper, “it’s okay.”
Just as panic threatens to consume me, my eyes land on a note on the bedside table. In Dante’s familiar, blocky handwriting, it reads that he’s gone to the hospital to check on Enzo. A wave of relief washes over me, my heart rate slowing as I start to breathe again. I take a deep breath and try to relax my tense body.
Ever since the break-in, my nights have been plagued by fear. Every sound, from creaking stairs to a flushing toilet, sends a jolt of terror through my body. The first time it happened, I woke up screaming, my heart racing and sweat beading on my forehead. Dante wrapped his arms around me and rocked me back to sleep, whispering over and over in my ear that everything would be okay. But even with his reassurance, the nightmares continue to haunt me.
Knowing Dante is the reason behind the garage door opening, I feel safe enough to get up and start my day. I change into something comfortable and run a brush through my hair. With Lucia’s room under construction due to blood and evidence covering half the surfaces, I’ve been staying with Dante. He moved over what he could, like Lucia’s clothes, and he swears that if I give him a few more days, we can shop for some of my own.
I don’t know how to feel about Dante. On one hand, none of this would have happened if he hadn’t kidnapped me from my twenty-first birthday party. Sure, I went willingly, so maybe it’s unlawful detainment. But regardless of what law he’s actually broken, a part of me despises him for putting me in this situation.
On the other hand, he rescued me from a worsening situation at home. I have no doubt that my father would have eventually allowed his men to take liberties with me. Dante saved me in a twisted sort of way.
But I do not forget that he has a wife waiting in the wings. She might be too young to marry, but she’ll turn eighteen soon. I’m a fun distraction right now, but what will become of me when Dante realizes he has to fulfill his duty? Will I wind up another casualty in his dungeon? Or worse? Will he ransom me back to my father so he doesn’t have to deal with the clean-up?
Dante is an enigma, and I have to remind myself every day to stop worrying about the future. Just a couple of weeks ago, I had no future. Now, my future is murky and unclear. I try to take it one day at a time, but anxiety wants me to rush through to the end to see how it all works out.
Speaking of anxiety, Dr. Stone’s pills sit in an orange container on my side table. He left a bottle with the instructions to take one if I started to feel overwhelmed. But I’m afraid of what they’ll do to me, so they remain untouched.
With Dante gone and my stomach desperate for food, I go downstairs. For the last two days, I’ve been at Dante’s side whenever I’ve left his room. No one talks to me or even looks at me, if they’re around at all. Dante says his brothers are staying in the pool house out back, but I haven’t seen them.
Until this morning when a familiar face is sitting at the breakfast table with a laptop and a cup of coffee. He looks up, and I see Dante in the way his face breaks into a smile. “Hey. Adalina, right? I’m Luc.”
He gets up and walks over, his feet moving so fast that my stomach flip-flops with fear. It’s okay, I tell myself. He isn’t a stranger; he’s Dante’s brother.
“Hi, Luc,” I smile as I take his hand when he offers it. His touch is surprisingly gentle.
“Can I get you anything? Make you some toast?” He offers.
I pull my hand from his and shake my head. “I’m okay. Thanks, though. Was that Dante who just left?”
Luciano nods as he backs away, a carefree grin plastered on his face. He strides toward the edge of the island and effortlessly hoists himself up onto it. His legs dangle over the side, swinging back and forth in a playful manner. The sunlight catches his bright eyes, making them sparkle with mischief. “Yup. He wanted to check on Enzo. They’re like besties or something.”
“I thought Enzo was just his bodyguard,” I frown. In the fridge, there are a dozen Tupperware containers filled with the best food I’ve ever had in my life. My stomach growls and I’m torn between what to choose.
“Yeah, that, too,” Luciano explains. “They grew up together. Enzo is two or three years older than Dante, but he struggled in school. He got held back a couple of times, and Dante tutored him in high school. They tell each other everything. They’re like a pair of girls, I swear,” he says with a disrespectful roll of his eyes.
I have a girlfriend, Annaliese. She and I don’t tell each other everything because there isn’t much to tell. She’s going to college and I’m cooped up in my father’s house. Er… Dante’s house, now, but the point remains.