Page 29 of Relentless Sinner
“Okay.”
Jaxon leaves us and I look back at Dad. His eyes are already glued to me.
For a moment all he does is stare at me, waiting until we no longer hear Jaxon’s footsteps. The moment we can’t, his face becomes stonier.
“You foolish, foolish girl.” His gravelly voice sends a tremor through me. “Look at the situation you’ve gotten yourself into.”
“Me, Dad? The way I heard it you made a deal with the devil.”
“Is that what he told you?” His brows knit.
“Does it matter? I’m here now.”
“After getting yourself fucking kidnapped. Why the fuck did you run? You know I have enemies left and right just waiting to swoop in and take you. You’re lucky nothing worse happened.”
“I made a mistake.”
“You can certainly say that again. Now we’re both in a fucking hole.”
The way he’s talking doesn’t give me the impression that he’s getting what he needs like Jaxon said. Dad sounds enraged. Like he’s mad about something more than me getting myself kidnapped and nearly messing up his plans with Jaxon.
“What is really going on? Did something else happen?”
“At least you’re clever.” He sneers and comes closer, then he glances over his shoulder, checking that no one is near the door. “I had other plans that got messed up. Other plans foryou.” His voice drops to a whisper.
“What other plans?” I whisper, too.
“Never mind about that. Because of you I getnothing. I get to keep my fucking life, which will mean fuck all if I don’t fix my situation.”
He gets to keep his life?I was right. Dad did something to Jaxon and I’m being punished for his sins. Usually when things don’t make sense it’s because they don’t. Everything about this screamed weird. Now I know why.
“What situation are you in?”
“That is none of your concern.” He narrows his eyes and shakes his head at me.
“I think I should know if I’m already being affected by it.”
“Shut the fuck up, you little bitch.” His harsh tone pierces through me, making my skin crawl and my lungs lock. “You nearly wrecked everything for me. So you get to knownothing. Running away fucked us both over in ways I can’t describe without strangling you.”
Tears sting the back of my eyes. “I’m sorry.” I feel like a fool for apologizing but it’s a cycle I can’t break.
“Save your sorrys. It’s your whore of a sister who will be sorry when I find her. When I’m done with her, I’ll kill her. Her, the bastard baby she’s carrying, and Alessandro, that motherfucker.”
“Dad—"
“If you know where they are and you’re hiding them, you’re dead, too.”
Jesus. He means it. He’s serious.
“Do you know where Natasha is?” he demands, waving a fist in front of my face.
He’s asked me that question no end of times since Natasha left. My answer today will be no different than any other day. “No. I don’t know where she is. Do you think she’d tell me, knowing the risks?”
He gets right up in my face and I flinch. “I don’t know anything anymore,mia cara.”
I hate when he calls me that. I used to love being his darling when I was little. Now the endearment feels as gross and nauseating as a worm slithering around my insides.
“What I do know is that if you’re lying I will cut out your tongue and chop off those hands of yours.”