Page 55 of Princess's Revenge
“There won’t be negotiations, there won’t be offers of compensation,” I tell the Don, “you colluded with them and you failed. I’m taking back what’s mine. If you want to put a bullet in me while I’m asleep, you know where I’ll be.”
I leave them there and head to my room.
I leave the Don to his lies and betrayal.
I leave them and wonder…why didn’t I see this sooner?
CHAPTER 16
I’m shocked to my core. All this time my father had us believing he had nothing to do with it.
I knew Mikey and Daniel, not as well as Anthony and Christopher…but I did…
When you’re six years old, you don’t really have to think about anything that much. People tell you a story and you believe it. Anthony and Chrissy were both in their twenties.
That means my father lied to them.Flat out lied.
He said he had‘brokered’peace. I suppose that’s true in a sense, but it wasn’tafterthe fact. It wasbefore.
After Andrea leaves the room, I listen to another shouting match. This time my father is on thereceiving endof it.
Everything happened exactly like Andrea said it did. Anthony wanted to go and get her the minute they found out she was alive—My father said to wait.He said she had a life of her own and we had to respect that.
It was Chrissy’s idea to start the surveillance. It was my idea to follow the fiancé…all those things were conceded to only because my father kept telling us to wait and we wanted something to do.
He’s not just our father…he’s also theboss.He’s the boss of this family.
My father had no way of knowing that Andrea’s life was a terrible one…and what we would do to rescue her from it.
Anthony was the one who made the decision to show Andrea the pictures of Jack on her wedding day…he justified it with the same speech my father gave Andrea when we brought her here.
The reason none of us saw my father’s deception for what it was…is because he’s our father. You get blinded when you’re too close. You don’t see who people really are. You…trust…implicitly.
My brothers are probably going to force my father to step down at some point. It’s not going to go easy, but what he’s done is so far out of bounds, there’s not much of a way to justify it.
I leave Chrissy, Anthony and my father to their chest thumping and go in search of Andrea.
She could probably use someone right about now. At her door, I find she’s left the key on the outside.Is she trusting us or taunting us?
I knock twice, softly…there’s no response.Damn it. She’s run off!
I swing open the door and it’s dark inside. “Yes?” The voice comes from under the covers on the bed.She’s still here!“Come to kill me in my sleep?”
“Andrea, I would never,everhurt you. You have to know that. I’m on your side. I always have been and I always will be. I love you.”
The lights are all off and there’s a nice breeze coming from the balcony. I stand there in the dark like an idiot having just confessed my love for her and there’s no reply. I guess she’s turning in for the night. After an unbearably long silence, I hazard asking, “Did I disturb you?”
“No,” comes a whisper.
“I don’t know what to say, Andrea. I almost still can’t believe it. I thought maybe you’d want to talk about things?”
“Only ifyouwant to.” She lifts the blanket up and speaks softly, “Will you stay with me tonight? I don’t want to be alone.” I take a few steps forward and she adds, “No clothes in the bed.”
I smile to myself, “Okay.”
I kick off my shoes and undress on the spot, leaving my clothes in a lump on the floor before I climb into bed with her. I get close and she gives me a peck on the lips, then turns so her back is to my chest.
I put my arms around her and she pulls my hand to her breast, holding it there.