Page 79 of Empire of Lust
“Before?” I ask with dread in my stomach. Damn it, I should have known. I saw all the warning signs. I just figured he was a temperamental douchebag, not that he would ever really hurt her. Somehow, I always had this stupid idea Callum Torrio’s daughter could defend herself—and that even if she couldn’t, nobody would be stupid enough to screw around with her, knowing who her father is. I figured she was invincible.
There is nothing invincible about the bruised, weeping girl in front of me. “He started getting physically abusive maybe a month before the trip,” she confesses, still looking at the floor, tears now dripping from her chin. “I thought he would be better once we got away and there wasn’t so much stress. But it only made him worse. It took me a while to figure out he didn’t feel like he had to be careful anymore, with us being in Europe. There was nobody watching, nobody that could stop him.”
“Oh, sweetie…”
“I don’t know where he is.” She looks at me from under her lashes. “He went off with some people he met in Rome, packed all his stuff and everything. Even the things I bought for him. I would do anything so long as it would make him happy and keep things calm.”
It obviously didn’t work because these bruises can’t be more than a week old. Some of them are as vivid as the ones I still wear on my skin after the accident.
“That’s why you didn’t go anywhere,” I realize. “No shopping, no sightseeing.”
“Only if he wanted to, and he almost never did. He just wanted to lie out on the beach or go to clubs and meet rich people. That’s all he cared about. And all I wanted was for him to stop… to stop being angry…”
She covers her face with her hands, shoulders heaving, and the sight of her propels me across the small space. When I wrap my arms around her, she drops her hands and throws her arms around my neck, weeping on my shoulder.
“I am so sorry,” I whisper over and over, rocking back and forth while she cries it out. “So, so sorry. I didn’t see it. I never guessed.”
“Why would you? Lucas… was an asshole. But he wasn’t like this.”
No, but he tried to kill me with his car. I’ll spare her that detail—there are certain things I haven’t told her yet, either. Amazing the secrets we keep from each other when we’re supposed to be each other’s confidant. Shame is pretty fucked up when you think about it.
“You couldn’t have known. I made sure you didn’t know. I’m so ashamed.”
“Honey, you have nothing to be ashamed of. You didn’t do anything wrong. And you’re safe now. He’s not going to hurt you anymore.”
“Oh, my god.” She lifts her head, holding me at arm’s length. Her eyes are wide and wild, her chin trembling. “You can’t tell Dad. Please, I’m begging you, don’t say a word about this to him.”
And she’s the one who told me she didn’t want to get in the middle of things. Meanwhile, here she is, placing me between them.
“Bianca. I’m begging you. He’ll kill him.”
That’s the thing. I do know, maybe even better than she does. As far as I know, she still only suspects her father is a violent, dangerous man. I know for a fact after what he told me in his office the day he threatened me with the gun.
I don’t like the idea of keeping this from him, especially when I know how furious he’ll be if he finds out I knew and didn’t say anything. But this is my best friend. She’s been so supportive all these years, but especially now. She could have thrown a fit when she found out about Callum and me, and I can’t risk losing her over this. I only hope I’m doing the right thing when I nod.
“I won’t say a word, I promise.” Besides, Kristoff’s still in Europe. He’s no threat to her right now. “But I have to tell you, if he comes back around again, I can’t act like I don’t know anything.”
“You don’t have to worry about that,” she tells me, wearing a determined grimace. “There is not a thing he could do or say to convince me to go back to him now, not after this.”
“Okay. I believe you.” I only hope he doesn’t show up and make her change her mind.
“You know what?” She turns to face herself in the mirror and wipes the tears from her cheeks. “I don’t feel like shopping anymore. Would you mind if we just went home?”
“I want to put on my pajamas and veg out for the rest of the day. Does that sound good?”
“It sounds perfect,” she says with a sigh. It’s like magic, watching the tension drain from her body. “I want to get under a blanket and not come back out for a little while.”
“Done.” I go back to my room next door to get everything together, then take a deep breath to center myself before stepping out again. What she just laid out was pretty heavy, and I want to keep my spirits high for her sake, but my heart is like a boulder. So heavy with sadness. She must have felt like a prisoner out there, with nobody she could turn to.
By the time we’re ready to go, it’s like the whole thing is in the past. She doesn’t want to talk about it anymore, and I can accept that. It’s enough that I know, and she knows she can come to me if she wants to talk about it some more. I don’t want to risk her shutting me out by making a big deal about it.
“Are you sure my dad will know what to do with himself if we hang out tonight?” she teases me as we step out of the store and into what’s turned into a cloudy day, heavy with humidity. The air has that special feeling to it, like we’re going to get a thunderstorm soon.
Before I can make a joke, something catches my attention from the corner of my eye. I barely have time to register what’s happening before Lucas is practically on top of me.
“I thought I saw you,” he grits out, his teeth bared.
I might not have recognized him if it wasn’t for his familiar voice. He hasn’t shaved in a couple of days, and his sweaty hair could use a trim. But it’s his eyes, bloodshot and wild, that creep me out.