Page 37 of Ruthless Truths
“For me,” I add, not as a question, but as a realization. Luca hadn’t been ignoring me. I can see that now. He had been hunting—for me.
“He didn’t deserve to breathe another day for touching what’s…you.” His voice falters at the end, leaving me curious about what he truly wanted to say. But I don’t push the matter, at least not with words.
My fingers move to the buttons of his ruined dress shirt, undoing them until he places a hand over mine. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“Cleaning up the mess,” I say, meeting his intense gaze. “I figure it’s the least I can do after thinking you’re nothing more than an inconsiderate bastard who left me alone because he couldn’t handle a broken woman.”
Both of his palms cup my face, holding my cheeks with a tenderness I never imagined him capable of. “There is nothing broken about you, Raven.”
As I gaze into his captivating cognac eyes, a part of me wants to believe him, to believe in this moment where all the darkness and pain that has plagued me since meeting him simply melts away.
To believe that I’m just a woman struggling not to fall for the complex man standing before her.
16
LUCA
Iexpect Olivia to hate me. To despise me for taking her to that club and putting her at risk, allowing that pathetic excuse of a man to put hands on her. I stayed away partly so that I wouldn’t be a constant reminder of what happened to her, and also because I couldn’t rest until I found who had touched her.
I wasn’t even close to done with the torment that bastard deserved when Olivia made her unexpected appearance. At first, she seemed furious about something—I could see it in her eyes—but the moment she recognized Abel, a whirlwind of emotions washed over her.
The fact that I could tell she was torn between wanting to hurt the man who tried to break her and running away was the only reason I told her to go. Yet, I could no longer enjoy the pain I’d been so intent on inflicting.
A single bullet to the head finished the job for me, information be damned. I’d find another way to tie Abel and Titan together if needed for later.
Following Olivia wasn’t my original intention, but as soon as I walk into my apartment and find her, I know this is where I want to be.
Seeing my raven sitting on the shower floor, still fully clothed, reignites every bit of rage I felt those three days hunting for Abel. Though, the moment she realizes I’m there and she rises, I know she’s stronger than I’ve given her credit for.
Her thumb strokes my cheek, and a shudder rocks me to my core at her gentle touch. “You killed him.”
“I did,” I confirm without an ounce of regret.
“For me,” she adds, an air of acceptance in her words.
She’s not wrong. I wouldn’t ever be able to rest again until I knew she no longer had to be afraid. Until I had set things as right as I could.
“He didn’t deserve to breathe another day for touching what’s…you.” I almost say “what’s mine”, but I know I don’t have that right.
Olivia isn’t mine. Not in the way I’ve grown to crave but had been refusing to admit. I know I could claim her, but I’m not that kind of monster. I know this woman deserves better than the life I’ve dragged her into.
She lifts both hands and attempts to remove my bloodied shirt, but I stop her, placing my hand over hers. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“Cleaning up the mess,” she says, staring up at me with an intensity I’m not sure I can deny. Not when I know how she’s been hurting. “I figure it’s the least I can do after thinking you’re nothing more than an inconsiderate bastard who left me alone because he couldn’t handle a broken woman.”
I cradle her face in my palms, holding her softly, yet speaking firmly. “There is nothing broken about you, Raven.”
Her eyes glaze over, and she shakes her head, leaning toward me and resting her forehead against my chest.
“I wanted to watch him die,” she admits, seeming almost reluctant with her words. “Hell, I might have even been willing to kill him myself. I don’t know what’s happening to me, but what’s worse is that I can’t find anything wrong with those thoughts.”
I hold her tightly against me, mindful that her body could still be bruised and battered from the encounter I’m certain has forever changed this woman. “There isn’t anything wrong with those thoughts,” I assure her. “He deserved to die. You’re not the only person he’s hurt.”
She begins to shake within my arms, her vulnerability twisting my insides. I bring her closer to me, desperate to keep her intact when it seems as if she might fall apart right here in my arms.
“Will you wash me?” she asks so quietly that I’m not sure I’ve heard right. “I keep trying to rid myself of his stench from my body, but I can’t do it on my own.”
I should tell her no. I don’t want to take advantage of her fragile state, but when she looks up at me with big doe eyes, so full of trust, I can’t deny her. Not this or anything else she might ask for.