Page 70 of Twisted Throne
“Uh, about this?”
“No,” he smirked. “I’m fairly certain you enjoyed that.”
God. My pussy was getting wet again just thinking about what just happened.
“Then what?” I tore my eyes off of him and made myself busy , using the reflection off of a painting of a vineyard in an attempt to tame down my ‘I just had damn good sex’ hair.
“I meant last night. Emilio.” His voice softened. “You took a life last night, do you regret the decision?”
I stopped fiddling with my hair and closed my eyes. I remembered the blood, the lifeless eyes, the waxy flesh of the body after my bullet ripped through it. But I also remember his filthy hands on my body and the evil intentions in his eyes and voice.
“No, he had a gun and I did what I had to. I didn’t really get it until then. But seeing him reach for that gun, and knowing the horrific things that he’d done, the things he wanted to do… no. I regret nothing about what happened in the garden last night.”
Paul studied me thoughtfully, then nodded.
I figured that I was about as put together as I could be and walked over to unlock the library door. I had no clue how long we had been in here, but I didn’t want to continue to press our luck if someone came looking for us.
When I was almost at the door Paul grabbed my arm and tugged me to him. He crushed me against his chest and pressed his lips to mine. The stubble on his chin was rough against my still warm skin. I melted against him, lost to his touch once again.
He pulled away and stepped around me to open the door.
“I have some business to take care of now, but I’ll collect you for dinner tonight at seven.”
“At La Villetta?” I asked him, thinking of the dresses he had brought to me what felt like years ago.
“Where else would acapotake a beautiful LaRosa woman to dinner?”
***
I was sitting on the edge of my bed in my robe later that afternoon when there was a soft tap at the door. It opened before I could even answer, and Lucy came in.
“Lucy! Come in!” I dashed across the room to give her a hug.
“Okay, okay! You don’t have to hang all over me!” She wiggled away from me and rolled her eyes.
She bore little resemblance to the tear-streaked girl from last night. She was decked out in ripped up jeans and a vintage Ramones tee, but the heavy eye makeup she wore didn’t hide all of the puffiness around her eyes even though she was back in tough chick mode.
“Are you doing okay?” I pulled her down beside me on the couch and although she frowned at me, she didn’t object when I kept her hand held in mine.
She gave me a withering look.
“Sorry, dumb question, I know.”
Lucy sighed.
“No, you’re fine. I’m okay I guess. I mean, it’s not like I haven’t known people who died or got shot or whatever. And I’ve seen some stuff too,” she explained to me. “Like, that kinda shit happens, you know?”
I nodded at her in agreement but didn’t interrupt.
“But I still can’t believe that she did that, and I was so pissed at her. Then she saved me anyway!” Her voice rose in pitch and she popped up off the couch and paced away a few steps before she spoke again.
“Who the fuck does that? I know Alec’s a douche, but she betrayed all of us! Who turns on their family like that? Why did she do that?”
The famiglia.
My famiglia.
“I don’t have the answers, Lucy. You have no idea how much I wish I did.” I pretended I didn’t notice the tears threatening to spill from her eyes as I continued.