I placed my hand on her shoulder to relax her, even just a little. “I’ll be sure to ask him and let you know what I find out.”
I wasn’t sure if he cared about me at all, but there were always ways to find out information. He’d have to cave at some point.
12
Marcello
It was the next day when I found out the news from my father. It was news that I’d been hoping not to hear since we’d taken the Bonifacio family captive. We were hoping that none of them would cause any issues.
Well, it turned out one of them did.
Antonio was Chiara’s brother, and he was dead. Caught trying to escape, he put up a fight with one of our guys and lost when our guy shot at him. I didn’t want to be the one to break the news, especially since she’d just lost her parents. Were we going to kill the whole goddamn family at some point? It seemed to be going that way. And I hated it.
I’d gotten too close to her, but it was impossible to stay away. How was I supposed to stop when I was addicted to her? I’d never had such a connection with someone sexually, and I wanted to see where it would go. There was just something inexplicable between us, and I knew she felt it too.
She, unlike me, wasn’t very good at hiding her emotions. She wore them on her face as though her emotions were an accessory. I could tell what she was thinking at all times, which was a nice change from the distance between me and my family.
The news made me want to go and see her. There was a twinge of guilt in my chest that couldn’t be paced away. I knew that I wasn’t going to be the one to tell her that her brother was dead but the least I could do was visit her.
I didn’t tell anyone what had happened between us - I’d left it as our secret. So far no one had caught on. I was hoping to keep it that way. If she were to retaliate after finding out the news, then everyone would know. And they’d know that I’d gotten soft when it came to her. That made her a liability.
I strolled down the narrow passage, feeling the cool basement air against my skin as I walked. The rest of the family was too busy trying to clean up the mess that was Antonio, all of them running around as though the President had just been shot. Well, it was enough to cause panic, that was for sure. Even the mess of dealing with their parents had been an ordeal. It seemed as though things were getting out of hand and spiraling to the point where we were unable to contain it. I left them to do that work. I had other priorities.
There was a sense of excitement in visiting her. I never knew what would happen next, and it was becoming some kind of physical high for me. I enjoyed the surprises that came from Chiara and the strange way in which she’d react to things. I’d never thought that she was adventurous. She’d come across as too pure, virginal, and new to everything. She was always surpassing my expectations of her, though.
I knocked on the door softly this time, so as not to surprise her. I unlatched the lock and entered. The coolness of the air had me worrying—the blankets we’d given the Bonifacio women were too thin for this kind of dampness. We didn’t want them getting sick.
Still, I couldn’t show her how attached I was. If she found out that I was sending warmer blankets down for her, she might just think that I was becoming infatuated with her. No. I’d send one down with one of our guys in the morning.
She glanced up to me from where she was sitting on the bed. She had the blanket wrapped around her pale legs, as though it was a sleeping bag. Her cheeks were flushed when she saw me, as though she was embarrassed by something. It was strange to see her face redden so quickly. The only other time it happened was when we were intimate.
“How are you?”
She furrowed her brow. “I’m good. Just, you know, hanging out in my cell.”
I chuckled lightly as I closed the door behind me. “Going insane?”
“A little,” she said and lowered her eyes towards the blanket. “I mean, wouldn’t you?”
I fell silent, unsure of what to say to her. What did she expect me to say? There was no way I could let her out of the house. It was too risky. Even the other night had been something that would cause my family to retaliate against me.
“I’m sorry. I’m just getting frustrated. I don’t mean to take it out on you.”
I let out a deep breath, surprised that I was holding it in the first place. “It’s okay. I understand that this is a difficult situation. Trust me, there’s a lot on the table right now, and we’re all just figuring it out.”
“Have you heard about my brothers?”
It was as though my heart stopped in my chest. Had someone told her? I’d only received the news two hours ago. Who could have been down there during that time? The only person I could think of taunting her with news of her brother was Romeo, but he’d been at the warehouse dealing with the mess. At least, that’s what I’d heard.
It had been important that we moved the brothers from the dungeon in the basement to another location. There was no choice. Antonio had been too wild, and the girls may have decided to become more frantic the moment they heard their brother rebelling. It was the last thing we needed.
It could be that she suspected something, too. They were in another area, after all. She might think we’d already killed them. It was impossible to tell from her expression alone. I could see the tears beginning to form in her eyes, as though she was waiting for an answer that I just couldn’t give her.
“They’re fine,” I said finally, the guilt causing my throat to strain with each word. “So don’t worry so much.”
She inhaled deeply and nodded. “Sorry. I’ve just been really worried about them, and I haven’t heard any news, so I thought the worst had happened.”
“I understand. Listen, I have to go. I was just stopping by to see how you were.”
