Who would hurt such an angel? How could a father do that to his own child?
As a father myself, there was nothing that I wouldn’t do or sacrifice for my son and his protection. My Angel deserved a father that would do the same for her.
Nicole, too. She’d been looking out for my girl before I even knew what had been going on in their house, taking what no kid should have ever endured to keep Angel away from the monster as much as she could. For that she deserved to have the best.
I watched as Angel’s sister lined up with her friends in graduation gowns, waiting with an excited smile for her name to be called to get her diploma. I was proud of her as if she’d been my own kid. Soon, she’d be off to college on a full scholarship I’d made sure she got. Just like the one my Angel would get in two years after she graduated.
After I got Baldi out of the way, I’d orchestrated everything in our lives so that I could give her the life she deserved.
So that, at the perfect moment, I would have her.
My eyes traveled to the most beautiful girl I’d ever seen as she cheered for her sister. My Angel was sixteen now. No longer a little girl but still so innocent and pure. Her light brown hair bounced behind her back as she jumped up and down, clapping with real joy, her green eyes and olive skin alight. When I saw her smile, the bitter taste always in my mouth turned into a sweetness I craved. Needed.
My body pulsed with the need to get closer. I never did though. A safe distance separated us as I always remained hidden from her sight. Even though Angel had been taking over all of my mind and heart for the past four years, I was making sure she wasn’t aware of my constant presence.
At first, I had no intention she ever would be. I swore to protect her, even from myself. My life had no room for innocence or purity such as hers. But with the years, my obsession had worsened. Fighting it wasn’t going to help me protect her. It was driving me insane, and that would only put her and everything around her in more danger.
She belonged with me. She was safe only with me.
For a second, my gaze locked on her lips. Pale pink painted the perfection that was her mouth, and my mind raced to a moment that belonged in the future. Our future that sometimes—most of the time—I ran out of patience waiting for.
I clenched my jaws, the urge to just go over there, put her over my shoulder and steal her away forever nagging. I was going to hell anyway. What was another sin to add to my long list? Or maybe I should just go ahead and propose to her. The state of Illinois allowed marriage at sixteen. I fucking checked—not that I cared about the law, man’s or God’s. I only cared about her. Not spooking her.
Like a stranger almost double her age kidnapping her or proposing to her out of nowhere won’t make her run for the hills.
Chuckling, I dismissed my crazy thoughts. My Angel sucked all logic and sanity out of me. She did things to me that could start wars and destroy worlds.
I reprimanded myself, which I never did except when it came to her, dragging my gaze up to hers.Not yet, my sweet Angel, but when the time comes, I will make you mine.
Chapter 3
Lina
“I can’t believe we’re having our own apartment.” Nicky squeaked, carrying the last of our boxes into the condo.
“I know, right?” In a haze, I stacked my box with the others in the living room that was bigger than our entire bedroom at Bellomo.
Not that I wasn’t grateful for the amazing boarding school that took us in after the murder. Our home for the past four years was perfect. A private academy—community—for the rich elite we’d have never crossed paths with or even have known such establishments existed if the academy hadn’t started that charity program for orphans and abused children four years ago. I couldn’t believe how lucky we’d been to be one of the firsts who were accepted there. They only took one or two children in every grade every year.
We—program kids—had our own dorm and dining hall. We only met the other kids during classes and activities. Some of us didn’t like that we were separated from the rich students, but I thought it was the perfect arrangement for our protection.
Bellomo—an academy named after and belonged to the most powerful family in Chicago—might have given us the best shelter and education people like us could have ever received, but it was built exclusively for the wealthy and powerful. The rich kids would have bullied us—had bullied, name called and fought with some of us already—and we wouldn’t have stood a chance. It was their home, and we were the freeloaders.
However, Nicky and I never faced that challenge. No one had ever tried anything with us. Maybe because of Nicky. No one crossed that girl. She was tall and strong, and she’d spent every spare moment she got at the gym to get even stronger. She was my superhero.
Or maybe because everybody knew about the murder. How gruesome it was and that an unknown vigilante did it. I liked to believe they thought if they hurt us, the vigilante would come for them just likehehad come for my father.
Or maybe it was just luck. The same luck that landed Nicky a full Bellomo scholarship to study Architecture at IIT Chicago. The sameluckthat got us into Bellomo in the first place.
I straightened up, my arms circling around my body reflexively, my eyes roaming the place. The condo had an open floor plan. The living room, dining room and kitchen all flowed together. There were two bedrooms down the only hallway, each with a private bathroom. We could have never afforded such a place if it weren’t for Nicky’s scholarship and the job she got at one of the coffee shops on campus. The money from our old house wasn’t much to begin with. It was small and dingy and…haunted with our father’s murder and his crimes when he was alive.
The condo was more than I could’ve ever dreamed of having, and yet I couldn’t shake the same old feeling that someone was watching me. Even here.
A hand patted my shoulder, and I jumped. Then I sighed and swallowed as I realized it was just Nicky.
She rubbed my back. “Hey, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I just…”
