I put my phone away and kissed the violin as I set it back inside the case. Then I rose to my feet and let my eyes travel around the bedroom for another moment. But the longer I stared, the longer I stood in her room, the harder it was to leave.
One thought possessed me and wouldn’t let go.
I could no longer wait two more years to make an appearance and ease my way into her life. Our meet had to be much sooner than that or both of us would regret the consequences of what would happen if I didn’t feed that urge only she triggered inside me.
I inhaled her scent that lingered in the air one more time. “See you soon, my sweet Angel.”
Chapter 5
Lina
Nicky kicked the door closed, her hands full of shopping bags. “You really should have gotten that rose gold dress. It looked dee-licious on you.”
I rolled my eyes. “You’re crazy. I have no idea why you dragged me into that store in the first place. Their cheapest dress was like five hundred bucks. That rose gold thing costs twelve hundred dollars, Nicky. Big fat WTF.”
The plastic cover on the couch rumbled as she plopped down on it, tossing the bags aside while giggling. “Language, young lady.”
I rolled my eyes again.
“How about you just wear it on Saturday with the tag on and then return it just like I’m doing with mine?” Her big eyes popped with a mischievous gleam. “It’s not like we go to one of those parties every day.”
The Bellomo Scholarship Awards Ceremony at IIT was a big deal. The society’s crème de la crème would be there, and this year we get to be a part of that glamorous event because of Nicky’s scholarship. It was dazzling and made my head spin with excitement and pride, but it didn’t mean I’dborrowa dress from a store to attend.
“It’s so wrong. I can’t do that. Besides, it’s your day. Nobody is gonna see me. It doesn’t matter what I wear. Your dress, though…” I pulled it from the bag and marveled at its beauty, almost in tears. The fitted elegance of the sparkling purple and gold that showed her hourglass, athletic figure was mesmerizing. Unlike me, Nicky looked like Mom. Blonde with beautiful blue eyes and a fair skin, and that dress was made for her. “You have to keep it, Nicky. It’s perfect.”
A loud snort erupted from her. “We can’t afford to pay eight hundred bucks for a dress. No way.”
“You can wear it on my birthday, and your birthday, and everybody else’s birthdays. I wish it could fit me or would ever look as good as it was on you so I could do the same. But you can still save it for your kids. It’s worth every penny.”
She giggled. “You’re crazy? What kids?”
“The ones you’re gonna have soon because you’ll meet your future husband on Saturday. That dress brings boys to their knees. Guaranteed.”
She pointed her index finger to her open mouth as if she wanted to vomit and then continued laughing as she rose, but not for long.
I shouldn’t have said that. Boys had always been a tricky topic. I knew better. “Sorry, Nicky.”
“C’mon.” She waved a dismissive hand, looking at me as if I was silly for apologizing. “We don’t need boys or husbands or any of that shit, remember?”
I raised my fist in solidarity as she marched to her room. “Yeah. Baldi girls versus the world.”
When she slammed the door shut, I cursed. Putting down the dress, I jumped to my feet, and then I stalked to the boxes, taking my rage out at the cardboard, opening—tearing—it with much more force than needed. My vision blurred with tears I didn’t want to shed but fell anyway.
I took all the stuff I could carry and stormed inside my room. Then I crumbled on the bed, blubbering ugly. I didn’t want her to see me like this. It wasn’t like he’d hurt me more than he’d hurt her, and I didn’t see her cry. Not in front of me, at least.
She never said it directly to me, but I knew what Father did to her. He might have done awful things to me, but he didn’t rape me.
Over and over and over.
She took it all and never once complained, all so he wouldn’t do it to me.
I needed to be strong like she always had been for me. I needed to show her she no longer had to take care of me or shield me from her pain. It was okay for her not to be tough all the time. It was okay to live and be happy and find love. It was time someone took care of my sister, someone who would love and cherish and treat her the way she was supposed to be treated. But if she couldn’t let someone in yet, I’d be that someone until she was healed.
I wiped my tears and looked around me. Then my gaze wandered with the city lights through the windows. The old feeling that someone was watching me broke my skin into goosebumps. “If you’re out there...” I shook my head, a hot sigh escaping me. “Thank you.”
I knew it was crazy to be grateful for a vicious killer, but I couldn’t help feeling any different. I hopedhecould see where we were now, what we’d become. We were still damaged, but it could have been far worse. We’d been blessed, and none of it would have happened ifhehadn’t done whathehad.
I grabbed my violin and sat by the windows, ready to play. “This one is for you.”
