Page 42 of Twins for the Mafia Heir

“You had no right-”

“WRONG.” My voice rings out over the grounds, silencing even the wind. Fantasia flinches, taking a step back from me. “Youhave no right to demand that I bring my family to live in this house for your convenience, and then surround them with vultures and thugs that I have to defend them from. You have no right to be so fucking careless with the people you employ and then expect things not to go tits up the second you turn your back. THIS?!” I gesture to the bodies. “This is on you, Fantasia. Don’t you dare blame me for having to protect my wife and daughter fromyou.”

Fantasia is so pale her skin has practically turned translucent. I can see her heart pounding in her throat. Her mouth opens and closes, but I don’t care to hear what comes out of it now.

“I’m going back to the Ashwood House,” I declare, and again, my sister flinches. “Sidony is coming with me. And so is Raleigh.”

Fantasia shakes her head, finally regaining her voice. “I forbid it- Achilles I forbid you! You can’t leave me-”

“If you wanted me to stay, you should have listened to me when I said this was going to blow up in your face,” I snap. “Youshould have been building your network of supporters instead of telling me to kill anyone who looked at you sideways. You should have hired the people I suggested instead of outsourcing these goons.” The men on either side of her frown at that, but I ignore them. “You turned Wesley Hall into a pit, Fantasia, all because you were so paranoid at losing Piers you thought everyone who ever talked to him would turn against you. Now you’re left with me and fifty mercenaries who hold no loyalty to you or this house. AndIam leaving.”

Fantasia is trembling so hard I can see it from feet away. “You can’t do this, Achilles. You can’t! I trust you more than anyone!”

Oh, Fantasia… If onlythatwere true. Or, put another way, if only she didn’t mistrust everyone else so much that trusting me the most isn’t even a compliment.

“I’m leaving, Fantasia,” I tell her again. “I’ll still be at your beck and call, don’t worry. But I refuse to keep my family in this place.”

And, frankly, I’ve been wanting to escape since I filled its halls with blood.

“No. You’renotleaving,” Fantasia declares, stepping forward like her wispy body can hold me back on its own. She opens her mouth to do more useless pleading, but one of her bodyguards steps forward too.

“Should we detain him, ma’am?” he asks, his eyes on my hands.

For a fraction of a second, I see a spark of something in Fantasia’s eyes that I like less than her desperation and sorrow. It’s recognition, recognition that if she ordered it, her people could be on me before I make it back to my own room. She can force me to stay, if she really wants to. Hopefully she understands that if she does that, it will destroy my use to her.

I support her because she’s my little sister, and I love her like my own heart.

But she’s used and abused that love so many times over the last few years that it’s begun to feel like a burden rather than a source of strength. If she pushes just a little harder, she’ll lose me forever. Luckily for both of us, it seems like she knows it.

Fantasia steps away from me. She says nothing, neither trying to get me to stay or giving me permission to leave. I say nothing either as I storm past her into the house, because words have long since become useless between us.

I’m getting my family out of here,now.

Chapter 22

Emma

Iwas sure, when I was clutching Sidony to my chest and leaving Achilles behind, that I was doing the right thing. I heard the gunshots as I carried Sidony through the house, and could only assume- could only hope- that they meant her father was delivering justice.

But as the two of us wait on Sidony’s bed for her father to find us and tell us everything is okay again, I start to fear that I could have been wrong. Achilles could have been hurt. Or, even if he wasn’t, he could be detained now. He just killed three of Fantasia’s men without her knowledge or permission. No matter how heavily she leans on him, there’s also a volatile tension between them that can’t be ignored.

There will be retaliation for this. It’s just a matter of when, where, and what it is.

Sidony trembles uncontrollably in my arms. She’s not crying, or even whimpering, and she’s not cold. She’s in shock, and it’s breaking my heart to watch a girl as young as her go through something I remember so viscerally myself. All I can do is wrap her in blankets, rub her back firmly, and hum any soothing song I can think of to get her mind off of what’s happening.

I’ve been counting the minutes, and hit the eighth when I decide it would be best to just get her out of here myself and regroup with Achilles later. It might be difficult to convince her to leave without her father, but I have to try.

I’m in the middle of gathering my best excuses when the handle on the door leading to Achilles’s room rattles. It’s barricaded with a chair, and doesn’t budge. Whoever’s on the other side pauses, clearly surprised it didn’t immediately swing open.

Then I hear the most beautiful sound in the world.

“Good girl,” Achilles sighs, more to himself than to us. Then, “It’s Achilles. Let me in now please.”

Sidony lunges out of my lap and runs for the door. I get there just in time to move the chair for her so she doesn’t knock it over on herself, then fling it open. Achilles is on the other side, whole and unharmed and looking as relieved as I feel.

“Daddy!” Sidony cries, throwing herself fully into his arms. He scoops her up and crushes her to his chest- but his eyes go to me over her shoulder. For a moment, we just stare at each other, two weeks of silence and frustration and a thousand complications sitting between us.

Then he holds an arm out for me, and I don’t hesitate to step into it.

---