Page 81 of Mistletoe in the Mafia

He’s close to death. Too close.

“You’re not laughing anymore,” I mutter, wiping the sweat from my brow with the back of my hand.

He lifts his head slowly, his eyes meeting mine. They’re dull now, the light in them fading.

“You will… never win, Dominic,” he rasps, blood dribbling down his chin.

Before I can respond, the door creaks open behind me, the sound jarring in the oppressive quiet. I don’t immediately turn around, thinking it’s either Nicholas or Camila. They’ve been trying to get me out of the room to no avail since I started this.

“Wow, this place looks like a crime scene.”

My shoulders stiffen at the sound of her voice. But there’s no way. There’s no fucking way she’s here.

“Well, I guess it is a crime scene,” she murmurs.

I whirl around to find that she really is here. Fierce ocean-green eyes, long black hair, the love of my life is standing right in front of me. And yet she feels leagues away.

“Dominic,” Madelyn says, her voice sharp and unrelenting. “What the hell are you doing?”

I don’t immediately answer. I’m still a little stunned that she’s standing in front of me. Then I snap out of it and scowl.

“What the fuck? Who the hell let you in here?”

“The people that care about you, asshole,” she immediately replies.

“You shouldn’t be here. Leave, Madelyn.”

“No, you don’t get to tell me what to do. Camila showed up on my doorstep practically begging me to come here and save you because she was worried you were going too far. In my opinion, you haven’t gone far enough,” she says coldly, surprising the hell out of me.

My brows furrow in confusion. Meanwhile, the Specter chuckles weakly, a low, grating sound that scrapes against my nerves.

“I must say I’m a little hurt by that statement, Madelyn. I thought we were friends. I helped you so much by revealing the truth, didn’t I?”

“You ruined my life. You killed my mother. I hope you burn in the deepest parts of hell!” she says angrily.

She tries to lunge at him but I place a hand on her wrist, holding her back.

“You need to leave, Flowers. You can’t be here.”

“I just want to ask him something,” she says softly, though her voice is layered with steel.

I glance at her face, my jaw tightening. I can see clearly that she needs this, so I let her go, stepping away. My body tenses as she walks forward, standing in front of the man who took everything from both of us.

“Why?” she asks, her voice trembling. “Why did you kill my mother?”

I want to tell her that there’s no use asking him that. My heart aches because I understand her need to believe there was a reason her mother had to die.

The Scepter’s lips curl into a grotesque smile. “Why not?” he replies, voice dripping with mockery.

Madelyn flinches. “That’s not an answer. You had to have had a reason! Tell me. Why?”

“I don’t need a reason to kill, sweetheart. I killed her because I felt like it and I wanted to kill you, too. The both of you looked so happy that day. It made me feel angry. I killed her because she was there. Because I could.”

I can’t see her expression but I’m pretty sure Madelyn crumples a little at his words. Her hands twitch and for a moment I think she’s going to do something to him. But then she straightens, her shoulders squaring as she glares at him. The cold, dead look in her eyes hurts.

“You’re pathetic,” she says. “You thrive on chaos because it’s the only thing that makes you feel alive. The truth is you’re nothing but an empty shell. You’ll die alone and unloved, tossed away like garbage because that’s exactly what you are.”

His grin falters. “How dare you, little girl? You think killing me will change anything? You’re broken. Just like him.”

---