Page 10 of The Devil's Deal

“What? Where?”

“Shh!” she warns before telling me more in my ear. “You’ll find out soon. In one week from Monday, we’ll be gone. I’ll get you early from school while your father has a meeting scheduled, and we’ll run away before he can find us. Don’t say a word to anyone. Not Dom. Not your teacher. Not a soul. He has eyes and ears everywhere. We can’t risk him finding out.”

She draws back as I nod, my heart pumping like crazy in my chest. Her eyes scatter over my face, her brows squeezing as tears flow over the edges of her eyes.

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I cram my trembling hands together, hoping that will stop the tremors. But that only makes it worse. My mom notices as she peers down between my eyes and my hands.

“It’ll be okay, my baby.” She takes both my hands within hers and brings them to her mouth, kissing my fingers. “We’ll both be okay. You’ll see.”

I nod more frantically this time, my voice lost to the fear.

I hope she’s right. I hope there’s a way we can run without him finding out.

But not everyone gets what they wish for.

* * *

On Monday at school, all I can think about is what happened with my father over the weekend. When he got home later that night, he stayed away from my mom and me. I remained in my room, shaking with the fear that he might hurt us, but he didn’t.

“What’s wrong, Chiara?” Dom asks as he turns to me, taking the book from my hands and closing it on his lap. “I can tell you’re upset.”

I shrug, twisting my pursed lips to the right, ignoring that look he gives me, like he can read whatever is in my head.

He takes my hand and gives it a squeeze. “You can tell me anything. I wouldn’t tell anyone. You know that by now, don’t you?”

I glance back at him. “I do. I trust you. You’re the only one who knows me at all.”

I’m afraid to tell him what happened a couple of days ago, when my father slapped me for wanting to go to the library. When he hurt Mom.

“Is it your dad? Did he flip about something again? Is that why you bailed on Saturday?”

I huff out an exasperated breath. He knows that whenever I’m in a crappy mood, it’s always my father’s fault.

“Yeah. He wouldn’t let me go. He started an argument. All my parents do is fight. Everything is his fault. I don’t even want to be there.”

I want to tell him about Mom’s plan, but I know I can’t. Not yet. I can’t risk putting my mom in danger, not even for Dom.

“How bad is it at home?” He tightens his hand over mine.

I sigh deeply, letting out more than my breath. Letting out the truth.

“I can’t take the screaming. Him hitting my mom all the time.”

“Does he hit you?” he asks with a hushed breath.

I’ve never told anyone. Not a soul. But I’ve known him long enough to trust him not to tell. He knows what could happen if he does.

“Sometimes,” I answer coolly, shrugging as I stare at my hand clasped in his. I can’t manage to look at him.

He plants his palms on my shoulders, and my hand still tingles, wanting his back.

“Why the hell didn’t you tell me?”

I peer up at him shyly, embarrassment flinging through me. “What could you do? No one can stop him.”

His teeth clench, his bright green eyes narrowing. I’ve never seen him look this angry.

“One day I will,” he promises. “One day, when I’m bigger, I’ll be stronger than him, and I will hurt him for what he did to you. I swear, Chiara.”

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