Page 73 of Something Borrowed

Luca pushes one man out of his way and stands glaring at me. He’s close enough that I can smell the stale heat of his breath.

“I would have killed you if it were up to me.” He snarls.

“You are going to regret not killing me.” I assure him. “When I come after you and tear your world apart, brick by brick. It’s not too late to walk away now and leave us in peace.”

He laughs.

“Are you fucking stupid? Look how easy it was to get to you. Your own family gave you up.”

“What?” I stammer.

“How the fuck do you think I found you?” he laughs.

“My brothers?—”

“You didn’t know your car had tracking installed on it, did you? A second device linked to their security systems, not yours.”

I shake my head. No, this can’t be happening.

“Masaccio was more than happy to give me the location, but he made me promise to leave you alive. And - I am a man of my word. But you are testing my patience, Rufino Vece, and if I have to go back to your brother and tell him there was an accident and one gun went off - well?—”

“Dad.” Verity sobs. “I’ll come with you. I won’t fight. Please leave him alone.”

Luca spins towards his daughter. “You are disgusting, Verity. I am ashamed of you. Ashamed to call you my own.” He hisses into her face. She winces away from him and the man holding her prisoner tightens his grip around her throat.

My insides are like liquid. Lava, thick and hot, burning away everything inside me. The pain of betrayal, confusing my family being willing to throw me to the wolves like this -the anger.

“Let’s go.” Luca demands and one at a time I watch his men leave, and I watch Verity being dragged away from me.

She doesn’t fight.

She gets into the back of the car without even trying to push them away.

I know she has to. I know she has no choice.

But what cuts me deep in my heart is that she doesn’t even look back - not once.

Listening to the sound of their engines starting and the tires crunching against old dry gravel as one by one they drive away from the motel - it’s pure torture. I stand frozen for a long time, aching in every inch of my body, my heart shattered and my soul sinking fast.

I don’t know how long I am lost in my anger for, but when I snap out of it the sun is gone. The night sky is dark, pierced with sharp points of light where millions of stars shine like bullets in the blackness.

I look down at my fists, bleeding, the skin torn off my knuckles. Then I look around the motel room.

I trashed it.

I don’t remember doing it.

The bed rests on its side against the wall, and the lamps are shattered. The small wooden table and chair from the corner are lying in broken pieces near the bathroom door. The windows are glittering shards of glass, patterned across the old worn carpet.

My breath is heavy. My chest is tight.

I blacked out and let my rage loose on this room.

Clenching my fists I let out a gut wrenching scream.

There is no time for this. I should chase after her already.

I grab my things, toss them into the backseat of my car and floor the gas back towards the city.

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