Page 62 of Vito

Memories of the bitch on her knees in front of Vito come back, and I shove down the potent jealous anger that sizzles through me. "It doesn't matter who sucks your cock," I say as flatly as I can.

He hisses a breath and drags his hand over his head, either not noticing or caring that he smeared blood through his close-cropped hair. His eyes are frustrated and filled with regret.

Dammit… My idiot self wants to believe his story about being passed out and not knowing what was happening.

"I called Gus," he says instead of trying to proclaim his innocence again. "He mentioned what happened, that you went home for a bit… He was distracted with running the bar, and I understand why he might not have made the same risk assessment as I did, or maybe he believed someone like Cutt would never move against you." He's staring down at me intently. "All I saw was Aiken lying there… My gut told me to get here, especially since Gus couldn't find Cutt or Jax in the bar."

My face is impassive, but my hands shake.

Vito gently takes them in his bloody ones. "I couldn't let anything happen to you, Eden."

The honesty and raw emotion on his face hit me. I slam up my walls to stop myself from leaning toward him. I pull my hands free, needing to break physical contact with Vito because it will be my undoing.

Raf is back. "I put your clothes in the bathroom, Ed. Eden… Shit, I don't know what to call you."

Vito scowls at him, as if only he has the monopoly on criminals who can call me Eden.

Raf holds up his hands with a small smile. "Okay. Ed it is."

I remember Vito's comment that we had 'pet names' for each other. He's the only criminal who calls me Eden, and I call him…

"You're a fucking cunt," I deadpan.

Which, of course, makes Vito grin.

My skin itches again, and I bite the bullet about confessing about Ohith. "There's not much to tell." I rub my forehead when Vito scoffs. "You already know I ran from home at fifteen."

"I don't know the why, though."

"And it's irrelevant," I say tightly, my defenses rising. "This is the Cliff's Notes version. You get that or nothing."

His jaw hardens, but he nods, telling me to continue.

"I lived on the streets for a bit. I encountered Ohith by accident; he was coming out after a cleaning job. For some reason, he let me live. I met Jax shortly after."

My eyes involuntarily flick to Jax's dead body lying on my kitchen floor between the island and the bathroom. I'm having trouble reconciling the fact that Vito killed both him and Cutt to save me. And we're standing within eight feet of them, discussing how I came to have an adopted father who is sending a team to clean this all up. Oh, yeah, and who is an assassin.

Fuck my life.

I sigh, looking away from Jax and focusing on Vito, who's letting me take the time to process this.

"Jax was a bastard even back then. Ohith kept popping up like he was tracking me. I was like a feral cat, but he didn't relent. When Jax was trying to become a prospect for the Havoc Guardians, he got excessively controlling, abusive…"

"I'm glad I ripped that motherfucker's throat open," Vito growls.

Cue the pussy throbbing harder.

I shake my head. I'm a sick, twisted bitch.

"Ohith took me," I continue. "We left San Francisco and went underground."

"He faked his death to get out of the life for you," Vito surmises.

"Yes," I admit. "If people knew he was alive, jobs would invariably pull him back here, and he wanted to cut all the ties to this place."

For me.

Because I'm stubborn and weak. Aiken isn't the only one who sacrificed because of my inability to cope and face what had been done to me.

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