Page 44 of Luca
LUCA
Isat back in the chair of Nonno’s office.
Tree lines of lemon and orange groves stretched as far as I could see. The scent of citrus, fresh air drifting from the mountains in the back and sea in the front. Usually I felt at peace here, but since that ebony-haired stubborn Irish woman had left the States, with my little bun in her oven, I had to control the urge to just kidnap her and lock her up.
Except, after years of watching Margaret, I knew that would push her in the opposite direction of where I needed her. And frankly, I wanted her to be willing. I wanted her to choose me. Like that night in Vegas. Besides, something about forcing her and seeing her unhappy left my insides twisting.
Damn woman.
I never had this problem with women until her. I didn’t quite know how to handle that, to be honest.
Maybe I needed to court her. Seduce her. Do all the idiotic romantic stuff that men usually did to get into a woman’s pants. Except, we kind of threw that whole scenario out by the fact that I’d already gotten her pregnant. And she didn’t even know that I was the father. No amount of romance was going to keep her from trying to kill me when she found out that little fact. I wanted our daughter born and happy with both of us there, which meant I had to figure out a way not to be her murder victim.
One way or another, Margaret and our child would be mine.
Nonno always said that without a woman to share your happiness and sorrows with, all sacrifices would be for naught. He had Nonna. Mamma didn’t have that but she craved it. She grew up around it. It was probably the reason she always loved to watch Disney movies.
It was about the only thing I remembered of her - that and her void, dark eyes as red water swallowed her body. Cassio talked about her a lot. So did Nonno. It kept the memory of her alive in my mind, but somehow I could never shake off the feeling that she left me.
She left this world by killing herself. Cassio and I were not enough to keep her with us. My big brother blamed Father. I blamed him too, but the feeling remained.
The day I dared to stab my father flitted to the forefront of my mind. After Cassio found out about what I had done and the beating I had gotten, he came home straight away to ensure I was alright.
Huddled in the corner of my room, I trembled with anxiety and pain. Tears burned the backs of my eyes, but I held them back. I had to. If Father saw them, he’d give me another beating.
A dark shadow came forward and my eyes shot up to the door.
“Cassio,” I whimpered, clutching my side.
It even hurt to talk. His eyes traveled over me, turning darker than I’d ever seen them.
He rushed toward me and kneeled down. “Fuck,” he muttered. “You look like shit.”
“But better than you,” I rasped.
My hands shook from the force of the pain.
Cassio frowned. “I’m not sure if you’re delirious or just drugged up, but I’m better looking than you.”
A choked laugh escaped me, causing more sharp pain and I coughed, blood trickling down my chin.
His fingers pressed against my ribs and I winced. “Goddamn it, your ribs are broken. What happened for Father to beat you to within an inch of your life?”
I coughed more blood out.
“I stabbed him,” I admitted. Cassio’s eyes filled with incredulous rage. ”He was hurting a little girl,” I added.
“Luca, you can’t react,” he muttered. “You have to think before you do something. Until you’re old enough and strong enough that Father cannot hurt you.”
“Like he hurt Mamma?” I asked.
“Yes.” I watched him, nausea growing in my belly. “He had beaten the strength and spirit out of her. If you stay here, he’ll do the same to you.”
I didn’t know where he wanted me to go. No matter where I hid in this city, my father would find me.
He sat silently next to me, examining my wounds and covering them with bandages my father’s cook was able to sneak me.
“I’m taking you with me,” he finally concluded. “I have met some friends at college. They’ll help me take you to Nonno.”
