Page 48 of Redeem
Arrow doesn't drop his gun. He keeps it trained on my father, but my uncle doesn’t seem to care.
If Arrow shoots my father, my uncle will become boss. At this moment, I can see the war in my uncle's eyes. He can kill Arrow; he wants too. But only after Arrow kills my father. If this doesn't go to plan, and this goes bad, I will lose Arrow. My chest tightens. I can’t let that happen.
“Why did you kill my parents?” Arrow grits out between his teeth.
My father's eyes flick from mine to his, and I can see it on his face. He did it. Not that I doubted it for a moment. But I always wanted to know why, and there was always this little part of me that hoped it wasn’t true.
Why would they kill them and not Arrow? Why spare him? He was there. He witnessed it. At least, that's what I was told.
“I didn't kill your parents, Enzo. I saved you, boy. And this is how you repay me? You kidnap my daughter... did you kill Santoro and his men? Where is his son?” my father says, like this is a normal conversation. It’s not. It's far from it.
“Don't talk to me as if I don't already know. You were there...conveniently fast to rescue me. I might have blocked out those memories for all these years, but it all came rushing back when Bella told me,” he spits at them both, his eyes narrowing into slits.
My father’s eyes land back on me, and I watch his jaw tick. “Ah, little thief, stealing secrets still, I see. What else do you know?” He cocks his head.
I tremble and scamper backward on the bed to get away from him. I need my father and uncle to close the door. I need them to come in farther, so I can say the word and the guys will come out.
“I know it all,” I whisper. And I do. I know about the secrets he holds, the evil deals he’s made. I know from sneaking around all these years. Listening in on conversations I wasn’t supposed to.
Arrow stands now. My father’s hand moves to his holster, but Arrow makes a sound in a warning.
“Tell me why. What did my parents do to the Romano family?”
My father just smirks. “You can kill me now. I won't ever tell you that.”
My fists go into balls and I want to hit him. Why does he think he can play with people's lives like this? He is so fucked up and twisted. I’m glad this is the last day he will be on this earth, breathing.
As soon as Uncle Tony closes the door to the hotel room behind him, I shift off the bed. “I need to go to the bathroom,” I say to the room.
I stand up with shaky legs and make my way to the bathroom. I open the door and look in, finding Keegan’s arms wide open, one hand holding a pistol. I move quickly, closing the door behind me, and I sob silently into his chest as his arm covers my back.
“Shh, I have you, babe.”
I know he does...but who has Arrow?
Then I hear them. Emilio and Madden enter the motel room, and I let out a shaking breath. I bury my face into Keegan's chest, trying to muffle my sobs. His strong arms envelope me. The weight of the situation presses down on me, and I can’t shake the fear that something might go terribly wrong.
Through the bathroom door, I can hear the tense exchange in the other room. Arrow has confronted my father and uncle, demanding answers about his parents' deaths. He deserves to have all the answers before we move on with our lives together.
As I tremble in Keegan's arms, I can’t help but think about Arrow. I can’t deny the satisfaction at the thought of my father's death being so close.
Time passes in agonizing silence. It feels like hours, but it’s only been mere minutes. The voices in the other room remain hushed and intense. My heart races as I wonder what Arrow and my father are saying. Will my father reveal the truth about his parents' murder, or is he going to take that secret to the grave?
Suddenly, the door to the bathroom creaks open, and Keegan gently releases me. I look up at the concern in his eyes and silently plead for answers. Who is there?
He kisses my head and motions for me to be quiet. I nod and he gets up. I reach for him, but he holds his finger to his lips. He inches the door open, just enough to peek through. Keegan's grip on his pistol tightens, and he enters the main room.
Leaving me here, shaking and not knowing what's going on. I can’t take it anymore...I get up and peek out to see why it’s so quiet out there.
CHAPTER33
EMILIO
The room crackles with tension as I step forward, my gun now trained on her uncle's head. Salvatore's eyes widen in surprise and fear, but he doesn't have a chance to react before Arrow disarms him swiftly.
"Ah, you still got it, old man," I taunt Salvatore as I push him toward the bed, allowing Arrow to pat him down for any concealed weapons. It's a cruel twist of fate that he once held power and control over our lives, and now he's utterly powerless. Just like my own father, whose body we left in the bay. It didn't take long for someone to find him. We will do the same for Salvatore and Tony.
I turn to Madden, whose eyes are black as night. Madman is back. We need answers, and we need them now.
