Page 7 of Redeem
It should be Arrow, but I haven't seen him since I told him that secret. I wish I could comfort him, help him. He’s talked about killing the people responsible for his parents’ deaths, and he’s been taking orders from my father for so long. Doing his bidding, waiting until the day he would be a made man to get revenge for his parents. Only to find out the man who took him in is the one who killed them.
I stand in the doorway of my dorm room, my heart pounding with a mix of excitement and nervous anticipation. I have to clear Arrow from my mind and try to be excited for this. This is it—the second step into a new chapter of my life. I don't have any plans on what I’m doing after graduation… but I do know, I’m never going back home again to my father. The room is bathed in soft, golden sunlight that filters through the window. The walls are painted a shade of gray that reminds me of his eyes...like this is some cosmic joke.
A large, sturdy desk stands against the wall, and the twin bed, neatly made with crisp white sheets and a vibrant blue throw blanket, makes me wonder who decorated. Isn't that my job? I take a deep breath and step over to the desk, my fingers grazing the smooth surface of the lacquered wood as I stare down at the grounds of Roxbury. Heavy layers of snow cover the ground, and I watch as a couple hides behind a large oak tree. making out.
Maybe that's what's in store for me this year...maybe with Keegan? Emilio? Hell, does Madden even kiss girls like that? Remembering that night, I brush my fingers along my lips. Did I make a mistake? No. I would never regret my actions with him. Do I want to do it again? Yes. But that's not a good idea. The others didn't take it well, and truth be told, I really need friends more than I need a sex life right now. Not that I have one. One time in a dirty bathroom does not a sex life make.
As I unpack the few belongings I brought with me, my bedroom door slams open into the wall.
“Romano...your last fucking name is Romano and you never thought to mention it to me?” I turn to see Serena, her pixie black hair is tucked behind her ear. Her hand resting on her hip and she glares daggers towards me. “Yet you knew who I was. And knew if anything got out that we were associated that you could have gotten my father killed?”
I’d forgotten her father works for the Donato Cadre of Chicago. I never meant any harm to her father or family.
“I’m so sorry,” I respond, my regret bleeding through my words. “I assumed my father would have come for me if my name had gotten out, so I thought I was—we were—safe. Arrow made me believe he’d helped me escape. Instead, he was working with my father the whole time. But I don't think they knew we were friends. My father never mentioned you. Only Stella. So, Arrow must not have told him.”
She shook her head, clearly not accepting my explanation. Or my apology. “I told you once that I don't care who you are. But I’d never lie to you, not about something like this. Trust. That's what friendships are based on. I have to trust that you have my back and I will have yours. Since you lied to me, don't speak to me. We are no longer friends.”
She leaves the room, and I sink down on the white sheets. I’d been so excited to return, to be with my friends, but she’s right. I lied to them from the very beginning, and now that I’m back, they won’t want anything to do with me.
CHAPTER7
EMILIO
Iwalk into my father’s office, already knowing why he called me here. Since the moment Adrian died, I’ve known his blood would seal my fate.
Seeing Salvatore sitting across from my father’s desk, I pause. I didn’t know he would be here.
My father hasn't spoken to me, apart from a few words in the company of others. I’ve always known I’m the second choice. The spare son. Now I see what his plan is, and it has nothing to do with me taking over Adrian’s role within the family.
I shake my head, and he slams his fist into his desk.
“You do not have the right to come into my office and refuse me before I've even spoken,” he yells.
“I don't need to hear what you're going to say. The answer is no. I will not marry her.”
My father growls at me, and Salvatore stands. “We have a deal. The Romanos and the Santoros.” Salvatore’s voice is low with warning.
I shake my head again. I didn't make this deal. They did. Not me. I want to be free of this life. Not deeper in it.
“You killed one part of the deal. That doesn't mean the deal is off—it means you take his place,” my father says, his voice quieter but deadly. I can see the veins in his head throb.
I look over at Salvatore, the man who is selling his daughter for business. Like she's somethingand not a person. I know Isabella. Know her well enough to understand that she was running from this when she came to Roxbury. She came for me, as if I could be her knight in shining armor, to stand up to our families and tell them no. She won't be married off. But I can't be.
Because if I give in and marry her, I will end up sitting in the same place my father is now. There will be no escape. I'm running from this world, only it keeps on catching up to me.
If I could take her with me, I would. But it will be harder for all of us. As much as I want to save her from this, I don't see that as a possibility. Arrow was the only one who could have, and now he’s turned his back on her. He fucked her over worse than her own father has.
He told her that he loves her, then left. Turned her over to her father, just like that.
“Find somebody else to marry her, because I won't.” I throw my hands up. Neither men say a thing as I storm out of the room. My father won't let that go unpunished. But I won't be here when he tries. I'm going back to Boston, back to the Irish. It's where I belong.
It’s my home.
* * *
“Emilio, you’re back.” Maeve claps her hands when she opens the front door.
I didn't let myself in like I usually do. I knocked. I don't know why I suddenly felt out of place here. Like I don’t belong anywhere.
