Page 2 of Redeem
“I never miss.” His eyes widen at my words, realizing his friend was right...I am a psycho. I shrug, uncaring, and lick my lips. Retrieving my knife, I wipe the blood on my dark jeans and turn back to the guy I'm here to torture.
“Now, where were we?”
CHAPTER2
ISABELLA / ADDIE
I’m back in the one place I never wanted to be. The place I’ve been running from, both in my mind and what seemed real when I ran away. But even then, I was still trapped in a gilded cage.
I’m back in my old room, and it’s like I never left. Everything’s the same, but I’ve changed. I have no idea how I’m going to get through today and what’s going to happen after they bury Adrian. The fallout from my actions hasn’t materialized yet, but it will. I know what is required of me, but I’ll keep fighting for my freedom, for the life I’ve created for myself in Boston.
The maid pulls the straightener tighter, rolling it into a curl. My scalp burns, and I bite my tongue. Anna hasn’t said a word to me all morning, and that’s worrying. She won’t even look at me. It’s like I don’t exist past the hair and makeup. We used to be able to talk. She treated me as if I was a person, not a job. But now, the silence is deafening, allowing the million thoughts in my head to speak louder and louder.
What if it had been me instead ofhim? If Adrian had pulled the trigger, the old me wouldn’t have cared. But now I have so much to live for, so much that I want to explore. That’s if I ever get the chance again.
I will. I have to.
Anna finishes off the hairstyle by pinning the curls to the side, and they dangle down my chest. I catch my gaze in the mirror. The mask that I removed not so long ago is back in place as a protective barrier between the life I have here and the freedom outside of these walls.
She leaves the bathroom silently, and I stand up, running my hands over the front of my black long-sleeve dress that falls just below my knees. The fabric itches my skin, and I want nothing more than to rip it from my body.
There’s a knock on the bathroom door, and with one last look in the mirror, I swallow past the lump in my throat and lift my head high. I’ll get through today and face the consequences. Twisting the door open, I expect to find Arrow there, but he’s not. It's Angelo, my sister's bodyguard, who now happens to be mine. I haven’t seen Arrow since returning, and I’m thankful for that. I’m not ready to talk with him after everything that happened. He betrayed me. He chose my father over me.
I still carry the secret with me, that my father killed his family and as much as I hate him right now, I would never stoop so low as to hurt him with it. He made his choice.
“Cars are waiting downstairs, time to go,” Angelo grunts, shoving his hands into his suit pockets, like he wishes to be anywhere but here with me.
Pressing my lips together, I nod and cast one last look around my old room. On my bed, the white, lacy quilt is tightly fitted to the mattress and topped with a million pillows. Nothing is out of place on my dresser with all my jewelry or in my huge, walk-in closet. Perfection. What my father expects from me.
With a deep exhale, I follow Angelo into the hallway. Rosa is waiting at the top of the stairs. She hasn’t uttered one word to me since I returned. It’s not like we were close before, but still, I wish I had a friend, now more than ever. Serena won't reply to my calls or texts, and Stella told me she can't talk right now.
I get it. I lied to them about my identity. But I didn't think a name or my family would change how they feel about me this much. I’m still the same person. Only now, I'm not engaged to a monster.
But my own sister won't even talk to me. At least before, she was bitchy. I would take that over the silent treatment. Her new bodyguard—a guy who looks to be in his early twenties with slicked-back white-blond hair—stands right behind her. I haven’t seen him around before, so he must be new. She keeps looking back at him with a cheeky smile, but then her gaze snaps to mine and her lip curls back. She gathers up her long black dress and huffs, storming down the stairs with her bodyguard hot on her tail.
She may be young, but she’s fierce. She’s a Romano, after all, and we all have that Italian fire within us. She sees me as her competition, but I'm not. I'm her ally. I hope that, one day, she’ll finally see that.
That she can come to me, and I will always be on her side. I will fight for her freedom even harder than I fight for my own. That she can confide in me, giggle under the covers eating chocolate chip cookies and talking about the cute guys she likes. Painting each other's nails and discussing how pineapple shouldn't be on pizza.
She's my little sister and always will be. I love her and only want the best for her. Even if she doesn't see that now.
Gripping the railing, I move down the stairs, but not even halfway down, I freeze, causing Angelo to smash right into me, jolting me forward. He apologizes, stepping around me, but I don’t move.
Captivated by stormy gray eyes, my heart pounds faster, and everything drifts away as if it's only us in this room.
Arrow. My protector, my bodyguard...the man who holds a piece of my heart.
As my father comes into view beside him, I snap out of it. They’re talking in hushed tones, and the memories of his betrayal hit me like a ton of bricks. His eyes never leave mine, like he's trying to read me. But I won't ever give him that part of me again. He gets the mask I now wear. He doesn’t get to peek behind it anymore.
I tear my gaze away and storm down the rest of the stairs. He chose my father over me, and I'll never forgive him for that. Nothing hurts more than being betrayed by the person you trust most in this world. I still hold his secret, one he deserves to know and one that will change everything he’s ever known. He hasn’t asked me for it yet, and when shit blows up, I don’t know if I can be there for him after this.
My father meets me at the bottom of the stairs, taking my hand and pressing a kiss against my cheek. “Bella vedova nera,” he says, dropping my hand and walking out the door, with his men fanning out behind him.
His words repeat in my mind.Black widow. I didn’t even marry Adrian, and he’s still haunting me.
They’re the first words he’s spoken to me all week, and I don’t know what to make of them. Is he angry at what happened? Adrian's death changes everything for him, for our family.
With a deep exhale, I follow everyone outside. Angelo opens the door for me, and Arrow slides up beside me. I hate that I know it's him without even looking. I hate that my body still reacts to him.
