Page 190 of Never Die for a Sinner
“The head of the Burelli crime family.”
“And?”
“Your father.”
My knees wobble, weak as my body vibrates.
My father.
His silence stretches, heavy enough to crush me. I search his face for the man who once steadied me with nothing but his touch, but all I see is stone and shadows.
Finally, he exhales through his nose, the sound harsh. “Because you were never supposed to know. Not like this.”
My chest twists. “You knew the entire time?”
His jaw feathers, and I feel like I’m looking at a stranger. The Levi I know is gone, replaced with one far more deadly.
“From the moment I met you.”
I think it would hurt less if he’d slapped me. My chest feels like it’s been flayed open, my heart ripped out and stomped on before being haphazardly sewn back into place.
“You were just using me . . .?”
“It’s not fucking like that,” Levi grits. “Your father is a dangerous man, Ava. I’m trying to protect you.”
“Bullshit!” I turn away from his piercing blue gaze because it hurts too much to look at him right now. Knowing that every interaction between us has been a lie from the moment I met him. “How could you do this to me? I trusted you. I . . . fell for you.”
“Ava,” his voice softens. He reaches for me, but I tug away from his grasp, backing up into the banister behind me. He takes my face in his hands, and this time, I slap him so hard my hand stings. “Goddamnit, listen to me.”
“Why?” I growl, tears mixing with my makeup and blurring my vision. “How would I even know it’s the truth? You’ve lied about everything from the start.”
His eyes burn with a venom that sends a chill through me.
“Everything I have done, I have done to protect you.”
“Don’t touch me.”
I push away from him, and he lets me, though he doesn’t let me get far. His hand reaches for my waist, and I almost back out right there.
“Just fucking listen to me, Ava. Your father isn’t a good man. He murdered Wright, and now someone is trying to use you against him. Againstmebecause it was my job to stop it, and I couldn’t. I walked away because my brother needed me, not realizing I was putting you in danger with each step.”
I shake my head, completely overwhelmed.
“Ava, look at me,” Levi growls. “You know this is more than that. You know that. Youknowme.”
I suck in a deep breath, watching his hands clench before my eyes slide back to his. Something brief flashes across his features, but I saw it. A kind of desperation only someone who’s about to lose everything would feel, all while telling themselves they never wanted it anyway.
“You’re making me regret you.”
He winces at the way my voice cracks, taking a single step towards me. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen him indecisive.
“Can you not feel everything I do? Can’t you see I’m fucking desperate for you? Me? I’ve never been weak for anything in my fucking life, but you? I’d go to war for you, Ava. Ihavebeen fighting for you. I . . .” he stops and scrubs a hand through his hair. “Fuck,” he curses.
“Goodbye, Levi.”
I hurry towards my door, but he’s there, catching my wrist and tugging me back to his chest. In a split second, his hands come to either side of my face, and he crushes his lips to mine.
Pain, unlike anything I’ve ever felt, blooms in my chest.
