Page 12 of Bittersweet Endings
“Carmine is the enemy, Tave,” he said softly, like it would hurt less. “What the hell are we supposed to do with that?”
I couldn’t hold them in anymore. The tears I’d fought so hard to bury broke free. “I don’t fucking know. But this happened because of you.” I looked around the room. “Because of all ofyour actions.Not me. Not mine.”
“Fuck,” Lucky growled, while my father looked white as a ghost. Maybe it wasn’t fair. But life had never been fair to me.
I staggered back a step, my spine hitting the door like it could hold me up. “I think it’ll be better if I leave.” My voice was as hollow as my heart.
“You’re not going anywhere.” It was an order, not a request from my brother. “As much as you’ll hate me for it, I am going to kill him, Octavia. He fucked with your head and once he’s dead, maybe then you’ll be reasonable.”
“Funny how suddenly you’re my knight in shining armor, Lucky. Where were you when I was raped by one ofyour men?” It was a low blow, but I didn’t care.
“If you’d opened your mouth, I would’ve made him suffer.” Lucky clenched his teeth. “Peiro will get his.”
“When?” I balked. “Time keeps passing. Do you even know where he is?”
The silence was deafening.
“I won’t let him or Carmine get to you again. I will… I will protect you, Octavia. But you’ve got to meet me halfway.”
My father stepped into the hall, his way of ordering my brother to back down, and sighed before motioning for us to follow him into his office. Apollo and Lucky waited for me to go first, their expressions telling me everything without having to say a word.
They weren’t going to let me leave this house.
“The day before Carmine arranged your return, he called me,” my father said, and we stared at him. Confused. “He found out JP planned to take you from him. And he gave you back because he knew he couldn’t protect youandfight the war that was coming.”
I knew it!
“It’s interesting that you all have so much to say about Carmine and what he did. But no one wants to talk about the one whostartedthis.” I paused, glancing at each of them. “Carmine let me kill one of my demons. If he would’ve gotten a hold of him, he would’ve given me Peiro too. And still your hatred is pointed at the wrong man.”
“We’re looking for him,” Lucky muttered.
I laughed once, bitter and hollow. “Yeah? And where’s that search leading? Convenient dead ends?”
“We’re. Looking,” Lucky repeated.
I tilted my head. “Could Bella’s mom be hiding him?”
My brother’s neck snapped towards me, his eyes wide, like I’d just spit in his face. My father flinched. It was subtle, but I saw it. I felt it too, like a knife twisting in my ribs.
That was all the answer I needed. They were protecting her. Even after her bastard son had scarred my skin and my soul. Goddamn priceless.
Serafina had been around my family for years. She had a secret son no one knew about. And the bastard had raped me. My blood was boiling, my mind slowly losing control. My father had loved her in the past. And my brother loved his wife.
Where was the love for their broken sister? The damaged daughter?
My father’s glare could’ve split stone. “Right now, we haveno confirmed sightings on the east coast. His known affiliates have all cut ties. But we don’t know how fartheirreach went.”
I stared at him, cold and steady. “Did anyone.Question. Hismother?”
“She doesn’t know anything,” Lucky replied. Too fast. Way too fast.
My eyes narrowed. “Right.”
“Serafina gave him up for adoption in Italy,” my father added, as if that excusedeverything. “They’ve never met.”
“She’s to be kept out of this,” my brother continued, stepping towards the window like turning his back would end the conversation.
I stared at him. Atallof them.
