Page 30 of And Twice as Twisted
“After I went to see Gio, I knew I could handle it.” There was no counterargument.
He wiped a tired hand down his face, his voice so quiet it gave me chills. “Sienna, I have one daughter missing… Do you really think I want to worry about the other?”
“Dad, I—”
“Silence!”
I jumped in my seat, his anger unexpected.
“Gio Moretti hates this family and you run off on your own, to do what? Fulfill some goddamn vendetta that Apollo and Al were going to handle themselves?”
“Dad, I…” I tried again, and he took that moment to notice my clothing.
“Are you. Fucking kidding me. Sienna.” He leaned over his desk. “Thatmorto figlio di cagnaalmost killed you… I almost threw him out of this family… and you.” He stopped. “Gesù Cristo. Non so cosa fare con te.”I dropped my jaw to interrupt again and he talked over me. “How can you be so stupid? I raised you better than this.”
I throttled back in my seat, tears immediately forming at his verbal assault.
“You’re going to Philly. Tomorrow. I’m not going to worry about two daughters, not now.”
“No. I. Am. Not!” I rose to my feet, just as the damn belt came loose and I had to catch the shirt before flashing my father.Classy.
“Yes, you are. Or so help me God, Sienna, I will fucking take you there myself. I am making a deal with Romano.”
We were back to the same reality of my future being chosen for me. I was being punished for someone else’s actions. I’d just gotten myself back on track and was starting to settle into a new rhythm. Now my independence was being taken away from me. Again.
Well, this time I wasn’t going to sit pretty.
“No,” I said calmly.
“Excuse me?” he ground out, the vein in his temple throbbing.
“I said no. I will not allow other people to dictate my future any longer. It’s not my fault that I love a psychopath! But isn’t that punishment enough? Knowing he’ll never love me back?” I slapped my father’s desk with my fist. “She’s my sister and it hurts me too! Why are you okay with losing both of us? I won’t go!”
“I will.” Apollo stood in the doorway and I hated that my body thrummed to life.
Since he left the hospital, his impeccable suits were things of the past. He stood shirtless with blood-tinged pants, wearing my teeth marks in his shoulder and my scratches down his arms. Normally he’d have changed already… but this new Apollo didn’t care.
“You’ve got a lot of balls showing up here like this. Instead of killing you, your brothers and I taught you a lesson with our fists. Now you walk in my office smelling like her?” My face burned bright in embarrassment as my father added, “Did you not learn the first time?”
“Dad, I...”
He laughed loudly, stepping around his desk to get closer to Apollo. “You won’t claim her, and yet no one else can have her either.”
“What?” I looked at Apollo, but his clenched jaw said it all.
“Nothing to add?” My father poked the bear. “I didn’t think so. Sienna, you will go to Philly. Now. I will iron out the details with Romano.” He picked up his phone before dismissing us with a flick of his wrist.
I walked past Apollo, hearing him quietly close the door. I made it halfway up the stairs before I stopped myself. I turned around, my heels in my hand and the smell of Apollo drowning me. His shirt felt soft on my skin and I hated that I wanted him to take it off me.
“Tell me what Daddy meant.” I knew he wouldn’t answer. “No one else can have me?” His jaw worked back and forth but he was mute. “Right. Well, I’ll launder this and get it back to you.” I tugged on the shirt.
“Something inside me snapped when I watched them stab you. Then, all I remember is the back and forth battle between floating and drowning, fighting only so that I could find out if you survived.” He stared past me. “Since I was pulled from the river, my control is gone.”
“Control?” My words were barely above a whisper as I internally pled for him to go on.
“Controlling the darkness. Every time I look at you, all I see is your blood onmyhands.” He walked past me in the direction of his bedroom. “And now you took away the only thing thatcould’veput me right.”
Ever watched one of those women-targeted movie channels? Where it was nonstop bad acting, the same plots over and over—so bad, but you watched them anyway? That was my life. I’d yell at the female leads over how stupid they were for falling for the same bullshit. They knew he was bad for them, but they were too stupid and blinded by love to do anything about it.
