Page 65 of Unruly Obsession
"Luca stopped the beating and told my father if he ever laid a hand on either of his sons again, he’d make sure he felt it tenfold. In a split second, the dynamics had changed. My father, who used to be strong and respected, was now a shell of a man, projecting his grief onto the remaining family he had, worth no more than the last name he carried.
“It wasn’t long after that, I helped Luca in a situation and took a bullet for him. He hired me to be his personal bodyguard, and soon after, I became his most trusted confidant. So, when you say I’m a dog chasing their master, you're seeing the reverence and loyalty I have for Luca because I’m certain had he not intervened that day, I would’ve lost another sibling.”
Tears trail down her cheeks, and I wonder if I should be moved by them. I’m so unaffected by the truths of my past that it makes me realize how much of my humanity I’ve lost over the years. And how undeserving I am of a woman such as Lily to cry over someone like me.
“There was an exhibition we visited that holiday with Milia, and she was drawn to all the little angels.” I think back to the day, again, the memory so hazy, but I recall her giggling as she pointed, finding hilarity in them being naked or covered only by a cloth. “She was obsessed with all things angels after that, particularly cherubs. Now that I think back on it, I find it ironicthat she would join them only weeks later.” I go silent as I let that sink in. “So, when I was sixteen, I got this tattoo to remind me of her.” Strange since I’ve done everything to try and forget her since.
Lily continues stroking my jaw, and the twisted pain in her expression makes me more uncomfortable amidst the resurfacing ghosts that haunt me.
I’m grateful when she shifts the conversation, as if understanding every intricate shift in my mood. “What about your brother?”
I stare back up at the ceiling. Maybe not that topic. It’s been years since I saw him last, and it ended with us exchanging blows, until I was the one wise enough to walk away. Then the little fucker has the audacity to turn away from everything he’s worked so hard for, and our last phone call didn’t end so well either. So, I offer her a cozier story.
“He was studying in London to become a surgeon, but still calls Italy home. Not sure if that's still where he is or if he's still in school. I haven’t seen him for years. I made a promise that while I bloodied my hands working with the Armanis, my brother would be a better person for it.”
Silence.
“Do you miss him?” she asks gently.
“No,” I admit. Family is a weakness, and I want him to have a better life than we did, opportunities to make a positive difference in the world.
“Since you asked me about my tattoo, I get to ask you a question now. How did you get that scar between your shoulder blades?”
She looks up, but her gaze immediately diverts as she slumps back into the mattress. “I told you, just being a kid.”
Just like that, the icy wall returns.
My phone begins vibrating, and I snap to attention, answering it.
“We’ve got him,” Sky sing-songs, and I can’t help the grin that curls my lips.
Good, because that fucker is about to pay for ever pointing a gun in Lily Taylor's direction.
27
LORENZO
“Iain’t telling you shit!” The man spits blood on my shoes. It’s a normal Friday night for me. I offer a curt nod, acknowledging how difficult he’s chosen to make this for himself, before punching him in the face. He drops to his knees, barely able to focus on any one thing as blood begins to ooze from his ear.
We've dragged him into Luca’s bar and down to the fighting ring. I’m only ever down here for two reasons: one, when we’re hosting our weekly fight night, which is when we earn most of our money, or two, when I’m torturing assholes like this.
I grab him by the hair, pulling him to stand before driving my knee into his stomach and letting him drop to his back in the center of the ring. Blood splatters on the ground around him. Izak watches from where he sits in a chair with a laptop on his lap. I can see his gaze switch curiously between the man's slow execution and the computer where he's busily typing away.
Often, we tie our "guests" up before torturing them, but I had to get this foreign mix of rage, despair, and fear out of my system. All of these complicated and debilitating emotions thatrose the moment this fucker pointed a gun in Lily’s direction need to be exorcised somehow.
I no longer suspect they were aiming for Ara that day in Italy. She hasn’t once been approached since. Tonight, they came for Lily.
“What do you want with Arabella Armani and Lily Taylor?” I ask again. The man groans, and so I give him a hand up as I grab him by the collar and fling him across the ring. He bounces back from the ropes awkwardly. At this point, I don’t care how many of his ribs I’ve broken. He won’t make it out of here alive for trying to harm Lily.
I take two steps toward him, crouching over his crumpled body. “I do give you credit for lasting this long, but tell me, does your loyalty matter when you’re going to die anyway? Wouldn’t you rather it be quick?” I ask as I pull out my gun and place it down between us.
The man coughs, blood splattering the ground. His hand twitches, as if wanting to reach for the gun. Hmmm, maybe I broke his back.
“This is getting messy,” Izak calls out behind me.
“It will only get messier when there’s still so much blood to extract,” I say as I pull out my knife. “Shall we begin with one of the ears?” I grab his ear and bring the knife to it.
“Wait! Wait!” The man harshly breathes in and out. “Wait,” he whimpers. “Please.” There’s nothing more empowering than the moment a man realizes I’ve become his grim reaper.
