Page 77 of Unruly Obsession
“Yes. Whether you think I know you or not, Lily, I’ve only ever done these things for you.”
I laugh, crazed, sleep-deprived, and so sick of giving people the benefit of the doubt. I shove at him, and he does nothing. I shove again, looking for some kind of fight instead of him just rolling over and taking it. “Stop treating me like some fragile thing! Fight back!” I yell. He’s always told me what’s on his mind. Only ever fought with me during our turbulent time together, and now he’s rolling over and taking my every scathing word. “I hate you so much!”
I shove again, and he still says nothing. I’m so mad. He took away my answers, took away my resolve, took away mychoiceto deal with my father myself.
I’m so sick of fighting, of crying, of running. All of these emotions that he brought to the surface have nowhere to go. Now I have no choice but to confront them. Knowing that I’ll step back into my childhood home, haunted by memories I’ve tried to forget, with the knowledge that the man I thought I loved entered it like a wraith to hurt my family.
And how I still hate myself for defending my father even after all he’s done.
I take a step back, awkwardly rolling my ankle. His hand shoots out to steady me, and I slap it away. “Don’t touch me!” The hatred that spills from my lips is vile. “Ever again! You say I’m the coward, but you’re no better. You told me that you love me only to hurt me within the next breath! Go back to your master, Lorenzo. Go get your praise for what a good job you’ve done. I don’t need your services anymore.”
His jaw tightens, but he remains still.
For once, I just want to stand on my own two feet.
I go to the wardrobe, snagging the first dress I spot. I look like shit, and the bruise on my face is darkening, but it’s as good as it gets right now.
Let this ugly family secret be exposed. Let the truth of that haunted fucking house come to life.
He watches me as I pluck up the keys to his favorite Lamborghini, storm out to the garage, start the car, then pull out of his driveway, making sure to scrape the side of the vehicle along the metal gates as I leave.
I slam on the gas, and the moment I look through the rearview mirror, I scream, “Of fucking course!”
Sky trails me on his motorcycle. The thought of slamming on the brakes and watching him barrel over the back of the car comes to mind, and it terrifies me.
I don’t want to become a vile, hateful thing, the same as my father.
But there’s just so much hurt, and I don’t even know where to begin to piece myself back together. So, I allow him to follow me, simply grateful that it’s anyone but Lorenzo.
Anyone can stand by my side but him.
33
LORENZO
I’m staring at the tracker on my phone. Lily hasn’t left her family's estate for the last two days. I’m waiting for Luca to storm into his home office any moment now. If I’m lucky, he’ll offer some parting words before putting a bullet in my head. If not, I still stand by my decision.
Although I was the first to call Luca and tell him the news of my killing Henrith Taylor, I’m certain he’s been bombarded with the gossip and more official statements about Henrith's alleged alcohol poisoning after stumbling home after having too many drinks and getting into a fight.
Luca most definitely asserted his influence to cover up a job I was meant to be cleaning up forhim, and I don’t even want to think about who or how much he had to pay to create the narrative of the story.
The wooden doors open, and Tony shadows the extremely pissed-off Luca. I straighten, anticipating I’m about to get my ass handed to me. What I'm not expecting is for Ara to follow in behind him. Her expression is just as unreadable; she's growing further into the mafia boss's wife by the day.
“How could you be so stupid?” Luca begins. “I told you to make an agreement with Henrith Taylor, not fucking kill him.”
“Yes, sir.” I understand full well I fucked up, but it’s a decision I’ve made without regret. I glance at Ara, who bites at the tip of her nail, clearly agitated. Well, I suppose she now knows about her husband’s ulterior motives. I’m sure he endured a scathing lecture about it.
“That’s all you have to say for yourself? How can I trust you if you have your own objectives in mind? What the fuck were you thinking?”
“He hit her, sir,” I say. At its core, that’s my only reason. “I won't lie to you or twist it in any way to save my own ass. The moment he struck her, I lost control.”
“But then you wentback.” Luca narrows his gaze on me, standing only a few feet away, hands in pockets. Tony stands behind him, expression indifferent. Although we get along, we both know our actions can lead to deadly consequences, ones that we might have to execute against one another. Ara watches me from the corner of the room, her perfectly manicured nail now tapping on her crossed arms.
“I did. The same night.”
“And you still didn’t strike up a deal, despite his weakened state?”
I’m unsure how to word it. Everything I’ve worked hard for in my career is about to be taken away. This is the only life I've lived for over a decade, and now I’ve jeopardized it. “You put me in charge of protecting Lily Taylor. So, I did. That man was a danger to her, and?—”
