Page 60 of The Beast

I don’t think there is one part of him I don’t explore and as I circle the scar on his chest just above his heart, I whisper, “How did this happen?”

“Club Mafia.”

His low, husky voice sends a shiver down my spine as I look at the raised edges and gently press my lips to honor it.

“Tell me what happened.”

He twirls my hair in his fingers as I stare into his eyes, and he grins. “The night you left we made a vow.”

“We?”

He nods. “The five of us and Baron came along for the ride.”

“Baron?” The name seems familiar and he can obviously sense my mind working because he waits for me to speak.

“I know that name.”

“What do you know?”

“He saved me.”

“How?” Alessandro looks confused and I smile at the memory that probably saved my life.

“I’m not sure how, but it was his words that kept me going. I can hear them now as clear as the day he said them.”

As I stare into Alessandro’s eyes, it’s another man’s face I see, back at the party when he offered me his advice. I am transported back to Rockwell and know those words were the most meaningful of my life, and I repeat them to Alessandro.

“Learn how to survive and always look for their weakness because there always is one. Then use that to your advantage to get what you want. The element of surprise is a powerful weapon, and I’m guessing you can learn to wield it where it will do the most damage.”

“I don’t understand.” He appears confused and I smile happily, remembering the conversation as if it were yesterday.

“We were talking about my life after Rockwell Academy. I was afraid of what the future held and confided in him about my fears. I was resigned to the fact I couldn’t change my future, and those words were his response to that. Somehow, I have repeated those words like a mantra for the past two years, always looking for my opportune moment. Then it happened.”

“What do you remember?” Alessandro’s voice is measured, but his eyes glitter with rage as I drag out another dark part of my soul into the light.

“I remember the confusion. A restaurant perhaps. Massimo was angry; there was chaos everywhere. He was distracted, he was never distracted, and I remember telling myself this was it. The opportune moment to escape, and so I took the box from his jacket that was hanging on the chair, knowing that whatever was concealed in the syringe would be potentially lethal. I didn’t even stop to think and while he was shouting, I drove the needle straight into his neck.”

I exhale sharply. “I was so scared, Alessandro. It was as if I could die at any moment, and then there is no recollection of what happened after that.”

He nods. “You fell. He stumbled toward you, and took you down with him, hitting your head on the table as you went down.”

“So, it was me.”

I am strangely euphoric as I stare with delight into his eyes. “I brought him down, just like Baron promised me I could. My opportune moment tipped the balance and set me free. I remember.”

The relief is enormous as I register what I did. Nobody else. Me. It’s an indescribable sensation knowing I am the one responsible for my freedom and it empowers me in a way I wasn’t expecting. It’s as if the fog clears and I step into the sunshine. Tearing free from the chains holding me in place. I was the master of my own destiny and yet…”

I must frown because Alessandro says with concern, “What is it?”

“I don’t know.” I stare at him with confusion.

“I should be happy. It’s over. I won.”

“It is.”

He smiles his reassurance, but there’s something heavy weighing me down inside. An ache that grows stronger by the day that is promising to burst my bubble in a devastating way.

Trying to shake it from my head, I force a smile onto my face.

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