Page 34 of Tangled Deceit

“Just how rich are you?” Her question is cautious, as if she's unsure whether she should ask.

“Enough that I don’t ask how much something is when I want it,” I answer, moving my palms over her back.

“Must be nice not to have to worry about bills,” she muses and starts to roll over, wincing as she goes, so I don’t fight her.

I shift onto my side and face her, needing to know if this is going to be a problem. “And neither do you. I paid every bill attached to your mother’s house.”

She tenses, but not for long. Instead, there’s a longing in her face that I don’t expect.

“Tori and I were supposed to go through everything at the house together when I was ready,” she says softly. “What if I don’t get that chance?”

“You will. I promise,” I say. “We know where Tori is, and from what we’ve seen, she doesn’t even realize she’s being held captive. At least, not that she’s showing.”

This has Olivia’s attention back on me. “What do you mean?”

“We went to the last house that Titan owns,” I tell her since I didn’t get to last night. “She was sitting in the living room, watching TV with a bowl of popcorn in her lap.”

I anticipate relief, so when her eyes well up with tears, and she turns away from me, I'm taken aback.

Gently, I grasp her chin and redirect her gaze towards me. “What's wrong?”

“I'm a horrible person,” she mumbles, struggling to meet my gaze.

“You couldn't be, even if you tried,” I reply. “Tell me what's upsetting you.”

Her lip quivers until she takes a deep breath, regaining control of her emotions. “He didn’t hurt her.”

And suddenly her tears make sense. Titan didn’t hurt Tori, someone not of his blood, but he had no problem beating the fuck out of his only child.

With the utmost care, I pull her into my arms and hold her close. “And he’ll pay for that too, Raven. For everything.”

She nods against my chest, and I want to say something else, but the fury within me is all-consuming. How could that bastard not look at Olivia and see perfection? How could he raise a single finger toward her or allow anyone else to without feeling this…unrelenting wrath?

Titan Moretti has a lot to pay for, but hurting Olivia is the one transgression I won't let myself forget when I finally have him within my grasp.

16

OLIVIA

Another day passes, and while I’m told I don’t need to worry about Tori, I still do. There is so much fury storming within me that I can’t stop thinking about her or the piece of shit that took her.

Luca, along with Justine, have both insisted that Titan is nothing and that I deserved a better father, but these words alone can't silence my mind. This might be exactly what he wants—for me to fret over Tori. Clearly, she isn't being hidden; Titan wants me to know he's got her under his control, making her think he's shielding her from the big, bad mafia man named Luca Monroe.

If only she knew the real story. If only I'd been honest with her.

Luca is already out of the apartment this morning. I promised him I was fine, but as I climb out of bed, I know that being with him yesterday set me back. Though, I have no regrets. Luca’s presence stitches up the emotional wounds more effectively than any medicine, and right now, those wounds run deeper than the physical ones.

The upside is that Justine’s cream is working its magic; my bruises have already transitioned to a garish green-yellow hue. However, my rib still throbs in protest.

Dr. Theo came by last night and gave me some anti-inflammatory meds to help with the pain since the painkillers he left before were making me nauseous. As long as I don’t move too fast or try to bend, then I can stay…moderately comfortable. That’s what I try to portray to everyone else around me, at least.

I take a shower, which lasts longer than normal since raising my arms above my head also hurts, but I manage to get washed all by myself. When I’m done, I nearly yelp at Justine waltzing into the bedroom dressed in jeans and a dirtied white shirt with a hardhat under her arm and a clipboard in hand.

“What the hell are you doing in my room dressed like that?” I ask more accusingly than I intend to.

She smirks and raises a brow. “Yourroom, huh? I mean, when Luca asked me to include a bathroom remodel with all the other renovations this morning, I assumed, but good to have a confirmation.”

Her eyebrows waggle at me, and I shake my head. “You are ridiculous.”

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