Page 42 of Sweet Prison
The icy grip of winter crushes me, and the joy I felt plummets like a lead balloon. Frost creeps into my bloodstream, supercooling the air in my lungs. Not a spark of the previous warmth remains.Of course.Why else would he want me close tohim? He’s not finished taking over his empire. Not done seizing his due respect and power.
Did you really think there’d be another reason?
I take a deep breath. And then another. At least he’s honest. He’s always been that with me. But for the first time ever, I hate him for it. I wish he’d lied and said it was because he likes me. I know it’s not true, but I’d rather believe a lie right now than face the cold hard truth.
Biting my cheek, I turn around and tilt my head up until our gazes meet.
Dark pools. I had no idea a person’s eyes could be the deepest shade of night. His are so dark that I can’t distinguish his irises from his pupils. It’s like falling into two bottomless black holes, and they are dragging me into their depths.
For most of my life, I rarely met other people’s eyes. Largely because I was afraid they’d glimpse the insecurities I tried so hard to hide and would find a way to use them against me. But also, because I didn’t want to see what was hidden in their stares. Their unsuppressed opinions of me. How weak I was—for not standing up for myself, for not confronting those who said shit about me. Their convictions that I must be stupid, all because I avoided conflict. Seeing those things in their eyes, made me believe them. I felt small. Worthless. Inadequate. Aside from Nera, who is biased by sisterly love, not a single soul has ever made me feel good about myself.
Until him.
There isn’t even a speck of reproach or pity in Massimo’s dark gaze as he practically scorches me with his hellish-looking eyes. Trust. Respect. Even admiration. There’s something else there, though. A dangerous glint that makes my heart beat even faster. A dark unknown that I can’t quite discern.
The way he is looking at me now makes me feel as if I’m brave. And daring. Like I can do anything. Maybe even dance naked through the City Hall Plaza as Nera once threatened to do.
“And what if I sayno?” I ask. “What if I want to go with my sister?”
Massimo’s nostrils flare. His jaw is set in a hard line and the veins in his neck are bulging. He’s a rather terrifying sight—towering over me so large and inked and obviously enraged by my questions. If it was anyone else but him, I would have run and hidden by now. But I don’t feel threatened by him at all, because even angry, he still looks at me with the same reverence as he did a minute ago.
He fists his hands, which makes his biceps pop inside his tailored suit. Several seconds pass while he just stares at me. Then, he gives me a curt nod and turns to leave without a word.
I follow him with my eyes as he strides across the room, heading to the door. We both know Nera is the only one getting a free pass. Not me. That was the deal we struck. As the imminent and rightful don, Massimo has every right to make me do whatever the fuck he wants. And still, he is walking away. Respecting my decision. Seeing me as a partner. Traversing level ground.
I have no delusions about the type of person he is. God knows, Massimo is the furthest thing from a saint. He’s a killer. A master manipulator who doesn’t think twice about disposing of anything or anyone who stands in his way. An unscrupulous, cunning man who used an adolescent girl like a pawn because it served his purpose. But he has never pretended to be something he isn’t. Not with me. Is that why I’ve fallen so crazy in love with him?
“Massimo,” I call out.
He’s already at the door, but he halts immediately.
“I need half an hour to finish packing,” I say. “Then, I’ll say goodbye to Nera and Lucia, and we can leave.”
Slowly, he turns around and pins me with his dark eyes. “You won’t ask where?”
I reach inside the closet and grab a stack of sweaters. “No.”
I would follow him anywhere. Even to the depths of hell.
The wind blows in my face as I scrutinize the three-story mansion in all its decaying glory. Every window across the structure’s facade is dark, all except for two on the ground floor, making the whole thing look sadder somehow. Even in the fading light, there is no missing the peeling paint on the moldings or the rust that has settled on the white iron balcony railings. The damn place looks just how I feel.
“Your childhood home?” Zahara asks next to me.
“Yes.” I nod. “One of them. The house we moved to when Dad became the don.” My eyes sweep the neglected building once more. “There were always more important matters that needed to be handled, so it kind of slipped my mind to arrange for someone to take care of it. It’s been vacant since Mom and I moved out.”
I look down at Zahara and find her hugging herself. Shrugging off my suit jacket, I drape it over her shoulders, careful not to touch her unintentionally. That single brief stroke of her cheek earlier is the most I’ve allowed myself. I shouldn’thave done even that, but the temptation to feel her sweet essence, if only for an instant, was too great.
What the hell are you doing?
Yeah... I’ve been asking myself that question from the moment I asked her to come with me. Actually, I didn’t evenask. Just proclaimed it like an egotistical asshole, but I think she knew I meant it as a request.
When I arrived at the Leone Villa, my intentions were only to make the necessary arrangements with Nera and then leave. Seeing Zahara was not in the plan. I feared that if I saw her, I’d never be able to let her out of my sight again. My apprehension obviously proved right. The will to walk away dissolved as soon as my eyes found her. Maybe I never had power in the first place. After all, my feet carried me to her apartment while my mind screamed that I might as well be heading to my doom. But resisting seeing her—just once—was never an option for me.
You should have tried harder! She’s nothing but a pawn. One whose usefulness has expired, and you need to shed that deadweight off your back.
She was a pawn. But no longer. Somewhere along the way, Zahara became the force that was holding me together. Stepping foot outside the prison gates this morning, my physical form may have technically been free, but it was only after seeing Zahara, that I was finally able to breathe like a truly free man.
Fuck! The girl is twenty-one. Barely an adult. And she’s your goddamned family! You need to stop this bullshit and send her away. Now!