by Ashley Jade
Question is...why the hell not?
He clears his throat. "Is that so?"
"Yeah," I say. "But I want to make a deal first."
He presses his pointer fingers to his lips, appearing amused.
I want so badly to wipe that smug expression off his fucking face and give him another gruesome scar.
"Go on," he says, his eyes narrowing.
I sit up and match his expression, my finger on the trigger of my gun. "Lucianna," I say. "I want—"
I don't get a chance to finish that statement because DeLuca gestures to someone behind me. "Ah, there she is," he says and every single cell in my body ignites.
Rage hits me hard as I watch her walk over to him. She's wearing some little white dress, far more makeup than she usually does, and worst of all?
A smile.
A genuine fucking smile. A smile that tells me she actually wants to be here....with him.
I know we said we were done...but for her to go back to him as a way of getting back at me?
God, how could she do this to me?
I barely suppress my growl when he holds out his hand and she eagerly takes it.
That's when his gaze shifts to me. "Now tell me, son. What exactly is it that you want with my wife?"
Chapter 22 (Lou-Lou)
If actual heartbreak could be captured in a single expression...the look on Ricardo's face would be the poster board for it.
I look down, because there's no way I can possibly look at him any longer.
And quite honestly? The sooner this is all over the better.
I'm barely even functioning. I cast a glance at my ring of death and swallow down the lump forming in my throat.
When I'm forced to lift my head and look at him, one thing becomes abundantly clear.
I never want to see Ricardo again.
My God, I never knew it was possible to love someone so much and hate them with the same vehemence.
My fist clenches with my next thought. He's too late.
He should have ridden in on his dark horse and chose me a fuck of a lot sooner than he did.
Hell, I chose him. I chose him over everything.
And it's a decision I'll regret for the rest of my life.
"What exactly is it that you want with my wife?" DeLuca repeats and I see Ricardo's eyes flash.
He stands up and shakes his head. "Nothing." He looks at me and my heart pangs. "Absolutely nothing. Coming here was a mistake." He laughs bitterly. "Congratulations to the happy couple. Let me know where to send the wedding gift."
He's making his way across the dining room when DeLuca says, "Not so fast, Ricardo."
My senses are on high alert when Ricardo turns back around. I'm ready to throw myself in front of him in case DeLuca decides to pull a fast one. Dammit heart. Pick a side and stick to it.
"Thank you for your earlier offer," DeLuca begins. "But it won't be necessary." He swings an arm around my waist and pulls me close. "The council and I have decided there are much better options to pursue."
Ricardo's eyes are narrowed into tiny slits and he takes a step forward. "What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"
DeLuca's tongue finds his cheek and he places a hand on my stomach. "Your service over the last few months was greatly appreciated," he says and I'm beyond confused.
Until he says, "But now that I've been able to figure out how to fix a certain problem—I'm taking matters back into my own hands." He smiles sinisterly, "I'm really looking forward to your replacement."
I see Ricardo reach into his pocket but DeLuca tsks. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. I might not be able to take you out yet—at least not until my wife gives birth to my child...but I most certainly can and will take out Jackson and Tyrone."
Oh, my god. No.
The color drains from Ricardo's face and I'm too stunned to speak.
This time, I do look at Ricardo. I need him to know this isn't true—I would never agree to willingly go along with something that would kill him. However, he refuses to meet my gaze.
DeLuca takes a sip of his wine and wiggles his eyebrows. "Now run along, vigliacco. I have important matters to attend to."
When he leaves, DeLuca faces me. "Go pack. Our flight for Italy leaves in two hours."
I consider throwing a dish at his head, but I storm off instead.
I have to talk to Emilio and find out just how fucked up this situation really is.
"DeLuca thinks I'm the key to breaking this curse?" I repeat and Emilio nods.
"He's crazy," I whisper-shout. "Like out of his mind crazy." My mouth hangs open. "Witches and prophets? This isn't a freaking paranormal fairytale...this is real life. My life."
"I know. And you're right...he's nuts," Emilio agrees. "But the prophet told him you were the chosen one and now the entire council believes that you're the one who will be giving birth to the next DeLuca son."
My face falls. "Well, technically I would have."
He rubs his eyes and leans back in his chair. "Yeah, but if that would have happened...DeLuca would have killed Ricardo. He was given permission by the council to do it the moment you give birth to a healthy baby."
His expression turns apologetic. "I had no other option, Lucianna. Believe me, if there was any other way...I would have taken that route."
"There was another way. Ricardo just agreed to take over. If I told him— "
"No. it wouldn't matter," he says, cutting me off. "One—who knows what Ricardo would have done after hearing that. He could have gotten himself killed sooner rather than later. And two—DeLuca has the entire council believing that he's nothing but a waste of DeLuca blood. A vigliacco."
He inhales deeply. "And Ricardo's done nothing to dispute that since he's been adamant about refusing to take his place—not to mention, the council knows Ricardo despises everything about being a DeLuca. Therefore, DeLuca would have easily convinced them to let him raise the baby and kill Ricardo." He swallows hard. "The council doesn't think he has what it takes. They'll never accept him and they'll never protect him...not until he sells his soul to the devil."
We stay silent for a few moments while I soak everything in.
I draw my knees up to my chest. "I need you to do something for me."
"What?"
"I know Ricardo's mad at you...but I also know he trusts you and looks up to you." I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. "Before Ricardo left DeLuca told him he was going to impregnate me and replace him."
"Shit," Emilio mutters.
"I know. And seeing as DeLuca admitted that Ricardo's life is on the chopping block when that happens...you can just imagine what Ricardo thinks of me right now."
He nods and pulls out a cigarette. "He thinks you're helping DeLuca kill him."
I bat away at my tears but it's no use. "Despite the way I feel about Ricardo now...I can't have him think that, Emilio. I would never do that to him...ever. What I felt for him...what I still feel for him is real. You have to set him straight somehow. Tell him I would never go along with a plan to kill him. Please."
He blows out a thick cloud of smoke. "No, it's better this way." When I open my mouth to protest he says, "I think you're missing something here, Lucianna."
"What?"
"The only reason DeLuca would have outright told him he's planning on getting you pregnant and killing him...is because he knows something is up between you two." His eyes open wide and he curses under his breath. "Which explains why he wanted the fetus tested."
My insides twist with those words for a few different reasons. I sprout up from the floor and begin hyperventilating but Emilio grabs my shoulders. "Relax. I was already prepared for it. Not to get too technical, but I took a sample from Luke's body and I threw off the test."
I stare at him in disbelief. "How are you always one step ahead of him? No one is ever one step ahead of him."
He shrugs. "I'm an observer. I've watched DeLuca at work for over 35 years. You start to pick up things, and in turn, it
makes it easier to anticipate the next move." He takes a drag of his cigarette, agony swirling in his eyes. "I couldn't anticipate his every move, though."
"Isabella," I say out loud before I can stop myself.
"Yeah, never saw that one coming. Ricardo didn't, either."
I slink back to the floor, the thought of her bringing my own situation to the forefront. "So, what happens if I do end up pregnant with DeLuca's baby?" I put my head in my hands. "He thinks I'm the key to breaking this...this curse. What if he's right? What do I do? What does Ricardo do?"
I put my hand over my mouth to stop myself from puking. "I can't have his baby, Emilio. I'd rather die."
Besides, the only baby I want is the one that was savagely taken from me.
He gives me the saddest look I've ever seen before he says, "You won't end up pregnant, Lucianna. I promise you."
I roll my eyes. "You can't guarantee that. You don't know—" I stop when I realize. "You son-of-a-bitch!"
I stand back up, hoping what I suspect isn't correct, but knowing with all my heart that it is. The fact that he can't even look me in the eyes right now confirms it. "The curse really is broken—but not because of DeLuca. It's because I can't have children anymore...can I?"
"I thought I told you to start packing for Italy," DeLuca barks. "I've already had to call the pilot to tell him we'll be late. Now get up."
I don't move a muscle.
Not even when DeLuca drags me off the bed and onto the floor.
Not even when he takes his gun out and points it at me. "Snap out of it," he bellows.
I barely register his words.
However, I do register when he lays the gun down on the floor in front of me. "Here."
I must be hallucinating. He can't be serious.
But damn that gun looks tempting.
I lift my head and look into his cold, dark, evil eyes. "I hate you," I say deadpan, because it's true.
This man has taken everything from me.
My virtue, my freedom, my sanity, the man I love, and my child.
It's that last thought that causes my next action.
I pick the gun up and he raises an eyebrow. "I hate you," I say again, louder this time.
"Then do it," he prompts.
The anger pulsing through me is like nothing I've ever experienced before. But it fails in comparison to the sheer devastation stabbing me in the heart.
There's only one way I can be with my baby again. The only way I can undo all of this pain.
I put the gun to my head.
Images of Ricardo flash through my mind, images of us in love and happy, but it's still not enough to stop me. The pain is too unbearable.
I close my eyes and pull the trigger...awaiting my sweet relief.
A sweet relief that never comes.
Because there are no bullets in the gun and it was just another one of DeLuca's cruel tricks.
"Goddammit, Lucianna," DeLuca booms. "You weak fucking bitch."
When I look up at him, I'm surprised to find him looking shaken and upset. "I thought you were stronger."
I laugh like a madwoman. "Well, I guess we both once thought things about the other that are no longer true. Huh?"
His hand wraps around my throat and he lifts me up off the ground.
He sucks his teeth and looks down at me. "Yes, it's rather unfortunate. Don't you think?" He looks around the room. "Especially for you— given you're stuck with me for an entire lifetime now, Wife."
I shake my head, because he's so fucking wrong. Not when I find a gun that works I'm not.
He backs me into the wall and presses a hand to my heart. "Pull that shit again and I swear to God, I'll make you suffer."
"You already do," I say through clenched teeth. "Every moment I'm with you I suffer."
The hand around my throat grows tighter. "I think you're forgetting something, Bambina."
I can't answer due to him slowly choking me. He takes the opportunity to continue, "I know everything about you. Every. Single. Fucking. Thing."
He presses down on my heart. The pressure hurts like hell. Like he's actually stopping my heart from beating. He releases my throat for half a second and I make a strangled sound as the corners of his lips turn up in a snarl. "Everything—from the way your cunt tastes—to the exact moment your heart decides to beat."
He licks my neck and I fight back nausea. "And most importantly...I know the way you look at someone you've fallen in love with."
He bites my neck so hard I cry out. "Because you used to look at me that way."
He holds my gaze and I feel the entire world shift on its axis. "Attempt to off yourself again. Hell, attempt to cross me again, Bambina—" He leans in close. "And I'll bring you his heart on a silver platter...right before I make you swallow and choke on it."
I close my eyes, because he's got me right where he wants me.
I hate Ricardo...but it doesn't overshadow the love I still feel for him.
"What do you want from me?"
His hand splays over my stomach. "You know what I want, Bambina—you carrying my seed."
"What if I can't?"
He smiles. "You can and you will. It may take a few weeks, but I'm willing to wait." He crosses his arms over his chest. "Now go pack."
"Why are we going to Italy?"
He lets out a frustrated sigh. "Because I've been offered a position on the council...given that I've managed to do something no one else ever has. However, they would like to meet you first. Find out what kind of woman will bear the next DeLuca son. See if she's as strong as I told them all she was."
He eyes me up and down, disgust across his face. "How strong she used to be, anyway."
I give him a sly grin, purposely taunting him. "What if it's a girl?"
The hand on my stomach balls into a fist and I wince. "Then she better not be a raging fucking cunt like her mother is."
He lifts my dress and I shake my head, knowing I've pushed him too far and wishing I hadn't.
I cry out when he pushes a finger inside me. I'm still cramping and far too sore and his movements are sharp and painful. "But to answer your question, if the baby is a girl, we try again." He adds another finger and I hiss because it hurts so much. "And again." When he adds a third finger, I double over in pain, but he forces me back up. "And again. Get the picture?"
I nod and he removes his fingers. I close my eyes, thankful it's over— until I hear the sound of him removing his belt buckle and he says, "In fact, why don't we start right now?"
"No. Please," I plead, my voice cracking.
He looks down at his fingers which are stained red. "You know, on second thought...I'd rather wait until you've finished bleeding out your first child."
The statement causes me to slide down the wall in a fit of sobs.
His evil laughter fills the room and I wish more than anything that his gun had a fucking bullet in it...because I know exactly where I'd aim and shoot now.
Chapter 23 (Lou-Lou)
I sigh and glance out the window of the airplane, wishing I had a parachute.
Or better yet? Wishing the entire plane would fucking crash.
Meeting the members of that god-forsaken 'council' in Italy was awful. I've never seen so much evil in one room.
If I didn't know any better...I would have sworn I was standing in actual hell.
And don't even get me started on meeting the witch who began chanting the craziest things as soon as she saw me.
"Don't look so miserable," DeLuca says before taking a long sip of his drink. "We're going back home." He holds up a finger. "Or rather, you are—I'm going back to Italy for the next two weeks."
"I'm aware of the new schedule," I snap and he shoots me a warning glance.
Every two weeks DeLuca will fly in—the first trip will be for when I'm ovulating— and the second will be 'just for fun.'
On the bright side, I'll have two whole weeks to myself at the mansion. Where I can be alone.
"S
o when can I get my stuff from the apartment and move it back into the mansion?"
He gives me a strange look. "Why would you do that?"
I sit up in my seat. "Gee, I don't know—because I'd like to have my things at my current place of residency?"
The backhand I earn from that comment almost causes me to pass out. "Keep talking to me in that tone, Lucianna." He squeezes my thigh. "Do I need to tell you again in detail how I'll make you pay...or should I just go ahead and do it?"
I quickly shake my head. "No. Mio amore. I'll be good. I'm just anxious to collect my things and settle back in at home."
He takes another long pull of his drink. "I don't know why you think you're moving back into my home right now."
"Why wouldn't I be? I'm your wife, remember?"
He lifts my left hand up and studies my wedding band that seems to get tighter with every day that passes. "I'm aware." He drops my hand. "And my wife still has a job."
I can hardly believe my ears. "You still want me to be a ring girl?"
No, no, no. If I have to do that...it means I have to see Ricardo again.
I can't bear the thought of that. "Please don't make me go back there."
He appraises me and his nostrils flair. "Why? Afraid you'll run into a certain someone?"
When I don't answer, he pushes my skirt up and jerks my thighs apart. "Answer me, Bambina."
"No," I say. "I'm not afraid of running into anyone."
"I'll tell you what?" he says, surprising me. "I'll make you a deal."
I shudder, because those words coming from him are never good.
But I'm desperate and I fall for it anyway. "What kind of deal?"
When he undoes his zipper and pulls his erection out I feel sick.
He strokes himself and licks his lips. "Climb up here and fuck me and I'll let you come back home."
It's an easy choice. I can't see Ricardo.
I'll do whatever it takes to ensure that I never see him again. Seeing him will hurt like hell and it will be a constant reminder of what I've lost.
It will be a reminder of why I hate him.
I stand up, step out of my panties and climb on top of him. I blink back tears as I sink down and begin moving. I close my eyes and go as fast as I possibly can, hoping to get it over with quickly.