I move closer, and the most striking feature jumps out at me.
The letter C is branded on her forehead.
"Lina..." my thoughts immediately lead me to Lina. Because this looks entirely too similar to how Father Guerra's body had been treated, the organs on display, the body ravaged by some type of wild beast.
I don't even think as I dial her number, afraid that this could have been intended for her.
"Lina," I start when she answers. "Something bad happened..."
PART II
Wake up, little monster, darkness is calling.
Chapter Nine
Staying away from the crowd that's already formed in front of the church, I keep pacing around waiting for Lina and Marcello to arrive.
I must admit that I've missed her so much that when I get her call that she's here, I'm over the moon. It's been too long since I've seen her, and I can't help the happiness that blooms inside my chest.
"Lina?" I spot her in the distance and I run towards her. "Oh, Lina! I missed you!" She takes me in her arms, her hand caressing my back affectionately.
"Sisi, are you ok?" she asks, and for a moment I just close my eyes, simply soaking in her presence.
I nod, but taking a step back, I realize she's not alone.
"Marcello? And..." I swing my gaze at the newcomer, struck by his lethal aura.
He's big, just as tall as Marcello, and with a physique to rival my brother's. It's all well hidden under his immaculate suit, but there's no mistaking the way his shoulders bulge under the material. There's tension radiating off him in spite of the mask of cordiality that seems to be in place.
Rehearsed. Too rehearsed.
I should know, I've done it too many times.
"Vlad," he introduces himself, his voice deep and raspy. As he talks, his smile is a little too wide and not quite reaching his eyes. I raise my gaze to his, and like two bottomless pits, his dark eyes seem to engulf me whole.
Dangerous.
I don't know what makes me think that, but his entire body language speaks of a predator ready to pounce on its prey. Even now, he's boldly assessing me under the guise of civility, but as our eyes meet, something passes between us.
A tremor goes down my body, and my temples throb under the assault of his scrutiny. A soft pressure courses through my limbs, settling in my fingertips as they suddenly become numb.
Hand outstretched, he's waiting for me to grasp it—as politeness dictates. But somehow, the hairs on my body stand up straight just at the thought of being in proximity to him.
I finally wrench my eyes from his, and I blink twice. "Right, so," I say, realizing his presence had made me slightly disoriented.
Who is he and what is he to Marcello?
His features don't change, and there's no reaction given that I've just ignored him. In fact, his lips twitch a little, stretching even further, as if he's trying to overcompensate.
I turn to Lina, but I still see him from the corner of my eyes. I don't know why, but I have the urge to run in both directions at once — away and towards.
"Tell us what happened," Lina urges, and I try to seek comfort in the topic at hand. Certainly, I try to ignore the humming inside my body or the way all my senses seem to be on alert.
"I don't know all the details either, but I was close to the chapel when one nun started screaming. I went inside and... You should see it for yourself if Mother Superior will allow it. It's just..." I shake my head, trying to act as perturbed by what I've seen as possible.
"She'll allow it," Vlad interjects with confidence, and I'm sorely tempted to sneak a peek at him. What makes him so sure? Does he know Mother Superior? All types of questions are going through my mind when I realize my body had instinctively turned toward his, my eyes stuck to him.
He's returning my bold stare, and for a moment his mask drops, the polite grin turning into a languid one of inquiry. His eyes glint in the sunlight as he focuses on me, a small frown appearing on his face.
I don't get to dwell on that, since his expression suddenly changes again, his affable smile back in place.
"Easy," his hand steadies my arm, his touch searing against my skin. I immediately jerk away, clarity returning to my mind.
What the...
Marcello and Lina are ahead of us, so I just quietly turn to follow them, using my fingers to rub at the spot he'd touched. I may not have been much around men, but I don't think this is normal...
When we reach the church, tens of nuns are outside, some praying, some sobbing, and Mother Superior seems to have a hard time assuaging everyone's fears.
True to his word, Vlad approaches Mother Superior and has a word with her, returning to confirm she'd allowed them at the crime scene.
Not surprising, Marcello tries to make us wait outside while they investigate, presumably wanting to preserve our delicate sensibilities. Lina and I, however, are having none of it and eventually he relents and lets us join them.
All throughout this, Vlad is silently trailing behind, just watching. Every time those eyes of his settle on me, though, I feel like I'm on a bed of needles, all of them pricking at my skin.
Stepping inside the church, Sister Elizabeth's corpse is fully displayed behind the altar. Her entire body had been desecrated in such a manner that even I'd had a hard time recognizing her. While my initial reaction had been one of shock, since the first thing that had greeted my eyes had been her open womb, empty of her organs, her ribs flaring out into the open, I'd quickly become entranced by the sight.
I'd spent a little time studying her form and how she'd been laid out like an offering, the entire spectacle intriguing and a little... alluring. There had been brutality in her death, but the way in which everything had been arranged spoke of someone highly organized. More than that, the fact that the organs had been carefully placed on the altar table in a symbolic manner was even more captivating. Because even with my novice mind, I could recognize that this wasn't the work of a mere killer.
Even now, as we step inside, I can't help but be drawn to the entire ensemble, a certain beauty creeping from death.
"Who would do this...?" Lina gasps, her eyes wide with horror as she glances at the body.
I try not to show just how fascinating I find this entire scene, but my own body betrays me as my eyes focus on Sister Elizabeth's open carcass.
"This looks eerily similar to what happened to Father Guerra." I point out, almost absentmindedly. "His insides had also been tampered with. Well, not in this manner, but quite similar." Both bodies had been dealt with the same type of care... It may not seem like it with how grotesque everything looks, but there had been a great deal of consideration for every piece of the scene.
"But who would do that? We still don't know who dug up Father Guerra and put him in the graph..." Lina intervenes, shaking her head. "And why? Why the C?" I can see the way her lips tremble ever so slightly as she looks upon Sister Elizabeth's face, the C angrily glaring at us.
Vlad moves behind us, and his presence is like a thick smoke infiltrating the entire room, you feel it in your every atom. Even now, the awareness is unnatural as I feel his slightest movements, or the way his eyes seem to bore into my back.
Taking a deep breath, I try to focus on the body, something deep within catching my eye.
"Wait..." I say, frowning. My feet move of their own accord until I stop in front of the body, my eyes roving over her form.
"Assisi, what are you doing?" Marcello asks, almost exasperated.
"I think I saw something glint in there..." I trail off, catching sight of something inside her body. I don't even think as I stick my hand into her chest cavity, squinting to get a better look as my fingers move around.
To my surprise, whoever's done this did a marvelous job. The organs have been smoothly removed.
"Assisi," Marcello calls out again, but I don't mind it.
Then, I hear him. A sound resembling a pained groan escapes his lips, and my eyes are immediately drawn
to the back. He's looking at me with a strange expression on his face, his black eyes unfeeling yet exuding a strange warmth.
Shaking myself, I return my attention to the body, trying to ignore Lina's cry of outrage, or the way Marcello keeps calling out my name.
"Damnation!" I mutter when my fingers finally grasp at whatever's inside the body.
Holding tightly, I take out my fist and dump the contents on the altar table.
"What...?" Marcello exclaims, his gaze unwavering from the bloody teeth on the table.
Vlad, on the other hand, seems a little perturbed as he removes a handkerchief, wiping the sweat off his forehead.
Odd. He doesn't strike me as the squeamish type.
"Now, this is an interesting turn of events. Wouldn't you say so, Marcello?" He bends low to study the teeth. His voice has an added charm to it. It's in his lilt as he pretends to be wholly unbothered.
Once again, I find my attention entirely focused on him, and I don't like it. Scowling, I return to the body.
"There's something else. I couldn't grasp it before." I take out the other bit, trying my hardest not to look back at Vlad.
I don't know what it is about him, but he scares and intrigues me at the same time.
It's his smile. His very fake smile.
"Here!" I grab onto the material, taking it out and placing it on the table.
"It's vellum... mayhap human vellum." Vlad speaks first, procuring a knife from the inside of his blazer and using it to turn the piece of flesh around. Frowning, he takes out his handkerchief and removes the blood.
"Paying for the sins of others," Marcello reads and Lina reacts with a sudden intake of breath.
"It's because of me, isn't it? Whoever is doing this, it's because of what I did..." she says and Marcello is quick to comfort her.
I lean in to take a closer look at the piece of skin.
"Whose skin is this?" I ask. "Is it hers?"
"Probably not," Marcello replies with a grimace.
"How are you so sure?" I continue. As I move my gaze from Marcello to Vlad, it's obvious they know more than they are telling.
"Because whoever did this," he starts, giving Lina a sad look, "is not targeting you."
"What do you mean?"
"This," Vlad intervenes, swinging his knife around and pointing towards the C on Sister Elizabeth's forehead, "is the mark of a serial killer. The C by itself could have pointed out to you," he turns to Catalina, "but the teeth confirm it's a serial killer we've been looking for."
"What...?" I narrow my eyes at him. Why do I get the feeling they are not telling us everything?
The conspiratory looks that pass between Vlad and Marcello make it clear that they are familiar with this.
And it's only making me more intrigued.
"Let me get this," I place my hands on my hips, tilting my head to the side as I address them, "you're saying that the person who killed our Sister is a serial killer? Then what about Father Guerra? I don't believe it's a coincidence these things happened almost within a week of each other." Closing my eyes, I bring my hand to massage my forehead, trying to think about the connection between Father Guerra and Sister Elizabeth.
It's when I open my eyes again that I find myself face to face with Vlad. He's getting increasingly closer to me until we're mere breaths apart.
What...
My breath hitches in my throat as his presence overwhelms me. He's so close I can smell him. His scent is unlike anything I've ever encountered, a hint of burned sandalwood mixed with musk all over a faint layer of vanilla. It's fairly intoxicating, like darkness wrapped in silk, caressing my senses into overload.
I blink rapidly as I realize his gaze is focused on my forehead, right where my birthmark is.
"Vlad!" Marcello calls out, but it's like he can't hear him.
His features are taut, his smile completely gone and replaced with a pure predatorial look. We're not touching, yet I can sense the dangerous tension radiating from him.
Suddenly, I feel like a gazelle in a savannah, my only focus is survival as I will my limbs to stay still, hoping to avoid the detection of the predator.
"Don't move!" Marcello surprises me by whispering from the side and I nod.
Vlad's nostrils flare slightly as his eyes caress my face in a slow perusal. He leans closer, inhaling.
"Vlad!" I hear Marcello's voice again, but it's like everything falls away. Everything becomes muted as Vlad turns his blank eyes towards me, his breath on my lips.
His hand moves slowly, gently, completely at odds with the big hulking man threatening me with his closeness. Then he does the most unexpected thing. He swipes his fingers over my forehead, taking some of the blood I'd smeared before with my hand and bringing it to his lips.
"What...?" I whisper, stunned.
His lips open to welcome the red liquid, his gaze still set on my face. My limbs feel heavy and warm next to his, his mouth shockingly alluring. I take a deep breath, my palms sweating.
"Assisi, come here, but slowly. He might be dangerous." Marcello says.
It's weird, because I can feel the danger he emanates. It's pure and raw and not unlike a lion stalking his next meal. Yet I can also feel something else. An emptiness that silently calls out, and once again my instincts tell me to both stay and run.
Seeing how worried Lina and Marcello are, though, I slowly move away from him.
"What's wrong with him?" I ask, seeing that Vlad is still in the same position. I doubt he's even noticed my absence.
"He's not... normal," Marcello relays.
"Not... normal?" I repeat numbly, my disturbed mind finding this entirely too fascinating. I watch as Marcello goes to Vlad's side, snapping his fingers in front of him as if he's trying to wake him up from a trance.
"More..." I think I hear Vlad speak, but I can't be sure.
"Marcello, what are you...?" I take a step back when I see my brother folding his sleeves, his features taut as he's surveying the situation.
Don't hurt him!
I don't know where this comes from, but my only thought is making sure Marcello doesn't do anything to Vlad.
I move forward, swiping Lina's arm aside and ignoring Marcello yelling at me to stay back.
Vlad moves too, rather too swiftly as he meets me in the middle. I don't even get to react as his hand shoots out, wrapping itself around my throat and pushing me into the wall.
I hear Lina's cry of alarm, and Marcello as he tries to stop her from intervening, but I can't seem to care.
His fingers wrapped around my pulse point, his warmth transferring from his skin to mine makes me lose all reason. I try to blink some sense into myself, but it's like my body's stopped obeying, giving in to sensation instead.
His grip is firm, and yet gentle. Our entangled position aside, his hold isn't painful. If anything, it's almost tender in the way his fingers play with my skin, almost like a soft caress enveloped in violence.
Nothing about this man makes sense. From the moment I'd met him until now, he's never once acted as I expected him to. And that... intrigues me.
I raise my eyes to his, finding those striking black orbs against pale skin, and I try to understand.
Who are you?
There's a strange dichotomy to him—carnage that leaves way to calm, aggression tempered by civility. The thirst for blood reflected in his gaze should make me afraid. But it only does the opposite.
It calls to my own.
Good lord, but my entire body starts shaking, small tremors coursing through me and accumulating deep in my lower belly.
The more he stares at me like that, as if he'd kill me and kiss me at the same time, the more my body reacts.
"Assisi, are you ok?" Marcello asks, worried.
"I'm ok... he's not hurting me." I manage the words out, my eyes still fixed on Vlad.
"Vlad, I need you to focus, ok? You're hurting my sister right now." My brother starts as he tries to reach a side of Vlad that isn't gone yet.
>
Marcello keeps talking to Vlad, and I notice a small shift, his arms flexing slightly, his eyes gaining a hint of recognition.
"Sister?" A rough sound escapes his lips.
His hand tightens over my throat, his eyes moving wildly over my face.
"Yes, she is my sister. And you are hurting her right now."
"Sister?" He repeats, the word seemingly striking a reaction. "Sister..."
One moment I'm up in the air, the next my feet touch the ground. Even more surprising, Vlad staggers to his knees, his features drawn in pain, his mouth open on a sound that won't come out.
I look into his eyes and I see only one thing.
Suffering.
His arms come around my midriff, bringing his face flush against my belly. Heat emanates from where his body meets mine, and a deep sense of comfort settles in my bones.
"Sister," Vlad whispers again, and I get the sudden urge to thread my fingers through his hair, lull him into a sense of security where he can finally relax, away from whatever demons seem to have possessed him.
His arms tighten around me as he continues to repeat the word sister, each time more urgently than before.
I don't know how to react. I only know that I want to help him overcome whatever he's going through.
Lowering my hand to his back, I pat him slowly, trying to offer him some comfort. He immediately reacts to my touch, purring like a big cat the more I stroke him.
"It's ok. You're safe here," I feel compelled to add, and his shoulders slump slightly, his head moving on top of my habit as if he's seeking something. Then, out of nowhere, his breathing regulates, his chest rising and falling softly.
"I think he's sleeping," I say after a while. Somehow I wish for nothing more than to continue to hold him, but I know it's not my place.
Likely will never be.
So I slowly take his arms off me, a lump forming in my throat as I watch him fall to the ground.
"What was that?" I ask Marcello once I'm next to him.
"He..." he frowns, trying to find the right words to explain Vlad's condition. "has some trauma. This must have triggered him."
Morally Ambiguous: A Dark Mafia Romance (Morally Questionable Book 4) Page 12