Athena
As the weight of Frederick’s words still hung heavy in the air, I was startled by the sudden intrusion of Giorgia into the room. She had a glare on her face, and if you asked me, I’d say that was a permanent look for her. I had seen her three times that day, and all I had seen her do was glare at me.
“Who were you speaking to?”
I arched my brow. Just how long had she been behind the door? No, she must have opened it while I was on the call. Luciano’s home was soundproof. People outside couldn’t hear a thing that was said.
“Who’s Frederick, you bitch?!” Giorgia demanded. “You think I would fall for a man like Luciano? You know nothing of what I feel. All I feel for him is hate and anger, nothing more. Who were you saying all that to?!”
Oh shit! She had been there for that long. I held my tongue, giving her a leveled gaze. If anything, it was her word against mine.
Or could I kill her?
I looked around me. There wasn’t a window opened. I couldn’t say someone came in and assassinated her. That would be unbelievable.
Killing her was out of the option.
Giorgia’s anger grew at my silence, her eyes narrowing with fury as she took aggressive steps toward me. I braced myself, preparing for a fight, my muscles tense and ready to defend. But then, out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of Luciano and Luca standing at the door.
Well, shit, I thought sadly. I made a conscious decision to lower my defenses. I relaxed my stance, allowing Giorgia to strike me in the face without retaliating. The sharp sting on my cheek reminded me of the complex web of loyalties I was entangled in.
“Giorgia!” Luciano’s explosive anger reverberated through the room as he witnessed the scene unfold. Good lord, he looked all delicious when he was angry. His eyes flared with rage, and he stormed towards us, yanking Giorgia away from me.
“What the hell is going on here, Giorgia? Why would you lay a hand on her?”
Giorgia’s eyes blazed with defiance, her voice sharp and defensive. “She was talking to someone on the phone! She said she hates you, Luciano!”
Luciano’s anger flared, his jaw clenched tight; I knew he struggled to control his temper. “And that gives you the fucking right to assault her? You know better than that, Giorgia!”
“Luciano, let’s just take a step back and breathe.” Luca interceded. His playful hazel eyes looked dead serious. “Handle this calmly.”
Luciano’s frustration boiled over, his words laced with exasperation. “Calm? How can I be calm when someone I trust acts like a fucking harridan?!”
Giorgia’s eyes blinked with tears. “She’s a threat, you idiot! Why the hell does she even stay here?! Why is she in your home?! I had thought you were busy running around with several women, but dammit, this is worse!”
Luciano’s expression softened slightly, and his voice tinged with concern and frustration as if he was torn. “She’s here because I want her to be, Giorgia. Do not touch Raven again. Or I swear it won’t be fucking pretty!”
“Really, man?” Luca asked, his lips pressed in a tight line. “Isn’t that going overboard? You’ll hurt your childhood friend because of some free pus-”
“I’m sorry,” I interrupted, pulling up the weakest smile I could muster. I had to appear timid, or Giorgia would forever be on my fucking tail. “I hadn’t meant to upset anyone. Giorgia must have heard wrong-”
“Say my name one more time, and one of us isn’t going to hear shit for the rest of her fucking life!” Giorgia growled, and I almost laughed.
Try me bitch!
Luciano gave her a withering glare before turning to face me. His hands reached for mine. “Cara, it’s not your fault,” he said, his eyes filled with understanding that made my stomach feel weird. Why, in the name of all good things was he looking at me like that?! “You don’t need to apologize. Go to your room for now. I’ll handle things here.”
Reluctantly, I nodded. I cast one last glance at Luciano, making sure worry was etched on my face, before leaving the room.
As I made my way down the hall to my room, Giorgia’s venomous words chased after me, her insults cutting through the air. I clenched my jaw in anger. If Luciano weren’t there, that bitch would have seen heaven and hell. Damn her! I would need to find a way to clear her of her misunderstanding, or she really would be a pain.
Closing the door behind me, I leaned against it, my mind racing with emotions. The weight of my mission, the sacrifices I was making -the big fucking sacrifices and the challenges I faced- became overwhelming at that moment.
It felt like I had so much to do. All my past missions weren’t this hard… Or shitty. None of them included me wanting the boss desperately, either. I had to find Luciano’s secret means of leaving the penthouse again because he had blocked the previous one. I had to get information on him since my dumbass brain forgot to record him killing that man on the dock. And I had to find a way to make Giorgia believe it was a misunderstanding.
Overall, I felt like crap.
In the solitude of my room, I sought solace in the silence, gathering my thoughts and planning my next move. The hostility and hatred I faced were part of my sacrifice. I’d get revenge for them later. But for now, I’d pretend to be as timid as a damned mouse.
A storm was coming. And man, it would rage so hard it would destroy everything Luciano had worked for. I would see to it.
***
I woke to an arm wrapped around my waist. My eyes squinted in the dark room, trying to make sense of what was going on. I hadn’t remembered falling asleep, but I doubted anyone was with me when I did. Wiggling, I tried to get out of the hold on me when I heard someone grumble. My eyes widened. I would know that grumble anywhere.
The hell?! How had he gotten in? This was my room, for goodness sake. And why on earth did he switch off the lamp? I never sleep in the dark!
My breathing became clogged as memories plagued me. It felt like I was fifteen again, standing at the door, staring at a pool of blood around my father. The mafia symbol on his chest gleamed back at me. My father’s eyes were opened, and they stared at me with so much hate.
“You promised you would fight for me!” He screamed. “You promised you would kill him!”
I gasped, stepping away as he rose. A zombie of his former self. Dead but alive. His limbs were limp, yet somehow he moved towards me with lightning speed. I screamed then, bolting out of the door. The sky outside was dark; every hair on my skin stood in fear as I ran away from my father.
“Athena!” He growled. “Athena, you promised!”
“Raven!”
“Stop calling me that!” I screamed with my eyes closed, covering my ears with my hands to block out his voice. “I’ll fight for you. I promised, so don’t call me that. You don’t get to call me that!”
“Raven?” My father’s voice morphed into that of Luciano’s, and when I looked, in place of my father stood the deadly handsome mafia lord. “Cara, wake up,”
I shook my head, covering my ears again. He was not real. “You’re not real,”
“I am, baby,” his voice penetrated through my head. “I am real. I need you to breathe, hmm? Come on, Raven,”
“No!” I snapped, trembling like a possessed leaf. “Stay away from me-”
“Sshhh,” he was closer now. I could feel his warm breath on my neck, and warm hands reached out to stroke my arm. “Wake up, Raven. It’s only a nightmare.”
My eyes flew open, and once again, I was in the dark room. There was a dim outline of a man I instinctively knew was Luciano.
“The light,” I forced out through my clogged throat. “Please…”
Luciano got the message; he reached across me to turn on the bedside lamp, the room brightened, and somehow, it felt easier to breathe again.
“It’s okay,” he murmured soothingly, wrapping his arm around me tightly. “I’m here. I’m real,”
And if that shit didn’t make me cry. Tears slid down my cheeks, and a sob wracked my body in the most embarrassing way possible.
“Fuck, Cara, don’t cry. What do I do? Is it Giorgia? Is this because of her?” He sounded so helpless, and that made me cry even more. “Tell me, Raven, what should I do?”
“Just hold me,” I cried, wrapping my arms around him. “Hold me.”