Page 102 of Beautiful Forever
Holding up five fingers, he waggles each one in succession as he says, “Amato, Knight, Ferreira, Syn, and you. Five makes a pentagon…right? Shit, did I get it wrong? Is it a trapezoid?”
“Pentagon. And there’s nothing going on.”
His laughter booms like cannon fire. “There is most definitely something going on. I can see it, and I’m dead.”
I punch his arm. “That’s not funny.”
“But true. On both counts.” His expression hardens. “Why didn’t you ever tell me that Tristan was our brother? Or about what happened to Mom?”
Old scars that had just begun to heal rip wide open. “I wanted to protect you.”
His eyes roll skyward in exasperation. “From what? The truth?”
“From him.”
No good would have come from him knowing that Francesco was our biological father. Aleksei was already struggling with his demons. Ones I couldn’t save him from. But I sure as hell could save him from Francesco.
Aleksei’s gray eyes sadden when he looks at me. “You protected me my entire life and still the bad shit happened.”
I swipe at the errant tear that breaks loose. “I’m sorry.”
I tried so hard to keep him safe. In the end, I failed my brother. I failed Mama. I seem to fail everyone I love.
“I’m glad you have Tristan. Hopefully he can do a better job of keeping you out of trouble.”
Tears turn to laughter. “I’m not the one who got himself into trouble all the time.”
“What can I say? I’m talented.” He gets out of the chair and squats in front of me, his hands bracing the armrests. “I love you, Aleks. I know I never said those words out loud, but I hope you knew how much.”
Love was an emotion that was not allowed in our house. But I knew what it was because I felt it. From Mama and from him.
“I love you, too.”
He grips my forearms. “I need you to do me a favor.”
“Anything.”
The sadness burns away from his demeanor like flames disintegrating paper into charred flakes of ash. “When you get out of here—and you will get out of here?—”
“Aleksei, don’t go,” I implore when he begins to fade away. I try to grab hold of him, but he slips right through my fingers like mist.
“—tell Syn that you love her.”
I startle awake and almost pass out again as I wheeze through the pain of several broken ribs. The effort of trying to draw in slow, shallow breaths taxes what little strength I have left. Everything hurts. Every-fucking-where. My head is throbbing so hard, I wouldn’t be surprised if my skull cracks wide open and spills my brains all over the floor. I wonder if this is what Tristan experiences every time he gets a migraine.
Blinking my eyes open is an impossibility because of the crusted blood cementing my eyelashes together. Wouldn’t matter anyway. My eyes are so swollen, I wouldn’t be able to see farther than two inches in front of me. Not like there was much to see.
Between punches, I tried to catalog what I could. Anything that would help me figure out where I was. Other than the chair I’m strapped to, there was nothing but four concrete walls, a concrete floor, and a single lightbulb hanging from the ceiling.
“Welcome back.”
My head jerks up at the woman’s voice. I regret it instantly when pain explodes behind my closed eyelids.
“Speak for…yourself,” I mumble through puffy lips.
The woman’s overpowering perfume penetrates through the clotted blood filling my nasal cavities. The guy broke my nose on the fifth punch. I can only imagine what my face must look like.
High heels click against the concrete floor, the sound traveling around the chair counterclockwise in a circle before stopping directly in front of me.
