Page 131 of Vicious Intentions
I square my shoulders and take a step toward her. “I told you. Youarehome.”
“This isn’t my home. This will never be my home,” she says, her voice cold, devoid of its usual softness.
I offer her no response, since none of what I say will be something she wants to hear. Instead, I just walk away, and thankfully, Anna doesn’t try to stop me this time.
After another quick shower, I get dressed and head downstairs for my morning coffee. I find my mother already in the kitchen with my brother, Raffaele, seated beside her at the table.
“Good morning,figlio mio,” she greets, though her smile doesn’t reach her eyes.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, my gaze bouncing between my mother and my brother, since both looked troubled.
“It’s Anna,” Raffaele explains. “She hasn’t eaten a thing since she got here. Apparently, she’s on a hunger strike until you take her back to Chicago.”
“Excuse me?!” I snap, anger flaring. “How am I only hearing about this now?”
“You’ve been busy,” Raffaele says with a sardonic grin. “All those pats on the back from the other Dons for a job well done must’ve kept you from noticing what’s going on in your own house.”
“Raffaele,” my mother interjects, “don’t be so unkind to your brother. It isn’t his fault his fiancée isn’t eating. I should have encouraged her more.”
“No, Mom,” I shake my head. “This isn’t on you. Rafe is right. Everything that has to do with Anna falls on me.”
As I try to think of a way to get Anna to break this idiotic hunger strike, my thoughts land on the brother who still despises me.
“You talk to her. She’ll listen to you.”
Raffaele’s eyes widen, like they might actually fall out of his skull.
“You’re shitting me right now, right?!”
My mother flinches at the disgust in his voice, and I scowl at him.
“Language,” I scold.
To his credit, he’s quick to apologize to our mother.
“I’m sorry, Mom. It’s just… what Matteo is asking… Well, I won’t do it.” He pushes his chair back, already moving to leave.
“Rafe, I’m talking to you,” I say softly, careful not to trigger our mother, but he hears the threat in my voice regardless.
“I said no, Matteo,” he snaps, aggravated. “You once told me the reason for my induction was so no innocent would ever suffer at the hands of evil men. And yet, you forced me to hand-deliver you the one pure soul who should have never beentainted by our world, much less your unworthy hands. You have your prize now, Matteo. You deal with the repercussions of your choices.” But then he pauses at the doorway, his back still turned to me. “Besides, if there is one person she hates more than you, it’s me. I wouldn’t be able to help, even if I wanted to.”
I stand in the middle of the kitchen, knowing there’s truth in his words. Anna will never trust Raffaele again. Not after such a betrayal.
“Cazzo,”I mutter under my breath. “Sorry, Mom.”
“No need to apologize. The situation you find yourself in is not an easy one.”
“No. It’s not.” I drag a hand over my face.
Anna needs to eat. She needs to. I misjudged how stubborn she could be. Fuck my life.
“I was just about to take this tray up. Maybe you can be more persuasive?” my mother says, handing me a tray with slices of toast, fresh fruit, yogurt, and orange juice.
“Oh, I’ll be persuasive, all right,” I mutter, grabbing the tray from her hands and heading for the third floor.
If she thinks I’m going to let her wither away, she has another thing coming.
When I reach her room, Anna is no longer in bed. I set the tray on her nightstand and go looking for her, only to find her finishing brushing her teeth in the bathroom.
