Page 80 of Dark Alliance
So, I was what? A convenient scapegoat that served myself up on a silver platter? The final piece in the getting-away-with-murder puzzle?
I really messed up this time.
Even if I’m innocent, the alliance is ruined, and now I’m the fall guy for Eduardo’s death. Finn’s going to be pissed, and once Nino discovers I escaped, he’ll put a bounty on my head.
At this point, Declan’s the least of my worries. I don’t care what he has to say about any of this, either, because nothing could be worse than what I’m saying to myself. I also no longer give a fuck about any diamonds.
I care about the fact that Cat saved my life after I let her down.
No games. No quid pro quo. No judgment.
I’ve never had that before. Especially not with Declan.
She saved my life, and I’ve only complicated and torn hers apart.
I don’t know what to do with that sort of knowledge or trust. That…commitment.
I knock my head against the door with a groan.
My world’s turned upside down, and I don’t know that I care.
Chapter 25
Caterina
I’m parentless. Orphaned. Can a grown woman be an orphan?
I don’t know. I’m just so…alone. When my mother died, my father assumed both roles. We never spoke of it, but he did.
How can one man serve as both Ricci the crime boss and the loving “replacement” mother to an introverted little girl whose favorite pastimes were solo activities like reading, art, and swimming?
Most men would’ve fallen short or not even attempted to get through to that child. They would have left the house manager and kitchen staff to raise her.
Not Eduardo Ricci.
He taught himself how to braid my hair. Granted, he only attempted this feat once, as it was a complete disaster that resulted in two very tired rubber bands getting cut out of my curls. Nonetheless, he’d put in the effort.
My father always had my back.
He also taught me how to play chess. I hated it, so we moved on to puzzles. Neither of us liked those, but it took us an entire year to admit the truth to each other. By that point, our bond had blossomed.
Nino was always welcome to join, but he had sports and music and didn’t enjoy sitting still in any capacity. My brother could barely survive dinnertime.
I remember my dad attending my first swim meet, the only parent wearing a designer suit in an eighty-degree room with ninety percent humidity. He was present for my high school graduation. He helped me set up my dorm room that following fall when I went away for college to swim competitively. Father insisted I have a normal life for as long as I could.
So, I tried it his way for nine whole months, until my last rotator cuff injury. Despite how things ended, the experience did what he claimed, changing my life and giving me a purpose beyond family. Nino never had that.
I already miss my father so much…
By the time my swollen eyes finally close, dawn started creeping in. The crying renders them tender and raw, but I fight sleep until light breaks through my window. I don’t want to nod off only to wake up in a world where my father no longer exists.
Four hours later, I wake in the universe I can’t fathom.
For about three seconds, a heavy fog clouds my mind, blocking out everything. Then grief crashes over me as last night returns in a rush.
As much as I want to, I can’t lie in bed for the rest of the day and cry.
I’m the oldest child, after all. The house is my responsibility.
