Page 121 of Unchained

Gianna

Song- Dethrone, Bad Omens

I glance down at my father, who lets out a groan. I’m going to fucking end this. I might not be able to go back and help the little girl who was manipulated by her father for so long. But I can stop this now. I can make her proud. And then I’ll live with the regret that I stayed. I didn’t fight back sooner.

“I’m not telling you to walk away. I’m telling you to fucking take it. You end him and the empire is yours with Enzo’s backing, you ain’t on your own anymore. You’ve waited long enough and endured enough. You can end this and get everything you wanted.”

My chest constricts; I know what Colten is saying. I understand the meaning beneath his words. It doesn’t matter how strong you are; it doesn’t take away from the fact that I am my father's victim.

“If I take it, that changes everything,” I say.

His hands carefully grip my cheeks, and he pulls me back to him, searching my eyes.

“Enzo’s coming for this territory; he’s going to kill your father and anyone who stands beside him, if you’re the one who kills him, everything becomes yours, that’s his deal, baby,” he says.

I shake my head. “That isn’t what I meant.”

Everything I’ve worked for is waiting right there for me, that light at the end of the tunnel. And yet, it still feels miles away. And looking at my father, this empire, is that what I want? To live hundreds of miles from Colten and be chained to a throne that is created to break everyone.

His thumb brushes my jaw. “G, I’m going to stand right beside you wherever you are. Whatever you decide to do.” He nods, face filled with disgust at my father bleeding out.

“Prove yourself to Enzo. Your father is your abuser, Gianna. That ain’t no dad. He’s going to die whether it’s by your bullet or not. Don’t let him drag you down, baby. Let him make one last worthy act as a parent and sacrifice himself for you. It’s the least that he owes you.”

He pulls a Glock from his holster and places it in my palm. I shift my gaze to the silver metal, and emptiness fills me.

“Why would you be stupid enough to put a gun in my hand, Colt?” I ask, my voice shaking.

I could easily shoot him, get my father out of here, and try to find a way to stop Enzo from taking everything from us. That’s probably what I would have done before I married this cowboy. I believed what my father told me, and I acted on his orders.

Not anymore. The deep pain in my ribs throbs from where my dad kicked me. But the scars run deep and can't be seen by anyone else… except Colt.

He grins, taking my hand and pressing the tip against his chest. “Because I know deep down, you feel this between us too. That no matter what, you’re the most powerful woman I know.”

“And what if you’re wrong? What if I’m like him?” I ask.

He bites his lip. “Then I’ll die being wrong for the first time in my life.”

I let out a defeated laugh, closing my eyes. I promised Dom a way out. Flicking off the safety, that part of me—the one I need to survive, not the girl who was being beaten on the floor—sparks back to life.

“I’m prepared to die if it means you’ll finally see the truth about your life. I ain’t your enemy, G. I never was,” he murmurs.

“How do I know you aren’t lying to me? For all I know, you could be tricking me into murdering my father to get him out of the way for Enzo’s men to storm in here.”

He closes his eyes. “You’re so fucking infuriating, Gianna. My god,” he huffs, running a hand over his face.

“I ain’t like these parasites in your life, and it’s kinda hurtful that you’re even putting me in this bracket. I want you, G. I want to stand beside you and watch you rule. I can’t think of anything hotter than watching you put other men in their place. If I could have hand-picked a woman for myself, I swear to fucking God, it would have been you.”

My heart flutters and my hands begin to tremble. “Even when I’m being infuriating? Or insufferable?” I ask.

“Especially then.” His hand wraps around my throat. “You told me you wanted to reign over LA, and I handed you the keys to everything on a platter; all you gotta do is pull that trigger one more time. That’s it, G, one more time. And if I'm lying, I give you full permission to shoot me too. I give you my word, I’m telling the truth. But I can’t stand by and watch that man hurt you again. So if you don’t do it, I fucking will, G. I’ll do it for you and give you the credit. I don’t give a fuck, I need you, and I can’t let that man drag you down.”

I drop my hand from his chest and rest my head there, listening to his heart pound against my ear.

His arms close in around me, holding me tight.

“I asked for this, Colten,” I say quietly. “I begged my father to make me a leader, to treat me like my brothers. I thought it was making me stronger by letting him lock me up and letting his guards beat the shit out of me. Isn’t that insane?” I almost laugh.

Saying it out loud is beyond insane. It’s ridiculous. And I let it happen.