Page 34 of Leave Me (Touch of Death 2)
The low murmur of voices comes from the living room, and I creep closer on muted steps before I pause outside the door.
“Gabriella. It’s good to see you. What can we do for you?” Nero says.
“My sister is marrying Enrique Bianchi.” Gabriella’s voice is like the crack of a whip.
“I’m aware.”
“You were supposed to stop her,” she hisses, the accusation clear in her voice.
“Protecting your sister cost us greatly. Enrique has brought the wrath of the Elite down on us, a war we thought long forgotten.”
“You promised me—”
“I offered her protection, and it came at the cost of my family! If it weren’t for Sasha—”
“You told me he was the best.”
I inhale a deep breath and steel myself before stepping around the corner. For a moment, I go unnoticed before I rap my knuckles on the open door. Gabriella and Nero both still and turn to face me. Nero’s chest rises and falls on an agitated breath. Gabriella glares at me, but it’s more than that. She looks heartbroken, defeated, and angry.
“I was supposed to keep Adelina safe, and I failed,” I admit. “I’m sorry.”
“I trusted you.” Her gaze shifts from me to Nero. “Both of you.”
I see the exact moment that Nero’s patience fails him. He closes the distance between Gabriella and himself, and for a second, I’m sure he’s going to hurt her. Instead, he presses his body to hers, towering over her small frame. To her credit, she doesn’t back up, meeting his eyes with her own defiance. Her shoulders square, her chin lifts, and I see why Adelina respects her so much. The two sisters are so alike in many ways, but Gabriella wears the confidence of someone who was raised to run a family.
“Your precious fucking sister knocked out one of my guys and shot Sasha while the rest of us fought the small army of Elite that Bianchi brought to my damn gates.” His eyes narrow. “I more than upheld my end of our agreement out of loyalty to your family.”
Her brows pinch. “Why would she do that?” Her gaze darts frantically between us.
“Bianchi attacked us…for her, so she went to him. I would have stopped her, so she shot me.”
“She wanted to go to him. You need to accept that,” Nero cuts in.
Gabriella squares her shoulders to prepare for an argument. “You don’t truly believe that?”
Nero cocks a brow, saying nothing.
She whirls to face me as though seeking an ally, and Nero retreats once more, leaning against the back of the leather couch. “It’s Adelina! She thinks she’s doing the right thing,” Gabriella almost pleads.
“I know,” I say.
“She’s just young and naïve.”
“I know.” My voice is robotic even to my own ears. “But it’s out of our hands.”
“You mean you have your own issues, and she’s a low priority.”
“It would start a war,” Nero interjects, though Gabriella never tears her attention from me.
I stare into the deep brown of her eyes, playing witness to her pain, and I understand it because I feel it keenly. “No, I mean, she’s made her choice, and we can only respect it.” And then I watch as her brow crumples. “She wants to kill him. It’s out. Of our. Hands.”
“I know what she wants,” she whispers. “But you have to know she won’t be able to just walk away from that.” Her dark eyes lock with mine, and it’s like she can see my emotions clear as day. She’s grabbing threads and pulling, tugging at bits of me I’m trying very hard to bury and dragging them to the surface. “Even if she succeeds, they’ll kill her.”
The thought of Adelina dying shouldn’t be so debilitating, but it leaves me breathless. “I know.” For weeks, I’ve tortured myself with the thoughts Gabriella now reiterates.
“We at least have to try to get her out.” Gabriella’s voice rises, and I know the hint of desperation well. “You owe her that much.”
Any and all patience I have snaps like a cut thread. “Don’t you think I tried!” My voice is loud, too loud, my anger shamefully on display, but I can’t stop it. “I went to his villa, tried to get her to come with me. She wouldn’t.” I release you from your duties.
Gabriella frowns. “Why—”
Like a snowball, it just keeps building. “I ran with her for weeks. Kept her safe. I was willing to die for her. She shot me and went to him, so don’t tell me what I owe her. I don’t owe Adelina Ricci a single thing. Let her marry him.” I spit the words through gritted teeth before I finally release a shaky breath, forcing myself to calm down. “I’m done with her.”
I take one step back, then another, finding a certain relief in the declaration. I need to put it behind me. I can’t dwell on her betrayal and my failures. It’s not productive. Mistakes are to be learned from. That’s all.
