Page 120 of When She Falls (The Fallen)
Fuck you.
I got one night with Ras. One measly night with a man I have real feelings for. And now I have to face a lifetime with Rafaele, a man I do not love, all the while knowing that I’m in this position because my father and my brother care more about themselves than anyone else.
“Are you confident Rafaele will make a good don?” I ask. “Or are you just happy you won’t have to pay for your mistakes? Last night, Rafaele told me how Vince helped you craft this entire plan. The two of you must be very pleased with yourselves.”
Surprise flashes inside Papà’s eyes before he tampers it down. He places a fist on the desk and gives me a condescending look. “Rafaele has a strange moral compass. His insistence on telling you the full details about our arrangement drove me up the fucking wall. I told him it would only make you upset. But he’s apparently fine with that, and also fine with committing murder in front of his future wife.”
My nostrils flare on an intake of breath. “You know what? I don’t mind. At least with him, I know exactly what I’m getting myself into. What I do mind is how you and Vince shamelessly manipulated me. Why didn’t you just tell me everything from the start? If you’d come and asked me to do this for you and Vince, if you’d showed me some respect and explained the situation, I probably would have done it anyway. I would have volunteered myself for a lifetime of unhappiness if you’d just been honest with me. But I know why you weren’t.”
Papà flexes his jaw. “Watch your tone. You don’t know anything.”
I take a step back, my internal alarm ringing, but I have to get this off my chest. I just don’t have the strength to hold it back anymore. “You weren’t honest with me because you’re a selfish coward. You’re terrified of ending up behind bars, aren’t you, Papà? That must be embarrassing to admit, given many better men in our family have served their time. But not you. All you care about is taking good care of yourself. You’re a disgraceful don. I’m starting to think you’re right. Our family will be in good hands with Rafaele. After all, he can’t possibly be any worse than you.”
My only warning is the low growl Papà makes.
Pain bursts over my cheek, sharp and deeper than I’ve ever felt before.
The impact sends me to the floor.
“You think you know better than me?” my father grinds out.
I catch myself at the last second with my hands, and my left wrist screams in pain. A weak sob escapes me.
“You think I made this decision lightly?”
Before I get a chance to catch my breath, a hit comes to my side. A kick. I squeeze my eyes shut.
“You dare to blatantly disrespect me after everything I’ve done for you?”
Another kick against my ribs. I moan in pain, shrinking into myself, clutching my knees to my chest.
And then I hear something that makes the hairs on my neck stand.
A roar.
The books on the shelves shake. There’s a loud crash. A big tome falls a few feet away from me.
I’m trembling, and the pain in my side is spreading and spreading. The shirt I’m wearing sticks to my back with cold sweat. My stomach clenches, and I throw up. There’s nothing in my stomach but the coffee I drank this morning.
A few moments later, someone’s hauling me up. I recognize who it is by his scent.
“Ras?”
Familiar hands cradle my face. “Are you okay?” he asks, his voice shaking with fury.
I blink at him. “There’s something wrong with my side.”
I get a single glimpse of his murderous expression before he carefully tucks me behind him and moves toward Papà.
My father’s slumped against the bookshelf, a trickle of blood running down his chin. His furious gaze is locked on Ras.
“Get out,” Papà says with a sneer. “Get the fuck out before I—”
Ras lunges at him, slams him into the bookcase, and wraps his fingers around his throat.
“You fucking decrepit piece of shit,” he spits out, the veins on his forearms growing more prominent as he squeezes and squeezes. Papà’s face turns beet red beneath his grip.
“I knew it was you.” Ras’s voice is clear and deadly and ricochets off the walls. “You’ve done this to her before.”
