Page 25 of Pocketful of You

"I'm so sorry, Ramona," the woman sobbed. "I tried to get you out – I swear I did. But I…" sniffling, she took a deep breath, "I couldn’t cope with two children, and I thought you'd be okay. You were sworn to –"

"Don’t talk to her," Dad bellowed. "Ever. Again."

Remaining completely emotionless, Seth continued to stare straight at me, ignoring everyone else around us. His stare was so impassive that it frightened me. Did he have any feelings at all?

"I am growing bored of this reunion," Raffaele drawled in a lazy tone. As graceful as a lion, he strolled over to where my brand-newfamilywere cornered and pulled a gun from his holster. "Now, who's first?"

"Not my son," Dad begged, eyes bloodshot, as his frantic gaze flicked between Raffaele and the boy. "You agreed, Raffaele. My daughter for my son. You swore –"

"Fair enough." Moments later, one of his armed men stepped forward and dragged me away from my father.

"Dad!" I screamed, trying and failing to break out of the relentless hold the man had on me. "Daddy, don’t let him do this to me!Helpme…"

"Shh, little pet." With my back to his chest, Raffaele wrapped his huge bicep around my body and hissed, "This is what you want, Calisto?" I felt the barrel of the gun dig into my temple. "Your daughter for your son?"

"Ramona," my father spluttered, awareness finally dawning on him. His heart finally seemed to reconnect with his head and horror filled his eyes as he whispered, "Forgive me."

My father said forgive me.

Notdon’t hurt her.

Notstop,orI've changed my mind.

Justforgive me.

My poor fractured heart shattered into a bazillion pieces.

Tears clouded my vision and I clenched my eyes shut and held my breath, preparing for the pain that was sure to come.

"I have had a change of heart," Raffaele mused, lowering the gun from my temple.

My breath escaped me in a sudden rush and I felt myself grow weak. "She will not die for your mistakes today."

Now, collapsing on my potential murderer wasn't the plan, but that's exactly what happened. Legs buckling beneath me, I fell against Raffaele, fully expecting him to let me hit the deck like a sack of potatoes.

Shockingly, hedidn’t.

Hooking an arm around my middle, Raffaele kept me pinned to his chest. "You have two choices, Calisto." He tossed his gun to my father. "But you have one bullet, so do not be foolish."

As he said the words, every man in the room cocked the hammers on their guns.

"As I said," Raffaele continued, still holding me up. "I am prepared to offer you two choices –"

"I choose whichever one keeps me alive," my father growled, hammer cocked.

"Such a survivalist," Raffaele chuckled, petting my hair like you would a small child. "I will keep your daughter. That is not up for negotiation. However, I will give you the chance to walk out of here with your son."

My father's hand trembled slightly and I could tell right then and there that he was intrigued.

"In return, all you have to do is kill his mother," Raffaele added and the boy, Seth, hissed out a sharp breath.

"Don’t you fucking dare," my brother warned, showing emotion for the first time. "That's my mother, you sick son of a bitch!"

"Or…" Raffaele continued. "You can do the honorable thing for once in your life and put that pistol in your mouth." Sighing heavily, he added. "You die, and your family gets to live. All three of them."

I thought it would take my father longer than five seconds to make his decision, but it didn’t even take that.

He raised the gun and pulled the trigger before Raffaele finished speaking, sending a bullet of lead into the forehead of the woman who'd given birth to his children.

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