Page 48 of Pretty Poison

“Everyone out. Now,” I demand.

Without trying to argue, they all scatter. Red flips Lia off again.

Before she can reach the door, I stop her, my arms finding their way to her waist and pulling her back towards me. Our bodies clash, and for a split second, she doesn’t fight.

“You wanted everyone out, right?” I hum my response. “So let. me. go.” Her words are short and filled with venom.

“Never, little one,” I whisper into her ear. “You can hate me all you like, but when we discover the truth, one of us will be proven right, and until then, you’ll listen to what I have to say.”

“Absolutely fucking not,” she says, continuing to thrash in my grasp. “Let me go!”

“I will never let you go, Liana. You’re mine—mine to keep, mine to love and mine to fuck. You’re staying exactly where you belong with me in my house. You belong in this family, whether you believe it or not.”

“You’re a sick bastard, Dario Vitale. You don’t get tohaveme anymore. You lost that privilege the second you strung them up like puppets.”

I set her back down, spin her around to face me and pick her back up, our faces inches apart. “That was years ago, darling, we didn’t even know each other then.”

“No, we didn’t, and that’s how long we’ve been destined to never work out. You broke us before we even began, preventing us fromactuallyhaving a chance together.” I can almost see the cogs turning in her head, her heart telling her one thing but her head taking the lead.

“You’re lying to me, little one; I can see it in your eyes.”

Twenty One

LIANA

“I’m not lying,” I say, my voice contradicting my words as they come out a little high-pitched.

“You’re not a very good liar,” he teases, cocking his head to the side.

“I’m not a liar.” Maybethatis a lie, but overall, I’m not. Little white lies here and there don’t count, right?

“So, if I were to kiss you here,” he says, pressing a soft kiss to my forehead. “Or here,” he moves to my neck, three kisses trailing down to my collarbone. “Or in the place I know you like the most,” he whispers, his lips grazing my ear, “you’d hate it, right?”

I swallow, my throat dry and heart racing while my legs beg to wrap around him again as I force a nod, unable to form the words to tell another white lie.

“Again, your eyes tell the truth, Lia.”

“What do you want from me, Dario?” I ask, a feeling of defeat coursing through me.

“I want you to, for once, be honest. I want to know what’s going on in there,”—he presses two fingers to the side of my head—“because I’m not a mind reader, baby. I can assume all I want, but whatever I think is bound to be wrong.”

“You want to know what I’m thinking?” I ask, calming myself and he nods, placing me back down. I walk over to his bed, perching myself on the edge, my eyes refusing to meet his. “I want to be able to take it all back and make changes using what I know now—starting with my childhood. I want to change how I left things with Apollo; choosing my father over him was a mistake.”

I pause, gathering the courage to face him. “And I want you to have made better choices in who you decide to torment for your own personal pleasure. I can’t forgive and forget as easily as you want me to. Knowing what you’re capable of now… I’d be lying if I didn’t say it scared me.”

He walks closer, squatting down in front of me. “You’re right to be scared, little one—this isn’t an easy life or family you’re coming into, but it’s what we do and who we are. It’s who we’ve always been.”

“People can change, Dario. It’s never too late.”

He shakes his head. “It’s too late for us. The things we’ve done… If it makes you feel any better, I’ve never hurt anyone without a reason. We don’t harm innocents.”

“My brother and Aceareinnocents,” I argue. “They would never harm anyone. Not without a good reason.”

“Good reason or not, they’re staying there until we get answers.” He lifts a thumb to my cheek, wiping away my tears.

“Can I see them?” I ask, my eyes pleading with him.

A soft smile appears on his lips. “That’s what I wanted before you went off on me.”

---