Page 46 of The Sicilian Bastard
Luciano
Ifucked up. I knew I fucked up, yet I continued to fuck up. I ran out of the bedroom like the hounds of hell were chasing me. All I could keep picturing was Araceli crumpled on the floor bleeding from the marks I gave her. She orgasmed, but that didn't mean what I did was okay. I drank straight out of the scotch bottle Vittorio had hidden in his desk drawer. It was only for special occasions. He had only taken a few sips out of it. I thought when Eunji accepted his proposal, he celebrated with this scotch. Well, fuck him. He got his happy ever after. What did I get? It wasn't money. It wasn't power. It was nothing. I didn't get anything but more work. Everyone wanted to use the monster for their gain. I turned into something I didn't want to be. Whatever.
I sat in Vittorio's chair with my feet propped up. That's where Agosto found me licking my wounds.
He dropped into the chair across from me with an audible thump. "So, did that make you feel better?"
I closed my eyes against his condemnation. I didn't need him judging me. "Fuck you," I grunted at him and swallowed another mouthful of alcohol. The room was already spinning, but I didn't care.
"Let me ask you something. When she was screaming and begging, did you get hard?"
I looked into my younger brother's eyes and saw disgust lingering there. My gaze slid away. I felt shame creeping up my spine. "No," I mumbled out the side of my mouth.
"I'm sorry I couldn't quite hear you. Speak up, monster."
I sneered at Agosto. There he was sitting in his pristine suit with his judgy eyes and his smirk. All caring and shit. Fucking pussy.
"What, you want her?" I taunted.
"No, asshole. I wanted to see if you were as lost as I thought you were." Agosto had his head hanging so I could no longer see his eyes. Sadness leeched out of his pores.
"No, no, I didn't get hard." I could barely hear my whispered response. I was lost like he said. I knew it. My family knew it. Maybe that was the real reason Vittorio didn't give me interim Don while he was away.
Agosto's phone started ringing, startling both of us. He looked down and cursed. He fixed his hair and I knew who it was before he answered.
"Vito, how's the vacation?" Agosto could charm a whore out of her panties. It was what he's known for.
"Where are we on the cartel?" Seemed like Vittorio didn't want to talk pleasantries.
I moved closer to Agosto so we could both be a part of the conversation. I hesitated because I was never pulled into meetings unless it was to keep the Don safe. Yet, after their father died, Vittorio and now Agosto have both tried to bring me into the fold. I thought that was why it was such a blow when Agosto was picked as interim Don and not me. I mean, I lived here. I was in charge of many men. I was basically in charge of the safety of all of us. Yet, I was passed over. I shook off my darker thoughts and focused on the conversation we were having.
"My honeymoon would've been better if we had come alone. If it wasn't Rose and Nick fighting, then it was the reports of the fucking cartel on our territory. Now, don't lie to me and tell me the truth."
Vittorio was sitting with his back to the ocean. A beautiful view. One I wished I could see. He was sitting in a beach chair. There was no sign of Eunji.
"Where's Eunji?" I cut in before the business started. Once they got caught up, Vittorio was going to have my hide.
"She's napping. We went swimming with sharks and she's tuckered out." The smile that took over his face was unnatural. I had never seen him happy. Normally, he had a stoic face. Nothing could make him flinch, but since Eunji came along, it was like he finally found his light. He shone from the inside out and I wanted to look away. It was that horrible.
"We know what the cartel is here for, and it isn't the territory." I heard Agosto telling Vittorio. I inhaled a shaky breath, waiting for the shoe to drop.
"What are they after?" Vito was on his other phone, texting. He had this phone that was for personal calls from family propped up.
"Well, after your marriage, Luciano fixated on a stripper and brought her back. What we didn't know was that she had ties to the cartel. They want her dead. At least I thought they wanted her dead. We aren't sure." Agosto shot me a look like he wanted me to chime in.
"Yeah, she has their symbol tattooed on her hip." I cleared my throat. I was uncomfortable with the spotlight being on Araceli and me. If it were up to me, I would hide her away where no one could find her. I didn't deserve that power, though. Not after what I did. Not after the way I left her.
"So why isn't she in the warehouse being questioned?" Vittorio raised an eyebrow at me.
Agosto handed the phone to me. I took that as a signal he didn't want any involvement in this next section. I wasn't certain if I wanted to be the one to break the news to Vittorio. He would likely not believe me. I didn't believe Araceli. I thought she was lying and, at worst, a spy for the cartel.
"She has amnesia." I waited.
Vittorio paused and then laughed deeply. I clenched my jaw because it wasn't a kind laugh. It wasn't an even funny laugh. It was cold. It was a laugh that said I was speaking with the Don now.
"And you fucking believed her? Of course, you did. It was easier. wasn't it? Rather than admitting you stole some stripper and introduced her to our family business. The fact that she's a spy makes it worse because now we have to kill her after getting all the answers and you know how I always felt about killing women. What would Eunji think?" Vittorio's face had taken on a bright shade of red as he ranted.
"She's not a spy." I stopped myself from slamming the phone on the ground and ending the call. How dare he? No one said anything about him keeping Eunji here after her ordeal instead of sending her on her way.
