Page 71 of Owned by the Italian Mafia Boss
Ryan stares at her for a minute and agrees. “Okay.”
“She’s pretty persuasive when she wants to be.” I can’t hide how proud I am of her. “Just to be sure, there’s nowhere you can think of where Romano would go?”
“No, I’m sorry. I was…” his throat bobs, and his cheeks turn pink. “I was kept in a windowless room. I slept on the floor on a thin mattress with a ratty blanket. I wasn’t allowed to know anything that happened in the organization. I was kept away from it all. From everyone.”
“Oh.” Delilah throws herself at Ryan, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him into a tight hug. “That won’t happen here with us. Don’t lock yourself away here. Promise me you’ll try to give yourself a chance.”
“I promise.” Ryan lifts his arms, unsure of what to do with them until finally, he wraps them around her.
The poor kid is touch starved—for positive touch. His fingers curl into her back, and he holds onto her for dear life, burying his face in her shoulder.
He doesn’t want to let go.
I wait for the jealousy, my possessive nature to burst free, but it doesn’t. The kid needs someone, and there isn’t anyone better than Delilah.
“We’re leaving in a few minutes. Meet us upstairs.”
“Yes, Mr. Milazzo,” he says, still not letting go of Delilah. As Ryan squeezes his eyes shut, a tear drips free, and I have to look away.
Suddenly, I want to find anyone who has ever hurt him, or allowed him to be hurt, and wipe away their very existence. Somehow this kid came to mean something to me. I know what it’s like to be abused by someone who is supposed to love you. Ryan reminds me too much of myself when I was younger. I lift my hand and let it hover right above his shoulder, debating for a moment. I let it fall and squeezed his shoulder.
His eyes snap open, fear glazing from the pupil to the whites of his eyes.
“You’re safe here, Ryan. You have my word.”
“I’m sorry, Mr. Milazzo. A man’s word means nothing to me.”
Delilah lets go and cups Ryan’s face like a child needing love. “I can promise that Carmine’s word is the only word you’ll ever need to trust.”
“I’ll try to believe you. It will take time.”
“I understand.” I open the door, needing to escape all this vulnerability and emotion. It’s bringing back too many memories and too much pain. I’m not good at emotions or trying to understand them. I either hate or love; I have never spent much time concentrating on anything in between.
Everything in between is nonsense and inconsistent, but with Delilah, I’m learning the feelings between hate and love are defining and leave marks.
Delilah is love.
And everything in between.
Chapter Twenty
Delilah
Ryan is fidgeting in the backseat with Matias and Ari. He’s smooshed between them and looks like he’d rather be anywhere else.
“Hey, want to see my cool scar?” Ari asks, tugging the neck of his shirt down to show the nasty-looking burn.
“Oh my god.” Ryan rolls his lips together, and the color drains from his face.
“Wicked, right?”
“It looks painful.”
“Don’t let Ari fool you, Ryan. He isn’t in pain.”
“I was in pain. I was in a ton of pain.”
“You aren’t now,” Matias mumbles.
