Page 19 of And Twice as Twisted
“I need to get to him.” More tears appeared on my face. I saw them before I felt them.
“Absolutely not,” Lucky growled at the same time Al grunted, “No fucking way.”
For the entirety of the drive, I was forced to sit between my brother and best friend. Forced to listen to their idle threats of maiming my designer shoes and telling my father on me if I even attempted to go near Apollo. My throat hurt from where he choked me; it was the only reason I wasn’t arguing with them. I was lost to my thoughts, to my own misery. Too lost to care what they were saying on either side of me.
When we pulled up to the compound, my father was waiting on the front porch, his arms crossed over his chest. The car had barely stopped before he was ripping the door open and pulling me into his arms. It was then that I finally broke. My tears were silent but never-ending while my sobs were muted, barely a rasp, as I fought to catch my breath. It felt like hours were spent standing there as I purged my soul in my father’s arms. He pulled back, using his thumbs to wipe away my tears as his heartwarming face melted my heart.
Within a second, the image of my loving father was replaced by the formidable Mario Agostino. He brushed my hair away from my shoulders and stared at my neck, his glare sending shivers down my spine. He glanced between Lucky and Al in silent conversation.
“Garden,” Lucky growled, turning on his heel, and we all followed in his wake.
My dad held on to my hand and tugged me along with him. I wanted to go almost as much as I didn’t. I wanted to run to Apollo and protect him from my family’s wrath almost as much as I wanted to unleash my own. Even more so, I wanted to stand in front of him and see if he had a semblance of concern for what he’d done to me. But both parts were equally terrifying.
“Apollo, I am not shooting you.” Bella’s agitated words echoed amongst the vegetation in the garden.
“Do it, Bella. Please.” My heart ached at the defeat in his voice. “I’ve lost control. I keep fighting to maintain it, but it’s gone! I. Almost. Killed. Her.”
“But you didn’t. Sienna is okay. We just need to get you help.” Bella’s tone didn’t soften. She was downright pissed. “I won’t kill you. Shoot you in the shoulder or something? Maybe.”
As we came around the corner, our steps faltered at the scene playing out in front of us. Apollo was on his knees, Bella standing over him with his nine in her hand, which was aimed at his shoulder. They both turned at our approach.
“Mario… I…” Apollo’s eyes bounced from one figure to another, skipping over me completely.
“After all I’ve taught you, after all the lessons on harnessing your rage, you almost killedmydaughter.” Dad’s arms were still wrapped around my shoulders, but his muscles tensed and shook. “I’ve killed for far less, Deluca.”
Apollo slowly rose to his feet, his face blank as he stared at my dad in return. He removed his jacket, withdrawing the second gun at his back and handing it to Lucky. He opened his arms wide and closed his eyes, waiting for my father to react.
No one moved as time seemed to quicken, matching my racing heart. I’d cried, fucking bawled my eyes out over this man, and now I had nothing more to give.
My dad released me before reaching into the back of his waistband, and I knew what was coming. As I looked to Bella, mybrother and best friend, I hated the expressions of pity they gave me.
Fuck. This. And. Fuck. Him.
I snatched Apollo’s gun from Lucky’s hand, and before anyone had time to stop me, I fired a single shot. Apollo jerked back, his eyes filling with surprise when he realized it was me on the other end of the barrel. Blood started pouring from the wound in his shoulder as he reached up a hand to cover it. And I smiled as the red liquid seeped through his fingers.
The only thing I could think of was how strange it felt to be socalm. The tears had dried; my heart was existing in mere pieces, but I was done being pathetic.
“I’ve spent countless hours begging for you to see me as more than Lucky’s sister. I’ve stitched you up, cleaned blood from your hands, and loved you unconditionally. All while knowing you couldn’t return the affection. But then you gave me something, a small part of you.” I stepped closer, keeping the gun aimed at his torso. “You were given a second chance, Apollo. Fuck you for taking mine from me.”
He glanced behind me, at each member of my family ready to rip him apart. I stepped into his space, pressing the barrel to his heart. I was proud that as upset as I was, my grip remained steady.
“You don’t deserve me. I’mdone,” I growled, clicking the safety in place before dropping the gun at his feet.
“Weare far from done,” my father countered as I walked past without a backwards glance.
He deserved my hate, not my heart. The stupid part of my brain said that if he worked hard enough, I’d let him back in. But fuck that bitch. He didn’t deserve a single thing from me anymore.
I was Sienna-fucking-Agostino and I didn’t forgive anyone. Instead, I fucking made you regret ever fucking hurting me in the first place.
Two dozen red roses were perched in a gorgeous black designer vase atop my desk. I was a sucker for the classics, especially when it came to flowers. My heart skipped a beat, telling me that maybe there was a chance they were fromhim.
But I knew it was Bella’s brother sending a message, an indelible one at that. Our conversation when I visited Gio in jail was one that I’d replayed repeatedly in my mind. He wanted me to be his queen, to rule beside him in the kingdom he’d built on a foundation of pain and misery. Evidently, he still had no plans on leaving me behind.
Just what I needed, more complications, in my already complicated life. It was time to end this once and for all.
I stared at the rose in shock as what appeared to be blood slowly dripped from the soft petals and began to pool on my glass desktop. I raised a challenging smirk at my assistant andstormed out of the office. When the elevator opened, I flipped off my building security and darted out the door, flagging a taxi and disappearing into the city streets.
I wasn’t dumb. I was sure someone had eyes on me. But I needed to feign anonymity. The drive came to an end when I pulled up to the high fence, the barbed wire catching my attention. It was a spiraling mess of pointed pieces that promised to tear your flesh apart. And yet, here I was, threatening to climb over them.
