Page 29 of The Diávolos: Part Two
“We have to kill your father.”
8
ANGELICA
“In the absence of touching and being touched, people of all ages can sicken and grow touch starved.”
—Diane Acherman
My eyes grow wide, and I can’t help but chuckle in disbelief. There’s no way I heard him correctly.
My brain is going a mile a second as I stare between him and Gianis, not saying a word. Their faces remain blank, impassive.
“I know this might be a hard pill for you to swallow, Angie, but it’s necessary,” Gianis explains, and I turn sharply to him. “We can’t allow him to continue bringing everyone down. Not only will this affect you, but it will also create a domino effect through the entire city. Every family will be impacted by the consequences of his actions.”
My brows furrow and my jaw clenches. “You’re okay with this plan, too? He’s still my father!” I protest.
I can’t believe my ears. Every fiber of my being rebels against the idea.
“Absolutely not,” I declare, my voice cracking. “There are other ways to handle this situation.” The very thought of goingalong with their proposal feels like a betrayal of all of my principles.
“Like what, Angelica?” Evander spits. “You’d prefer we let him roam the streets, spreading his evil around? He needs to be stopped and the only way is to eliminate him.”
“I’ve already come up with a plan. I’m going to pretend to be invested in his affairs, gain his trust, then we’ll be able to destroy his business from the inside.”
“That’s exactly what I tried to do with my initial plan,” Evan spews.
“That didn’t work out so well for you, did it?” I hiss, remembering how he planned on getting close to me and using me to get revenge on my father. “And the difference is that I’m not going touseyou or anyone else without their knowledge.”
Evander’s veins pulse under the skin of his neck, and I know I hit a nerve. But I don’t care. He deserves my venom, especially now that he’s trying to convince me tokillmy father.Just like that.
“What would you prefer? Kidnap him and lock him away for eternity? You know shit doesn’t work that way in our world.”
“I can’t condone you killing him. I still have a conscience, after all,” I say with finality.
Evander chuckles out loud. “You lost that the moment you decided to dance with the devil, Angelica.”
He takes a few steps toward me and extends his arm, interlacing his fingers in mine. Shivers still erupt all over my skin, but I keep my hand slack, not wanting to show the effect his touch still has on me.
Fuck. I’m screwed.
The strength I once held seems to dissipate as Evander’s words—histouch—unravel my inner core.
He fills a void inside and leaves me unsteady, my emotions intermingling with my vulnerability.
I stand frozen between Gianis and Evander, unable to catch a full breath. All I want to do is curl up into a ball and cry, but I know better than to let this situation get to me, to show any moreweakness.
After a year apart, this is our first real conversation, and I’m caught in a relentless tug-of-war between nostalgia and anger. Waves of warmth flood my senses, carrying me back to a time when life seemed simpler.
Yet, intertwined with these tender recollections is a thread of anger.
Reality slaps me in the face. “Things may not happen this way inyourworld, but they do in mine. He’s still my family,” I grit out.
“Blood is thick, but Peter watered it down many years ago, Angelica. He’s no longer a father to you and you know it,” Gianis argues, finally intervening in our argument.
I used to love my father deeply as a child. But as terrible as he is now, my mind can’t come to terms with yet another member of my family dead.
I’ll end up alone in this world. The last of my lineage. And I can’t bear that weight.
