Page 60 of The Wicked
I hardened my features, knowing I couldn’t be soft on him. It had never worked.
“Move out of the way, Elia.”
He stepped closer. “I’m not letting you touch her.”
“Okay.” I raised the gun, pointing it right at him; the shock in his eyes had my arms feeling too weak to even hold up the gun,but I held firm. “You either step away, or I kill you first and then kill her right after.”
Elia’s gaze shifted to the gun in my hand and then to my eyes. “Bullshit,” he said.
I tilted my head to the side. “I adore your faith in me, truly, but the last thing you should do is test me, Elia.”
“You can’t do it,” he said.
“You think?” I asked.
“I know,” he seethed. “You’re all fucking talk when it comes to me. Weak and incompetent.”
“I’d watch my mouth if I were you,” I warned.
“You could never do it,” he continued. “All those years ago, you couldn’t do it—”
“Stop. Talking.” The gun shook in my hand.
“Why? Because it’s the truth? Because deep down, you’re still that weak fucker who got beat around by his dear old dad?”
“Shut up, Elia.” My breathing spiked.
“What did it?” he asked.
“Devil, stop.” Zahra’s attempt to stop him was a failure too.
“Tell me, what made you completely flip over? What turned you into him? Was it the thrill you got after murdering your whole family? Did you love your mother’s scream while you stabbed her? Or Mariana’s and Lorenzo’s tortured wails while you fucking burned them alive.”
My grip tightened on the gun. “Stop.”
“Why? Be fucking honest with yourself, Elio; killing me would be your last tipping point, so fucking do it because I know you want to.” He stepped closer to me. “I don’t know why I didn’t see it before, but it’s clear now that me being alive is the only delusion you have of being a good person, but you’re not. You’re the one who needs to open your eyes, Elio. You didn’t kill me, but you were ready to let me die just so you could pleasehim.You think I don’t remember what you did to me? Admit it. I’m alive because I’m the only physical trophy for the one good thing you have ever done.”
My hand shook again, his words reaching straight to my heart. “Don’t fucking degrade it,” I said, my chest burning. “Don’t fucking make it sound meaningless!” The yell racked my whole body, and I dropped the gun. “It took everything from me, you ungrateful bastard—everything!”
It was foolish doing this in front of Zahra or the soldiers who lingered by, but I was too riled up, hurt by his words and assumptions of me.
“It took my whole life from me! I didn’t kill you, but what I did”—my voice broke, my eyes burned—“the lengths I went to foryourprotection, took my whole life from me, so don’t fucking stand here and make my life more meaningless than it already is!”
Elia took a step back, a stunned expression on his face.
“Talk nonsense about me burning Mariana and Lorenzo alive; talk about me stabbing my mother; I’ll take it all, but don’t you dare question or degrade what I did for you. I’ll take it from anyone but not you. Not you, Elia.”
He did not attempt to say anything.
My gaze flickered to Zahra and then him. I blinked away the sting in my eyes, and sniffed, “Go… take her away. When she turns out to betray you, don’t say I didn’t try to warn you.” I turned my attention to Zahra, remorse and the same regretful look in her eyes. “And you, stay clear of me because I swear to God, one more fucking problem from you, and this little drowning thing will seem like a walk in the park.”
With that, I snapped my fingers to one of the soldiers, and he rushed to me as I made my way towards the exit. “Drain the pool, and clean it thoroughly. Take my things from the gazebo and bring them to me.”
“Yes, Marino.”
I stopped. “Everything that happened here stays here.”
“The cameras were on, sir; it directly sent feeds to your home lounge, sir.”
