Page 15 of Sweet Revenge

“Is it?” I shrugged. “I’m not sure I know what you mean.”

“Listen, in poker, you don’t play the hand you’re dealt. You play your opponent, right? I need to know what motivates Alexander La Rosa, what he wants out of this life, so I can know how to hurt him, how to bring him down.”

“All right.” I blew out a deep breath. “What motivates you?”

Now, I was getting personal. He shook his head, avoiding the question. “My dad wanted power. That’s what motivated him. Greed. Gluttony. He would get so high on being the boss of his own little universe, he didn’t give a fuck about anything else. For Vin, it’s playing god. He kills because it’s a source of control for him. He feels like he’s more powerful than anyone else because he can say who lives and dies. Dezzy likes the money. He knows he can afford to go out and buy whatever the fuck he wants to whenever he wants to. Mikel just likes the lifestyle. Sure, he can get that from Hollywood now, but he never would’ve become such a famous movie star if it wasn’t for the fact that he was already an elite.”

“And you?” I reiterated, wondering if he was ever going to answer my question.

I watched his Adam’s apple bob up and down as he swallowed. “For years, I did it because I had no choice. I was one of my father’s pawns. I did what I had to do in a sick, twisted attempt to please him. But then, I realized there was no pleasing him, and the only person I needed to please was myself. So now, I do it because I’m trying to put myself on top, to regain the control, put some order back in this world. Then, I’ll finally be master of my own fate.”

I stared at him, unblinking, for several seconds. Did he really think he’d have control once he was in charge? He had to know that would never truly be the case. There’d always be someone else out there trying to take what was his, making him a slave to this world.

But I saw no point in reminding him of that at the moment. “My father?”

He nodded. “Yeah. What’s he in it for?”

“I’m not sure. I don’t think it’s power or money.”

“Yeah, he had all of that back in Boston. There’d be no reason for him to come here looking for it. Unless…”

He stopped talking. I took another step closer to him. “Unless what?”

“Well, maybe it’s not generic power he wants.” He stared at the ground near his shoes. “Maybe he wantsourpower. He wants to cripple us, take what we have.”

“Because your father has always been his enemy?” I was doing my best to follow, to understand.

“Yeah, and because we killed his wife.”

The axe slipped from my hand,thunkingon the ground as a gasp escaped my lips. All the blood slowly drained from my face. “Wh-what?”

Daemon lifted his eyes to mine, the realization that he’d said something he shouldn’t have setting in. “I mean—”

“That wasyou?” A thousand thoughts tangled in my mind. I wasn’t capable of sorting them out. Rage mingled with overwhelming sadness and betrayal as the look on his face confirmed that I hadn’t misunderstood.

The Petrovs had killed my mother.

“It wasn’t me,” Daemon said, standing and pressing a hand to his chest.

“But it was your family.” It wasn’t a question. My eyes widened as I realized that I’d been with him that night. Ever since the moment I’d found out my mother was dead, I’d felt bad that I was off having fun while she was brutally murdered. Now, I’d discovered that I’d actually been with one of her murderers.

“Listen, Elisa. We were rivals.”

“I don’t want to hear a damn word you have to say about this, Daemon!” I spat at him. Picking up the axe off the ground, I heaved it at the closest tree. It stuck in the trunk, hanging there, swaying back and forth. Though it helped alleviate the frustration I was feeling for a moment, it wasn’t enough.

I rushed past Daemon toward the house. “She was my mother.” Angry tears splashed down my cheeks as I grappled for the latch to the screen door, turning back to look at him. “She was the only person in the world who ever gave a damn about me, and your family stole her away from me while you and I fucked! That’s messed up.” With that, I stormed into the house, headed straight for the bedroom where we’d fucked the night before. I slammed the door behind me and threw the lock into place before collapsing on the bed, no longer able to hold back the deluge of tears.

Daemon’s voice filtered through the door and my heaving sobs. “I was keeping you safe, Elisa.” His voice was as sympathetic as I’d ever heard it, but he sounded sorrier that he’d slipped up and got caught than he did apologetic for what had happened. “The orders were clear. Your mother and a few of the La Rosa lieutenants needed to be taken out. I couldn’t let you get swept up in it.”

Furious, I rolled over and sat up on the bed, pointing my finger at him even though he couldn’t see me through the door. “All those years, I dreamt of that night. I imagined us together, and you were just there to occupy my time? To make sure I didn’t get in the way and mess things up for your assassins?”

“Elisa, that’s not true.” Daemon still sounded calm despite my rage. I wanted him to feel the same distress I was feeling now, but I didn’t think he was capable of it, not over someone like my mother, someone he could kill for no good reason.

“Go away, Daemon! My mother was the only person in this world I could rely on, and you took her from me.” It was true, other than Drake every once in a while. And maybe him. But I didn’t want to think about the times Daemon had rescued me recently.

He reminded me of it anyway. “I’m here for you, Elisa. I’ll give you some time, but I’m here. It’s not what you think.”

I said nothing in response, only collapsed again, crying my eyes out as every good memory I had as a child came rushing back to me. My mom was always there for me. I could see her smiling face, feel the touch of her hand on my cheek. When I was born, she’d been so happy to have a little girl. We hadn’t just been mother and daughter. We’d been best friends.

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