I didn’t know. Elle shook her head no. “For three and a half years, I was hit around. He didn’t save me. For three and a half years, seeing me every day, he didn’t want me. The only reason he talked to me was because your father murdered someone, and he sicced him on me. I had been going crazy, wondering when someone would come and kill me, and Nero was right there the entire time, deciding whether I lived or died. So, fucking excuse me if I don’t want to see him.” Elle held onto his eyes, no matter how hard it was.
Lucca’s mouth turned into a smile. “I knew I liked you.” Lucca backed away from her but didn’t remove his hand. “You weren’t going to ever die in the first place. I wasn’t going to let my father touch you, and deep down, he wasn’t ever going to touch you anyway.”
You? “What?”
“The moment I saw you, I knew he would fall in love with you. Do you know why?”
Elle slowly shook her head.
“You remind him of our mother. You remind us all of her. You have her blonde hair, except yours has some pink in it. You have the big, curious eyes. You’re smart, and most of all, you’re strong. Our mother could handle the fact that she was married to the mafia, not to mention the head of the family. It takes a lot of fucking guts to deal with a made man, and you can handle it, no matter how high up the ladder Nero goes.”
“It doesn’t mat—”
Lucca shut her up with one look. “Nero took her death the hardest. He blamed himself—still blames himself. It was as if he fucking shot her himself. Then you come along and it happens all over again. He blames himself for every person who ever hurt you. He blames himself right now that you’re here in the hospital. And ever since you walked out on him, he acts like he fucking killed you. Do you want Nero to take on something like that all over again? If you don’t get over the fact that Nero didn’t know how to tell you the guy you witnessed being killed was murdered by his fucking family, then you leave him just like Mom did.”
Elle turned away from Lucca, not able to look at him anymore. What he had told her made her feel incredibly small.
Lucca grabbed her chin to make her look at him again. “Nero better see you by tomorrow night. Don’t make me fucking come to you in the middle of the night again. Do you understand?”
Elle gently nodded. “Yes.”
Lucca dropped his hand from her chin. “Good.”
Elle knew he was about to leave, so she quickly spoke the words before the sane part of her thought against it. “Chloe told me she talked to you.”
She swore she saw a hint of emotion when she’d said her name. Not even when he’d spoken of Nero or his mother had he shown an ounce of emotion, regardless that he had come here for Nero.
“So?”
She could hear the slight change in his voice, as well. I don’t think so.
“So, stay away from her.” Elle could fight anyone off for Chloe, even the boogieman in her fucking bed right now.
Lucca leaned back toward Elle, again right in her face. “Do you know who you’re talking to right now, darlin’? I have killed men and women after torturing them for hours. I am the underboss of the Caruso family, and one day, I will own this city.”
Elle kept her hold, no matter how bad her skin crawled. “I-I don’t care who you are. Leave her alone.” The last thing she needs is a man like him.
Lucca smiled. “I know you’ve protected her, and that you couldn’t leave her to fend for herself at school. Tell me what really happened to her that made you risk your life every day just so no one would touch her.”
I will never tell. This time, Elle moved her face closer to his. “If you hurt her, I will kill you.”
Lucca quickly grabbed her face and rubbed her jaw. “You’re lucky I owe you.” He dropped his hand just as quickly and stood. “Remember, darlin’, you have till tomorrow night.”
Elle watched him disappear into the shadows before her eyes—well, eye. His ice-cold voice ran through her head, ‘I owe you.’ Elle’s body shivered; as a result, she lay back down and pulled the cover up to her head. For what?
* * *
The next day, Elle had a full day. They had moved her out of ICU to a room on the fourth floor where it was much quieter, and the room was a thousand times bigger. They’d said she was looking good. She was eating well, walking well, talking well, and going to the bathroom on her own. She was still sore, but that was to be expected. The doctors told her they wanted her to stay one more night, and then she would be free to go.
Now that she was out of ICU, everyone could finally visit her freely. She had immediately told her father to tell Nero she still didn’t want to see him, and to her surprise, he’d respected her wishes.
Everyone had come to visit her; Chloe, Amo, Vincent, Leo, and even Maria along with her own family. She officially had a stockpile of flowers and cards, and in return, Elle had apologized to the ones she hadn’t talked to in months for disowning them because of Nero. Even though they helped conceal the truth.
When it had started to get dark, she told her family to go on home and she just wanted some rest like the night before. Elle couldn’t rest, though; she simply sat in bed, staring at the blank TV screen.
Elle heard a quick knock on the door and the nurse came in.
“Just making my rounds for the night before I head out. How are you doing?” She walked over to check the readings on the machines.
Elle gave her a half-smile. “I’m fine, thank you.”