29. Bianca
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
bianca
L aying here, covered in blood, body parts everywhere, my head rested on a strong chest and my legs tangled in a menage of limbs, is one of the best moments of my entire life.
I try to hold onto the happiness as long as possible. If I stop, reality sets in, and all hope is lost.
With everything that’s happened, I feel my heart ripping into pieces. Now comes the hard part. Not only do I have to convince my father that I killed my targets, but I also have to stop seeing Dante before we really even started seeing each other. I have given my life to my father and our family business. I have never complained or asked for anything. I have never doubted my orders, and I have definitely never failed a mission. I also have never fallen in love, and I’ve never felt so much emotion for one person. I have never pictured a life where I could be truly happy until yesterday.
As we start to gather our shit and get dressed, I start to contemplate how I am going to handle the rest of my day. First, I have to get these heads back to my father. That is the priority, and everything else will have to wait.
I put each head in its own cloth back, lined with plastic. This was not my first decapitation and won’t be my last, I’m sure. I came prepared, and I’ve learned the best way to carry body parts from A to B. I cinch them closed and pick up the chainsaw with my free hand.
“No, let me. The least I can do.” Gio says, grabbing the clunky handle from me.
“Oh, now you’re a gentleman, huh? Just needed a dick in your ass?” I joke, letting him take it from my hand.
“Shut the fuck up. This doesn’t make us friends.” He says, first with a serious expression, then changing to a grin.
“But I guess since we share Dante, I could try to be a little nicer.” He adds.
“Well shit, look at this. We’re just one big happy family.” Dante scoffs.
“Oh right, until Bianca tells her father she killed u, and we can never be together again.” He sighs deeply, bringing the mood back down.
“Dante, I don’t know what’s going to happen here. I can’t pretend that I do. I know my father, and he is relentless. He’s cruel and quite frankly he’s an asshole. Even if I didn’t have to kill you, he never would have approved of us being together. You know that. I mean, fuck, if he found out he would probably have sent one of his other goons to kill you. We should be happy that we have a chance to run this play instead.”
“Oh yeah, remind me to send him a fruit basket for sending his daughter to kill us and not some other trained fucker.” Gio snarks as he kicks the rest of the lifeless limbs into a pile against the wall.
“Gio, just leave it alone,” Dante says, handing us both a thick black towel.
“Here, clean yourself up a little and can we please get the fuck out of this hellhole?”
I take a towel and start to wipe the blood, sweat, and other fluids off my skin.
We head outside, and I toss our trophies into the trunk. Gio puts the chainsaw next to them, and we slam the trunk shut. We pile back in and head out. Once I get back to my car, I take the bags from the trunk and transfer them over. Dante gets out and walks over to my driver’s side door, opening it for me. Before I get in, I lean up and kiss his cheek.
“No matter what happens, I really do love you. I love you like I’ve never loved anyone before. Whatever exists between us, it’s real. I’m not giving up on us, kid.” He whispers in my ear before planting his lips on mine and wrapping his whole body around me in a warm embrace. I press my face into his chest, listening to his heart and letting his words sink deeper.
“I love you, Dante,” I whisper as I start to pull away.
I get in my car, and he shuts the door. I watch him get in and drive away; a few stray tears stream down my cheeks. As much as I wanted things to work out, this felt like goodbye. This felt terminal, and I feel empty again.
I take a few minutes to get my shit together before I put it in drive. I take my time as I head back to my father. In the midst of murder and lust, I completely forgot to check my phone. I pull it out and nearly drive off the road when I see the number of missed calls from Dmitri. I immediately push my foot to the floor and speed up. Something is happening, and I feel it.
I pull back into the lot and rush in to my father on the cold table inside.
“What’s happened?!” I scream, dropping my head bags at the door as I rush to his side.
“Bianca, we tried to call you we…” Dmitri softly says as he approaches me on the other side of the table.
“What the fuck happened?!” I repeat my question.
“They said he had a massive stroke and there’s swelling in his brain. He’s unresponsive, and they don’t know if he’s going to wake up.” He answers.
“Where is the doctor?” I ask.
“Headed to the armory to get more meds and to get a transport set up. They are taking him back to the manor, where he will be monitored. But Bianca…”
“Fuck. Father, I brought you their heads. I did as you asked. I did it, Father. Please.” I whimper, but no tears form.
It was at this moment that I realized something that would change my life forever. If my father can’t lead, I’m second in command. Which means I now run our operation. Not only that, but I can’t even force myself to cry over him. When I think about Dante, I can’t seem to stop crying, but when my father is nearly dead on a table in front of me, my tear-ducts are completely dry. The respect for my father has never been love. The honor of being part of my family has never been love. But Dante… Dante is love.