Sixteen
DARIO
When dinner is arranged last minute, it’s never a good sign. Not for my family, anyway. It’s where we discuss personal matters like a sudden death in the family or strategic ones that get us one step closer to our intended goal. Either way, I’m not looking forward to walking through the dining hall door in front of me, but I have to; it’s expected of me. And, the way my mother is acting today tells me this dinner is mandatory, and there will be severe repercussions if I don’t show up.
Taking a deep breath, I push open the double doors and everyone stands, greeting me. I stride over to the head of the table to my rightful seat and, with a nod of my head, everyone sits down in unison with me.
My eyes instantly fall to Liana as her face continues to hold the confused expression she had earlier. My eyes meet hers and I force myself to look away, scanning the table. Everyone’s here—except Ciro, but I spoke to him earlier so I know it’s not him—my brothers, Kat, my parents, my grandparents and of course, Liana. Everyone is here and safe, so who’s hurt?
My mother stands and my father clinks his fork on his glass. Everyone turns their attention to her.
“Thank you for joining us on such short notice,” my mother starts, her voice shaky and weak. “I know the wedding is around the corner, but if I don’t share this information now, I might explode. I’m sure some of you have noticed my unusual behaviour today, and I promise there’s a reason for it. I’m not losing my mind; I’m just…” She stops briefly, holding her breath for a few seconds before releasing it with a large huff that makes her cheeks puff out.
Glancing down at my father, she shakes her head, her eyes welling with tears.
It’s definitely a death in the family. Is it a cousin? An aunt or uncle? The way she keeps us in suspense is killing me.
Rising from his seat, my father pulls my mother close, burying her head into the nook of his neck. “This is an emotional time for us; please excuse her reactions to the matters at hand.” He places a comforting hand on her head, his thumb stroking through her hair. “It seems we’re not as old as we thought we were. While there’s still many things we’re unable to do that you younger ones can do without hesitation, apparently parenthood will always prevail for us.”
“You’re pregnant?” The words fall from my lips like an accusation, and my father darts his eyes to me, a sense of warning within them.
“Yes, your mother is pregnant, Dario. I’m sure you’ll all agree that it’s an unexpected situation for us, but it’s happening. Now, it is a high-risk pregnancy because of your mother’s age, but they’re both healthy thus far.”
“How far along?” Kat asks, smiling and moving to the edge of her seat.
“That’s the strange part,” he answers, complete confusion lacing his tone. “She’s roughly sixteen weeks along.”
“How could you not know?” Silas chimes in, his question also coming off accusatory, which, coming from him, probably is an accusation. “You’d feel something, wouldn’t you? A kick, morning sickness, weird cravings. You’re trying to tell us you didn’t know about this?”
“Watch your tone, Silas,” he warns. “When she was pregnant with the twins, both sets, her bump wasn’t prominent, and with twins, you’d think it would be. She has experienced no signs of pregnancy so far and it’s expected she won’t because we’re in our fourth month already.”
“This is great news,” Kat cheers. “Two new babies in the family! They’ll be so close growing up; I just know it.”
“It’s twins, actually, and you seem to be the only one that feels that way,” my mother says, her words soft and roped in sadness. “This wasn’t planned, I can assure you of that fact. With the girls, there were many difficulties and the doctor said I wouldn’t be able to conceive again. These babies are miracles and I don’t care if you boys have a problem with it. I’ll be following through with this pregnancy and you will not treat it as a mistake.”
“We’re happy for you, Mama, only worried about what it means for you and your health,” Maze adds. “You’re forty-four and, like you said, you’re in the ‘high-risk’ category with twins. Not to mention the stress we go through every day—that can’t be healthy for you.”
“You might not agree with it and that’s fine, but this is my choice. You will all treat them both with the love and respect you show each other. They’re not replacing your sisters in any way, shape or form, and if you can’t get on board with that, you all know where the fucking door is.”
Shouldering past my father, her short legs stride rapidly to the door as she pushes it open and disappears into the hall. A few seconds later, the front door slams shut, the sound echoing through the dining room.
“You’re all free to have dinner amongst yourselves, but I won’t be here to enjoy it with you. Your mother needs me as much as she needs all of you, now more than ever. If you can all push aside your stubbornness for two seconds, I’d appreciate it because she’s going through this, not any of you. She knows and understands the risks, and is willing to see it through because she already loves these girls with everything she has.” He steps aside, pushing his chair in. “There are going to be new additions to the family and you have to accept that, and if you can’t, like your mother said, you all know where the door is.”
As my father makes his way to the door, I stop him in his tracks with the sound of my chair scraping across the floor. “You said ‘these girls,’” I say through gritted teeth. “They’re both girls? Are you sure?”
He releases an audible sigh, as he spins around. “Yes.” I watch as his chin begins to tremble; he’s trying his best to keep his emotions in check, but I can’t say the same for myself.
Without saying anything more, I leave the room, anger radiating off me until it’s overridden with sadness.
They’ve finally done it. They’ve managed to replace the only irreplaceable roles in our family. They might have moved on from it, but I certainly haven’t. And they’re fools if they think I’m okay with it.
—————
I’ve been locked in my office since the big dinner fail, refusing to answer the knocks at my door. I’m afraid I’ll lash out again; and with my gun within reach, I know there’ll be flying bullets.
Knocking sounds at my door again, I can hear Cassian’s muffled voice on the other side. He’s desperate, resorting to such measures to unlock my door. After two hours, he’s finally acquired the brains to pick the lock—a late-bloomer genius.
Revealing himself in the doorway as the door flies open, my hand instinctively finds my gun and I lift it, cocking it back and aiming at his leg. “Get out, Cass.”
“I’m not here to talk to you about that,” he says, closing the door. “I need to show you something, something Liana achieved during training today.”
I lower my weapon, roughly rubbing my forehead as if to rid it of the headache that is him. “Can’t you show me later? I really can’t do this right now.”
“We both lost people that day, Dario. You aren’t the only one who lost them.”
“They were my sisters, Cassian.”
“They were mine, too, and don’t you fucking insinuate otherwise. I might not be your blood brother, but I’m your brother, nonetheless. Don’t make me out to be the black sheep here. I loved them as much as you did.”
“I had more time with them.”
“Two whole fucking years, good on you,” he counters. His jaw clenches, vicious eyes glaring at me.
“I know you loved them as much as I did, Cassian. I’m sorry I suggested otherwise.” My apology is weak, but the best he’s going to get. “What did you want to show me?” I display a hand out to the chairs for him to take a seat.
Taking my silent words, he does exactly that, pulling a folded piece of paper from his pocket.
“What’s this?” I take it from his hand.
“Her target from the gun range.”
“What’s so special about it that you brought it to me? Just stick it in a portfolio for her.” I outstretch my arm, waiting for him to take it.
He shakes his head. “Open it,” he insists.
Squinting at him for a second, I do as he asks, unfolding it. The sight before me is confusing—to put it rather lightly.
“How?” I breathe, pulling my head back to get a better look at it, as if that will change what I’m looking at.
“I have no fucking idea.” His voice is sharp and almost as confused as mine. “She had her fucking eyes closed, Rio. I don’t know how she did it, but she fucking did. The evidence is there, clear as day.”
“She had her eyes closed?” I repeat for clarification.
“Yes. It’s like even with the ear protection, the noise scared her. It took me weeks to hit more than two shots in the bullseye and she did it with her fucking eyes closed. How does that make sense?”
“A fluke,” I say dismissively. “It’s impossible to have accurate aim and hit a target with your eyes closed, you know that. She just got lucky.”
He hums. “Okay, yeah, a fluke then.”
“But that’s not to completely dismiss the fact that she did it on the first try, either. Take her back to the house and I’ll be there, watching her. I need to witness it with my own eyes.”
He nods, silently excusing himself.
I need something to distract me and right now, this is that something. I’ve got to put my feelings on hold for now because I know my mother is as worried as all of us, maybe even more so. She lost two daughters and by some miracle, she’s pregnant again with another set of twins, both girls. If by some greater power, they’re identical, her pregnancy might not be as enjoyable as she wants it to be.
∞∞∞
As I stand in the shadows of the dark arena, I watch as Remi and Cass enter the gun range, the door closing behind them. I approach the one-way glass window to get a clearer look.
To my knowledge, she’s never been within reach of a gun, let alone used one. So it’s hard to believe that she succeeded in hitting the target three times, it has to be. As Cassian said, it took him—one of my best shooters—weeks to hit the bullseye. It’s… impossible.
As she takes her stance, she releases an entire clip into the target before Remi rings it up, snatching off the clip and storming over to me. “What the fuck is this, Rio?” His voice is stern and reeks of demands.
“How the fuck?” I mutter, handing it back to him before rushing into the range.
Liana is hanging up her protective gear, shaking her body as the adrenaline wears off. My presence makes her spin around to face me, her eyes staring up at me through her long lashes.
“Out,” I spit, Cassian quickly disperses. “Tell me, Liana, what the fuck do you call this? Is there something you forgot to mention?” My words are harsher than I expected them to be.
She takes a step back, almost as if she’s scared of my presence here. “I just did what they asked. Is something wrong?”
“Is something wrong?” I sneer with a whisper. “You hit the targets Cassian marked out for you dead on. My best, most skilled shooters couldn’t do that with the little experience you have.”
A smile appears on her lips. “So, I did well, then?”
“No, you didn’t do well,” I answer, the smile disappearing from her face. “For some reason, somehow, you’ve managed to infiltrate the fucking system and all you can do is smile? I asked you a question, and I’d like an answer. Now. Is there something you didn’t mention when we first met? Something that I should’ve known? Something that should’ve come up when I mentioned your training?”
“Like what?” she whispers.
“Like that you’re skilled with guns and not as oblivious as you’d like us to think. That answer is the only suitable one I’ll accept.”
“I-I don’t understand.”
“Then let me spell it out for you.” As I inch closer, she counters my steps backward until she’s boxed in and there’s nowhere else for her to turn. “Cassian is one of my best shooters and he personally chose the most difficult marks on the target board for a beginner to test your ability and you did it with ease. Not an ounce of hesitation or stalling from your end. You were ready for it, almost as if it’s second nature or habit to you.”
“I don’t like guns,” she admits. “Gabriel keeps them around the house, but I’ve never used one. I’ve never had a reason to, not until now.”
“But that makes no sense, Liana. Are you even hearing yourself? Are you even listening to what I’m telling you? You expect me to believe that by some miracle, you managed to pass it effortlessly? I’m gonna be frank here. I’m not buying what you’re selling me.”
“It’s true,” she spits. “Gabriel owns so many guns that I’ve lost track, but I can tell you exactly where he keeps them because they’re in places I avoid like the plague. I hate guns and what they do to people. I’ve never had a reason to use one because I’ve never been in danger before, but according to you, once we’re married, I’ll be in more danger than I could ever imagine. You’re the reason I’m doing this. If anything, you should be glad that I’m doing well.”
“How can I be glad?” I scoff. “Nothing makes sense, but I applaud you on your one-woman show there; you almost had me.”
“Take it any way you want, but it’s the truth and it won’t change.”
Closing her in further, I plant my hands on the wall above her, confining her to an even smaller box. “Let’s say I believe what you’re telling me; it would mean you indeed are that good. I haven’t come across anyone like that before, and I know a lot of people that prioritise guns over knives. Everyone I know still tests themselves, trying to hone their abilities, including my father, and he’s been through a literal war between families. I know you’re leaving something out. Your aim is impossible with no training and I refuse to believe you’ve had none.”
As if listening to me makes her summon the courage to act, she pushes my chest. “Believe what you fucking want,” her words are like venom, “I’m not here to impress you; I’m simply doing what you’ve asked of me. If you can’t come to terms with that, then fine, but don’t ever insinuate I’m a liar. I’m not my father.” Like a child having a tantrum, she barges past me, her shoulder swinging into my bicep.
I watch her leave, her entire being is shaking with anger. She completely ignores Remi and Cass as they approach her, almost as if she doesn’t notice them.
I didn’t mean for my words to come off that way, but they did, and I have to fucking own that. I can’t take it all back now, but I can regret it, and I do. She’s lived her entire life on the innocent side, only to be thrust into the darkness at the hands of her own father. If I’m going to get any answers, it’ll be from him.