Chapter 11 Presley #2
Adrian stroked along my jaw while letting a few more tears slip off his lashes.
“I wasn’t lying when I said I saw you for the first time at that ball.
You were sixteen, I was eighteen, and I knew at that time exactly who your father was, and when my brothers saw that you were present, we began to develop a plan.
Your cousin falling in with the Ferro family was just a lucky coincidence for us.
It pushed Scotty to start poking around a few of his old allies.
Except that’s where he went wrong. From the time your father killed mine, Markos had been slowly buying out all of Scotty’s old contacts.
He was meticulous in finding each and every one.
Someone planted the suggestion that Scotty look into me.
That I might be a blank slate when it came to choosing sides.
We erased every single trace that Markos was connected to me, and then we erased my brothers’ connection as well, until all that was left was an opportunity to lure you in. ”
Just another man who saw me as disposable. An opportunity for revenge, and fuck, he wasn’t even right about his vengeance in this case. I tried not to react, so I could hear the rest, but anger stirred so strongly in my chest that I moved out of his space and began to pace.
“Go on,” I encouraged.
Adrian’s eyes shifted to the balcony, as his Adam’s apple bobbed. “The plan was to get you to trust me. Then to eventually fall for me, so you’d agree to marry me. I was told to do whatever it took, be as convincing as possible.”
“Then what?” I asked, needing to just finish this.
“Then once we married, we’d force you to carry out the hits on your family.”
I lost it and began laughing. He immediately rose and came for me, clasping my arms. “Presley, please.”
His tone bordered on panic, but I continued to laugh until I began to cry. “What was to come of me once I dispatched my family?”
“Pres—” He tried to cut in.
I stepped away. “Just tell me.”
Another brief silence passed before he replied. “I was going to have the choice of keeping you or letting Markos find someone who wanted you. But, Presley, let me explain why I couldn’t go through with it. I didn’t—”
“Just tell me what Markos thinks is going to happen now. We’ve been here for two months, and at this point, it feels like we’re being abducted. Have you kidnapped us, or am I free to go?”
“Please, just let me explain why I haven’t let you go. I just…I know that I had to explain this to you, and I know that now you know, you’ll go and you won’t come back and I’ll lose you, and I can’t—I can’t lose you.”
I wasn’t even sure how to respond, so I rubbed the stress out of my forehead. “So you’ve kept me here because you’ve been trying to figure out a way to explain all this to me in a way that would make it so I wouldn’t leave?”
“It’s more complicated than that. Markos has to think we’re following the plan, or else he has a fail-safe set up that will kick in if he thinks I’m going off script.
He’s already suspicious because of how I acted that night at dinner, and how protective I’ve been of you since.
He keeps trying to push up our wedding date. ”
“Well, there’s not going to be a wedding, Adrian. I’m going home. If you don’t allow me to, then I’ll scale those cliffs myself. I will become the weapon my father raised me to be, and I’ll die ensuring Alex gets out.”
Adrian walked closer, tentative and cautious.
“I know, Presley. I know you will. I don’t deserve your forgiveness, Presley, but you have to understand that it may have started disingenuous, but it changed.
I changed. This is real. If you don’t want to marry me, then that’s fine, we don’t have to, but don’t leave me. Let me fix this.”
“Adrian.” I sighed, wiping under my eyes. “I’m going home.”
His hands came to my face, gently but securely. His eyes were wide and frenzied as he asked, “Why? I know you care for me; you even almost love me. Why can’t we work this out?”
My chest was tight, my instincts about to kick in to physically hurt him, although I didn’t want to. Even after everything, I couldn’t bring myself to harm him. Instead, I pushed against his chest and explained very simply.
“Because my father didn’t kill yours. You blamed the wrong man and punished me for it.”
His eyes narrowed in confusion. “What do you mean?”
I eyed the balcony as an escape route. “The twins tried to warn us about you and your brothers. They mentioned the name Lucian Adesso in front of my father and my uncle. Neither of them would have allowed me to enter into this alliance if they knew that your father was someone mine had killed years ago. They would have known, even with you erasing your ties, the name Adesso. I’m telling you, it wasn’t my father. ”
Adrian stepped away this time, creating distance between us. Then, with a scoff, he shook his head. “You’re wrong.”
“I’m not. But it doesn’t matter. I want out of here, Adrian. If you have feelings for me the way you say you do, then get me home.”
“Presley.” Adrian ran his hand through his hair.
I walked over to the table that Adrian and I had shared a thousand breakfasts.
Moments of intimacy where he’d bring me to orgasm.
Moments that made me wonder if perhaps I could be happy with him and fall in love with him.
For a moment, I glared down at the oak surface and resented how it hadn’t changed while everything else seemingly had.
I didn’t want to hurt him, but if he—
“Of course I’ll get you home, it’s what I promised you. Regardless of what happened or why, I do love you, Presley. I fear I’d do just about anything for you, including defy Markos.”
My heart squeezed with relief and softened the smallest amount. We stared at one another until Adrian pulled his cell out and began dialing.
“I’ll find a way to fix this and then, I promise you, I will find a way to win you back.”