CHAPTER TEN
RAFAELLE
Liliana Zaccari.
I spent a year searching for her and I probably would have found her if I’d only had her last name. I have no clue exactly what I did to deserve such luck. She practically walked right back into my arms. Although, not as Liliana Zaccari but as Liliana Navarro.
Maybe I’m not lucky though. Maybe her reappearance in my life is what will finally ruin me.
My mind flashes to the way she had looked at me.
It wasn’t like that before. She watches me like I’m a rabid dog that needs to be put down.
Most people do. But I despise that look on her face.
I want her to look at me like she did before.
Like she was searching for something I know doesn’t exist.
After making sure the door to her room is locked, I head downstairs and find Elio on my couch. He’s moaning and groaning like a little pussy. I hold back an eyeroll as I move to stand in front of him, the first aid kit in my hand.
“Treated your girlfriend first?” he snarls, eyeing the box in my hand.
“Shut up,” I murmur, knowing he must be confused by my reaction to Liliana.
Hell even I’m confused. I still can’t believe it’s actually my little siren in that room upstairs. Shaking my head, I begin working on cleaning the bruise on my brother’s forehead. He stays still while I work but I can practically hear the gears turning in his head.
“How do you know her?”
“I’d like to know too,” Matteo drawls from hallway, walking into the living room.
I shoot Elio an accusatory glance. And he shrugs.
“The situation seemed to require his expertise. You’re acting way too possessive over our hostage.”
“My hostage,” I grit out.
“See what I mean,” Elio states looking towards our elder brother.
I feel the sudden urge to rip off the bandage I placed on his wound. Instead, I step back, trying to inhale calming breaths.
“She’s Ignacio Navarro’s daughter,” Matteo reminds me. “She’s not your anything.”
I glare at him in reply.
“Fine. Explain it to me then. How exactly did you meet her?”
It’s not a particularly long story. It was just one night. One night of my life left me with an open wound that hurts till this day. Her disappearance hurt more than I’ll ever admit. I blamed her, but I blamed myself even more.
“Rafaelle, I understand that you care about your one night stand from over a year ago,” Matteo starts when I’m done. “But I can’t let that fact compromise my plan. The existence of that woman upstairs could very well start a war. She’s Liliana Navarro.”
“Zaccari,” I correct through gritted teeth. “Her name is Liliana Zaccari. Not only is she not aware of her true roots. But her father doesn’t know either.”
Matteo frowns, “What are you saying? You want us to pull back? Throw away our plans for revenge against Navarro for her?”
“No,” I say tightly.
Yes, my mind whispers.
But it’s a ridiculous sentiment. I sound insane right now. My brother is right. Liliana’s nothing but a one night stand from over a year ago. And while her voice and that night might have haunted me ever since, she should mean nothing to me.
“Alright. So we’re in agreement. I’ll set up a meeting with Ignacio once I’ve talked things over with Sal. After that, we’ll discuss the terms of agreement. I’m sure he’ll want his daughter back. In about a week or two, she’ll be out of your hands. Or I could take her with me now,” he suggests.
“I can handle her,” I snap.
“Okay then. I’m going back home. Behave Rafaelle,” he warns.
Once he’s gone, I collapse into the couch, my gaze meeting Elio’s.
“I want the files you’ve got on her. Everything you were able to dig up.”
“It’s not much,” he informs me.
“Doesn’t matter. I want to know exactly how she’s lived all this while.”
Elio nods and eventually he leaves as well. Everything in me itches to head back to that room and force her to talk to me. Instead, I head over to my bedroom and throw knives at a board while my mind whirs trying to come up with a plan of action.
One week. I have one week with her until she’s thrust into a life she’s had no clue about until now.
Perhaps I can get her to start looking at me like I mean something before I have to let her go once again.
The next day comes with a ton of responsibilities and things I have to do when I’d rather just stay at home and talk to Liliana. I have a meeting with some of my men who do the enforcing for me when I can’t be present to do it myself.
I can’t be everywhere at once. And I also can’t oversee every fuck up that needs punishing within our empire.
“There’s a kid that’s been causing trouble on our turf, boss,” my direct subordinate informs me.
“15 years old but he doesn’t hesitate to point a gun and shoot.
We’re not sure who he’s working for, but he’s got the bust on some of our deals, and he’s pretty bold.
The only reason he’s still alive is that he’s young and because he hasn’t managed to actually kill anyone yet. ”
I nod. Although that’s always been a general rule, I have made exceptions in the past. Bold kids are the best assets for cowardly groups looking to stir up trouble. I hate it. But I learned the hard way that the problematic ones have to go.
“Find out who he’s working for first, and after that, send his ass to Juvenile detention, get him into a program or something.” “If he doesn’t play ball?” “We can’t save ‘em all. Take care of it.” I order. “How’s Rinaldi holding up?”
“Drying out in the warehouse out of town like you ordered.”
“I should pay him a visit, put him out of his misery. We’ll leave in twenty minutes. Matteo also wants us present to oversee a deal later this evening.”
We disperse and I head up to my room to get ready, calling on one of the help on my way. The butler stands at the door of my room, waiting for orders as I put on my shirt.
“She needs to eat something,” I state, not needing to clarify who I’m talking about. “She didn’t have anything last night and I’m sure she’ll be hungry. Once she’s awake, take her some food and if she asks for anything else, give it to her. As long as it’s not a weapon,” I add.
“Of course, sir,” he replies.
“I’ll probably be gone all day. If she asks to leave the room, let her. She can walk around the house but make sure there’s a guard or two watching her at all times. Do not underestimate her, alright?”
He nods in understanding. A part of me wants to head to her room and see her before I leave, but it’ll only serve to fuck up my mood, either making it worse or better. Probably worse and I need to focus on work.
* * *
On my way back home, I’m informed via text that Liliana not only refused breakfast but also lunch and dinner. It’s currently 10pm and she hasn’t eaten anything since yesterday. My jaw tightens as I read the words, trying not to lose my cool.
“Stop at Pop’s diner for a minute,” I say to the man at the wheel.
After buying her some food, I’m hoping she won’t turn down, I head home. Her room is the first place I go to once I arrive. My shoes are loud against the marble staircase. As soon as I open the door to her bedroom, I’m hit with the full force of her glare.
“Where the hell have you been all day?” she questions.
“Why? You missed me?” I drawl, walking into the room with the bag containing her greasy overload of carbs meal.
“Like a rash,” she says scathingly. “Why would you even bring me here only to ignore me for an entire day?”
I sigh softly, “I wasn’t ignoring you, little siren, I was busy.”
She eyes me like she doesn’t believe the words. Not that I need her to anyway. I place the bag of food on the bed in front of her.
“Eat. You’re a twenty-four-year-old grown woman,” I state. “This behaviour is beneath you.”
Her narrowed eyes find mine, “I’m not hungry.”
“Bullshit. You may think the childishness is cute but I have no patience for it today. If you don’t eat that, I promise I will hand feed it to you. And I’ll enjoy every minute of it as well.”
I can clearly see her fighting to keep the resolve in her expression. But the smell of the food permeates the air and I doubt she’s strong enough to resist it.
“I’d bite off your fingers if they came anywhere near my mouth,” she growls.
My lips twitch, “I love it when you talk dirty to me, baby.”
She makes a small noise of discontent before climbing out of bed and sliding to the floor with the meal in her hand. My eyebrows rise in question.
“I don’t want to mess up the sheets by spilling something,” she says in explanation, opening the bag and pulling out the burger, fries and ketchup from their containers. Then there’s also the large cup of strawberry milkshake.
“You remembered my order,” she says accusation in her tone.
“I’m not an idiot, Liliana.”
“Hmm,” is all she says in reply before she picks up a fry, biting into it.
I don’t miss the way her expression lightens with the small taste or the hastiness with which she unwraps her burger. I watch her for a couple of seconds, her legs crossed on the floor. My chest burns at the sight of her.
“You’re very peculiar, you know that?” I feel the need to mention.
Who sits on the floor when there’s a perfectly good bed? Fuck the sheets, they can be cleaned up and changed immediately.
“Says the guy that cuts people’s fingers off,” she shoots back.
“Ah,” I murmur scratching my jaw. “Right, you met Carlos.”
“He sends his love,” her smile is sharp enough to cut. “I can’t believe you did that to him and Bryan. It’s sick. You’re a sick person.”
The words are loaded with venom but they’d have more bite if she hadn’t stuffed her face with the cheeseburger at the end of the statement. Amusement fills me.
After a beat, I grab a chair from the corner of the room to sit in front of her. I’d sit on the floor too, but I’m not particularly sure I’d pull it off.
“I apologize for what I did to your friends. They were simply casualties of war.”
“There wasn’t a war, you psycho!” she exclaims.
“Don’t talk with your mouth full, sweetheart,” I chide gently.
She rolls her eyes, swallowing the bite before proceeding to glare at me.
“Why did you do that to them? You even burned down the club.”
“I was angry. You disappeared.”
“I left the city for personal reasons. No one needed to suffer for that.”
“If you say so,” I reply with a shrug.
I’m not going to explain my actions to her. I did them. They’re done.
“So what? After you kicked me out of your house, you had a change of heart, realized you liked me and then proceeded to search for me for 18 months? I admire your tenacity.”
“Don’t flatter yourself, siren. I wasn’t searching for you for 18 months.”
Truthfully, I gave up after the first couple of months.
“Then why am I here?”
“Because of your father,” I answer simply.
Her expression grows suspicious and confused.
“I don’t know who my father is.”
There’s a great deal of pain behind that statement. Although I can tell she tries to hide it.
“I do,” I tell her softly. “Finish your food and I’ll tell you.”
She grows silent, her eyes shuttering. I watch as she eats her food but I can tell her mind is far from here. I can only imagine the thoughts running through her head and how all this must be making her feel. It’ll be a lot to take in, her father’s identity.
In a sense, I’m glad for it though. I might hate Ignacio Navarro and want him dead. But him being her father proves that she belongs in this world.
It proves that she belongs in my world.