Chapter 41
Chapter Forty-One
Alicia
His words feel like a bomb, hitting me square in the chest, leaving an aching, painful throb behind.
Seeing his damp eyes as he stares at me turns my stomach inside out.
"I don't understand how this has happened," he says, shaking his head and looking away from me, down at the carpet beneath his feet. "Why the fuck has this happened?"
He sniffles, threading his fingers through his hair and tugging at the strands.
My phone vibrates beside me, but I don't dare look at it, too focused on Dom's distraught state.
When it vibrates again, I pick it up, glancing at the lit screen, and feeling nauseous as my eyes scan over the messages.
Satan:
This is a lesson for you, hermana
His blood is on your hands
Clicking the off button, I whirl around to face Dom, who's still got his head in his hands, shaking his head and mumbling to himself.
With my stomach in knots and the dread settled in my stomach, I decide that no matter the consequences, I have to be honest with him now.
I can't keep lying to try and protect what we have if it means other people are going to get hurt.
"It was Lenny," I whisper, so quietly I'm unsure if he hears me. Clearing my throat, I try again, louder this time. "Dom. It was Lenny."
His head snaps up, and I flinch from the movement.
"What?"
Chewing on my lip, my eyes nervously dance around his confused face before repeating myself once more
"It was Lenny. He was the one who shot Percy."
The silence that falls across the room is deafening, and the way his expression changes from confused to surprised to furious has my heart beating wildly in my chest as nerves zoom throughout my body.
"How do you know that?"
He's watching me with suspicion, his hands clamped together and hanging between his spread thighs as his thick shoulders remain tense, and his dark, cold eyes assess my face.
I shuffle backwards, wrapping the blanket over my body. I drop my eyes from his face, not wanting to see the way his expression is going to change when he hears my next words.
"It's my fault. I'm the reason Lenny shot Percy."
"What are you on about? Alicia, just because he's your brother doesn't mean—"
I shake my head, pausing him as soon as his tone turns soft and he reaches out for me, trying to reassure me.
I don't deserve his comfort.
Not right now.
"I gave Lenny the information about the shipment of guns at the marina. I snuck into your office, found the details, and sent them all to him. I'm the reason all of this is happening."
Glancing up at him, he shakes his head in disbelief, but when his eyes meet mine, and tears leak down my cheeks, I think he must see it's the truth currently spilling from my lips.
He stands up, stumbling backwards.
"Tell me you're lying," he demands, moving around the sofa, leaning his fisted hands on the back of it as his angry, tortured gaze burns through to my mind.
"It was me," I tell him, my voice wobbly, as are my legs when I stand from the sofa.
"I thought you didn't care about me, and I assumed you were this grumpy, thoughtless bastard.
I was angry, and I made a stupid, rash decision.
I tried to make things right, Dom. I swear it, I did, but I was too late. The damage was already done."
He shakes his head, a disgusted look on his face as his eyes roam over me.
I make a move towards him, but he steps back.
"Don't come near me."
"Dom, please. Just let me—"
"No!" he shouts, moving further away from me, and closer to the doorway as if he's desperate to exit the room. "I can't even bear to look at you right now."
My breathing stalls, and I press my hand against my aching chest.
"I'm sorry!" I cry, my tears coming faster now.
"If he dies, his blood is on your hands," he mutters before stepping out of the room and disappearing around the corner.
His words echo through my mind as I fall back onto the sofa, burying my face into the blanket, and uncontrollably sobbing as the image of his face from moments before flashes in my mind.
I've ruined everything, all because I was worried a man I claimed I didn't care for wasn't paying me any attention.
How fucking dumb can I be?
I should've known this would end in a disaster.
If I'd taken the time to think about things properly, if I'd actually taken a moment to calm down and gather my bearings, or if I'd listened to my sister, I could've confronted Dom earlier and saved us all the trouble and heartache.
I've betrayed him, broken his trust, and destroyed everything between us.
He's right to be angry. I would be, too.
Hell, I'd probably leave and never come back.
That thought has a fresh wave of tears bursting from my eyes, and I wrap my arms around my shaking body, curling up on the sofa as I wonder if Dom will ever manage to forgive me for what I've done.