-"Someone has to have blood on their hands. Someone has to clean up the blood. And someone must bleed."-
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Luca's POV
"You're leaving?"
She sat straight up in bed, eyes still red and swollen. Her skin was still sickly pale with bruises and scratches. The white bandages covered all of her serious injuries, including the one on her back. She wore one of my shirts, the material way too big for her.
I love her so much.
"Only for a little while, I promise," I told her, kissing her forehead. When I felt it blazing warm, I felt her forehead again with the back of my hand. I frowned when I realized she had a fever.
"Go to sleep and take the painkillers," I told her softly, guiding her to lay back down. She knew better than to argue with me about this, so she let me guide her on her stomach. She wasn't allowed to sleep her back because of the re-brand and she couldn't sleep on her side because of the graze wound on her shoulder.
So the only option was her stomach, even though she had bruises and cuts there too.
Moving her hair I directed her head to the pillow, watching as she turned her face to the side after wincing from the ache. I frowned again, hating how she had to do this.
"I'm a call away, okay?" I told her, caressing the small cut on her cheekbone. She nodded, eyes drooping. I put her phone beside her pillow so she wouldn't have to reach too far to get it if she needed something. She's so beautiful. Inside and out.
"I love you," I told her, loving the way I could say that out loud now.
"I love you," she said, giving me a small smile.
I kissed her temple one last time before I grabbed my keys.
I walked out of the room and out of The Lux, going into the Bugatti that awaited me. My hands clenched around the steering wheel, thinking about what I was about to do.
It had been three days since the attack.
And today was the day we got revenge.
Yesterday and the day before, the guys, Ida, and Starr worked tirelessly to interrogate everyone they could get their hands on. After a long fifty hours of interrogation of almost three hundred people later, we finally found the mole.
One member saw him acting suspiciously the day of the attack, saying that he was talking on his phone constantly and would get jittery when people got too close to him.
His name was Lewis Vale and he said he would tell us everything if we stopped torturing him.
We weren't going to stop but he didn't have to know that.
I was going to the base now to finally find out who did this.
I just know, whoever this person worked for, I would get revenge either way.
~
Getting out of the car, I walked into the base. I saw Antonio and Matteo the second I step foot inside. I saw the dried blood on both of their hands and the bruises forming on their knuckles. I nodded to them, knowing that I was not playing the nice guy anymore.
My hands almost shook in need to hit something.
"How is she?" Matteo asked as we walked to the basement.
"Still shaken up but fine," I responded, my jaw tightening when I remembered what it was like to see her that day.
I think that was when I realized I loved her. It was at that moment that I knew that I didn't know what I'd do if she was gone from this world. I didn't know whether or not I'd go insane or kill myself. All I knew was that I couldn't lose her when I just got her. She was someone who understood me and wasn't afraid. She made me smile and go crazy at the same time and I couldn't lose that.
I couldn't lose her.
I could care less if she was rich or poor. Sick or healthy. Whole or broken. As long as she never lost her smile. And if she did, I'd love her anyway and find a way to bring it back.
But then I almost lost her.
And I couldn't let them get away with it.
"We already did everything we needed to do. He's all yours now," Antonio said, glancing at their bruised fists. Giving him a nod of thanks, I continued walking to the basement where he was being held.
I saw Blade and Oscar approach me as I entered the basement. Blade's knives were covered in blood and Oscar's hands weren't any different. Their eyes were laced with malice as they neared and I wondered how I was going to find Mr. Lewis Vale when I entered. Would his hands still be attached to his body?
Probably not.
I felt a smile grow on my face just thinking about it.
"He's ready to talk," Oscar nodded to me, a smirk of his own on his face.
"I got a little carried away but he still can open his eyes," Blade shrugged, wiping his bloody knife with a rag.
"I doubt that," I rolled my eyes, scoffing. Knowing him, he probably took out his eyes and lied straight to my face. He winked, walking out of the room with Oscar. Watching as they left from my line of vision, I took a breath and clenched my fists.
It was time for retaliation and answers.
I shook my head with a scowl and glare as I opened the heavy brass doors.
The heavy draft of cold air hit my face. It was frigid and bitter. The smell of human rot and blood burned my nose and it felt like ages since I had last done this. I walked into the dimly lit room, seeing the concrete stained in blood.
Getting a sense of déjà vu, I remembered this exact moment from three days ago. When I saw her kneeling and trembling, gasping for air. My jaw tightened and my body went rigid as my eyes followed the center light.
I saw him strapped to a wooden chair, barely breathing and looking like he just got run over. I was right. His hands weren't attached to his body. And Blade was lying when he said he could still open his eyes. Well, he could...just with one though since the other was completely taken out from its socket.
My eyes dragged over his body and I saw that something was on his arm.
A carving made by a knife.
It was a lion and a snake. The word lealtà was written under it with a line going through it, marking it out.
A smirk grew on my face.
Antonio and Matteo didn't leave him unmarked.
Flashback (3rd POV)
"That snake looks absolutely horrible," Antonio said to Matteo as he sat concentrating, using a knife to carve a snake and a lion into the man's forearm. Lewis sat screaming at the top of his lungs, squirming and pleading for mercy.
"It would be better if this Figlio di puttana sat still," Matteo grumbled, jaw clenching as he focused.
"It's good your in the mafia and not an artist," Antonio snorted. Matteo gave him a pointed look, glaring as he finished with the lion.
"Think you can do better? Go ahead," Matteo scowled, handing over the knife to Antonio. Antonio poked his tongue out at him, having a go at it.
Antonio began to write "lealtà" under the lion and snake, grinning when he finished, he crossed it out. It signified that he had not held his loyalty to the King and Lewis was a personal enemy of La Cosa Nostra.
"It looks like a two-year-old wrote that," Matteo rolled his eyes.
"Don't bash children, 'Teo," Antonio scolded.
End of Flashback
Luca's POV
My smirk faded when I remembered why I was here in the first place and of the re-brand on my Diavola's back that had her almost crying in pain. If only I had the person who cut into her skin instead of this person.
My heart clenched as my skin burned. I got out my gun from my waistband and walked toward the pathetic excuse of a human being. As I neared, he began to squirm as if it'd do him any good.
I used the barrel of my gun to lift his chin, making his one good eye look at me.
"Do you know who I am?" I asked him, my voice calm and low.
He nodded, tears leaking from his eyes.
"Do you know what I'm going to do to you?" I asked again.
He nodded, pleading for mercy.
"Tell me everything and I will consider killing you quickly," I seethed, pressing the gun to his throat.
"H-he never tol-told me his name. Bu-But he said he worked for t-the traf-trafficking ring that was a-a-round before the K-Kin-King. He wa-wants r-revenge on the King and she i-is the clos-closest thing to hi-him," Lewis stuttered out.
What I understood from his stutters, is that his employer was a human trafficker and he wants revenge on the King because he took away his business. So why did he wait so long to do it?
"Why now? Why not do it ten years ago?" I asked, getting curious.
"He kn-knows that the K-King has le-let his guard do-down because h-he don't h-have to wor-worry about any-anyone s-submitting to him a-anymore. The guy just has been w-waiting for the right ti-time to f-follow through with his pl-plans," he explained.
So he wants the King at his full power so he can destroy him? And when we made peace, there wasn't anyone left to bow down to him. We were the last ones.
"What did he offer you to betray the King?" I asked, genuinely curious as to what this guy could offer that the King hadn't already given him.
The King makes sure every single member of his is taken care of. He makes sure that their families are safe with more than enough money to live a comfortable life. He gives the children of the members a lavish education and a fund to go to college. It's like how the military was designed back in the day but better.
And all he asked for in return was their loyalty.
Why would he risk all that for someone he doesn't even know the name of?
"He said he-he'd give me money...a l-lot of it and pr-protect me from t-the K-King as long as I stuck t-to the plan and con-convinced t-the oth-others to at-attack."
"How much money?" I asked, face hardening.
"Eighty b-billion," he sobbed out.
Now, this was his fault. No person would offer one of their henchmen eighty billion to attack one person. He should've known it was too good to be true. His employer knew we would've caught him...that's why he made such an unrealistic deal. He wasn't planning on being true to his words because he knew Lewis would die.
Thinking about it now, this attack had to be related to the ambush about a month ago when she got shot in the heart. It made perfect sense. Both attacks were close together and they both were times when she was at her most vulnerable.
This ex-trafficker must've hired the Ricci Cartel to shoot her while also getting Lewis. Why was this person so obsessed with her and not the King? The answer to that was because she was the one way to get to the King.
The more I thought about the King and her, the more I realized the King was a useless fuck.
He had done nothing since I got here. Midnight did all of the work.
Looking back at Lewis's bloody face, I raked my mind for anything I was leaving out. When I couldn't find anything else I wanted to ask him, I smirked.
Now it was time for the real fun to start.
~
Midnight's POV
Flashback. 12 years ago. (When she was 14)
Walking down the dark street, I pulled the boys closer to my side when I heard police sirens in the distance. Trash lounged in the muddy gutters and rats scurried here and there. Drunk men lingered in their lawns, negotiating with their dealers.
Hearing a few cat-calls, I began to walk faster to our "home".
"Ri, I'm hungry," I heard Milo whine into my hip. Feeling my stomach growl in response, I pursed my lip so I wouldn't cry.
"We're almost home, I promise," I whispered, smiling and pushing his hair out of his eyes. Elias was already fast asleep in my arms as I carried him. Felix walked beside me like his brother.
Seeing the familiar, run-down house I tensed. I wish Grandma won custody of us. If she did then we wouldn't have to worry about living here and being hungry.
My arms were about to give out with Elias's weight, even though he was small for his age, I wasn't exactly a strong person. Walking up the broken steps, I pushed the door open, knowing it would be unlocked.
They never locked it.
Sighing in relief when I didn't see them or hear them, I quickly led the boys down the hall into the one-bed bedroom where we slept. The floorboard creaked under my feet but it was nothing new to me. Pushing the door open with my foot, I entered the room.
Seeing the chipped paint and outdated floors, I set Elias on the King-sized mattress. Felix and Milo followed suit as they crawled on top of the mattress next to their brother. Once they were situated, I lifted one of the floorboards.
Taking a deep breath when I realized that everything was still there, I took out everything I needed.
The hidden compartment didn't hide money or passports or anything remotely close.
It hid food.
Because it was the only food we had that wasn't destroyed.
I took out the bread, peanut butter, and jelly. I started making the sandwiches as fast as I could in case they came back. I only had enough bread for the boys but that's all I needed.
I handed Felix and Milo their sandwiches, wrapping one in a paper towel for Elias when he woke up. I'd find something for myself later.
I practically jumped and flinched at the same time when I heard the door burst open from down the hall.
They're home.
I hurriedly covered the floorboard back up, feeling my hands shake and making it difficult. I took deep breaths as I got up and looked at the boys. Elias had jerked awake by the door bursting open from down the hall, his eight-year-old face still dazed with sleep.
"Are mom and dad back, Ari?" Felix said, his knees coming to his chest as he practically started shaking with fear.
I gulped as I started to shake too.
Stay calm, Aria. This isn't the time to panic.
"Everything will be okay. I'm just going to go talk with them. Whatever happens -no matter what you hear- do not come out, okay?" I told them sternly. They nodded, their dark hair coming in their almost identical eyes.
I took another deep breath to calm my nerves as I made my way to the room door.
"Aria!" I heard the shrill voice of my mother yell. I gulped, opening the door and closing it, making sure to lock it. Not to keep the boys in but to keep our parents out.
I walked to the kitchen, knowing that's where they would be. Our home wasn't big so the living room was the kitchen.
"I'm here," I said quietly. I didn't get a chance to do anything else before I was yanked backward by a rough hand.
"What did you say to her?!" my father yelled in my face. Flinching back, I pinched my eyes shut.
"To who?" I asked, starting to panic. I looked around, not seeing my mother anywhere.
"To Kaia! She said she was taking us to court again because of you worthless pieces of shit!" he seethed.
Kaia, my grandma.
My heart almost burst out of my chest and I resisted screaming in joy. She wasn't giving up on us, thank God.
"I didn't s-say anything," I told him as I began to struggle in the hold he had me in.
"Hugo, I have an idea," I heard my mother say from behind me. He whipped his head up, looking at her with a stern glare.
"You know those words she's always saying? "Momento Mori" or whatever? What if we used that against her in court," she started, grabbing a knife from the kitchen counter.
"The judge will never believe Kaia when we show him what "she did"," she continued.
My father thought for a second before his face lit up, understanding what she was trying to do as he looked at the knife in her hand.
My eyes widened when I understood too.
No. No, no, no. I began to squirm and tremble in my father's grip but his hold only tightened. I looked at my mother with pleading eyes to have mercy on her child. She only smirked with the knife in her hand.
Before I could even scream, dad had me pressed against the wall, face-first. I heard my mom give dad the knife as they started laughing. I couldn't see anything but a blur from my tears. My face was pressed against the cold wall, my mom holding my wrists with a death-grip so I couldn't fight back.
I started sobbing and yelling when the fabric of my shirt was torn open from the back. My blood ran cold and my heart dropped when I felt the cool blade press against my upper back.
My mom grabbed my dad's belt, wrapping it as she forced it in my mouth as I bit down on it with a gag. My legs started kicking against the wall as I tried to fight away, but he was faster than me.
The next thing I knew, I was screaming as I bit down hard on the belt.
I could do nothing but cry and scream as the knife dug into my back, blood pooling on the floor as he carved the words that would live with me forever into my skin.
End of Flashback.
I jerked awake, sweat sticking to my skin as I tried catching my breath.
Fucking hell.
I took deep breaths as I looked around, trying to remember where I was. Seeing the dark New York skyline and feeling the silk sheets, I remembered that I was on Luca's bed. I collapsed back on the bed, pinching my eyes shut.
Not even a few seconds went by when I heard the door open and quiet footsteps come around beside me. I lifted my head as I felt a warm hand on the back of my head. Seeing his perfect face had my lips turn upwards in a drowsy smile.
I don't deserve him.
"Hey," I heard him coo as he kissed my cheek. He moved the hair away from my face as I started getting up from my stomach-first position on the bed.
He snuck a hand under my stomach, the other on my hip as he helped me up. When I was finally on my knees, sitting up I cupped his face as I kissed him properly. He sat down in front of me, putting an arm around my lower back to pull me closer.
Pulling away, he put a hand on my forehead and nodded to himself when he felt that the fever broke.
"How long were you gone?" I asked. I knew he went to the base but I was too tired to ask why.
"Maybe three hours," he shrugged, kissing my temple. So I was asleep for three hours. Those painkillers must've been drowsy. Or I was just tired.
"Are you still hurting?" he asked, eyes laced with worry.
"A little but not much," I responded. The painkillers were strong.
He got up and went behind me. I heard him get the bandaging kit and sit down behind me.
"I need to change the dressing. I'll be quick, I promise," he told me softly. I nodded, lifting my shirt as much as I could without tearing my stitches. He helped me the rest of the way, guiding it over my head. I couldn't wear a bra so I just wore this shirt. I held it in front of my chest as he began to take off the old bandage.
I could imagine that it was already soaked in blood. I felt him spread the numbing cream on my back, making sure to be gentle. As he took off the bandaging, I felt his body grow tenser.
He was holding in his anger and I winced. This was so embarrassing. I never wanted him to see me like this. See me so weak.
He was probably so disgusted by me.
If he found out who I really was and my past, I'm sure he wouldn't hesitate to leave me behind and go to a more deserving woman. Someone who was actually worth his time. He needed someone better. Someone who didn't have scars or a past like me. Someone who could give him a future with a family.
Feeling tears pool in my eyes, I cursed myself for being so emotional. I swallowed my insecurities as he changed and disinfected my wound.
I was such a burden.
Feeling my heart sink, I thought about how his feelings about me must've changed over the past couple of days. He was the Don. He shouldn't be rebandaging my wounds or be burdened with me. Seeing my scars and injuries, he probably was repulsed with the sight of me. He most likely did all of this out of pity.
My vision grew blurry as my skin grew cold.
Did he still love me like I love him?
Please still love me.
I didn't even realize he was done until I felt him kiss my back over the bandage. Kissing it better.
"All done," I heard him say, his voice soft, softer than the tone he'd use with anyone else. He helped me put my shirt back on and turned me around when he was done.
"Are you hungry?" he asked, fingers tracing the lines in my palm.
I shook my head no, feeling bad that he would have to get up and go get something if I said yes. I'll make myself something later when he'd go out for one of his meetings later today so I wouldn't trouble him now.
It was already enough that he was taking care of me. I didn't want to bother him anymore.
"Are you sure? You haven't eaten all day, Diavola," he said, grey eyes looking at me with concern.
"Yeah, I'm just tired," I lied, hoping he would let it go. I felt my stomach twist in protest but I ignored it.
"What's wrong?" he asked, noticing the well of tears I had in my eyes and instantly cupping my face in his large hands. He deserves so much better than me. Why am I being so emotional?
It's a side effect of the medicine, isn't it?
"Nothing," I shook my head. His face hardened as he looked at me through stern eyes.
"Don't lie," he frowned.
If I tell him then he'll think I'm being insecure and weak. And I was. I was insecure and weak. But I knew that wasn't the woman he fell in love with.
The woman he fell in love with was strong. Unbreakable and powerful.
I was not her.
I was an imposter. I was weak. Breakable and vulnerable.
"What can I do to make you feel better?" he asked, pressing a kiss to my forehead.
I love him so much that it's starting to hurt. Why in the world would he love someone like me?
"Hold me?" I asked, taking a shaky breath.
What if he was so disgusted and tired of me that he didn't want to touch me anymore? I felt my stomach twist and my heart clench in response. He probably didn't want to be anywhere near me now-
He gave me a small smile, pulling me closer and wrapping his tattooed and big arms around my waist as he held me to his muscular body, rubbing small soothing circles on my hips. I straddled him as I cuddled deeper into his chest, hoping that this was not the last time he'd do this.
I sighed in relief, feeling a single tear fall from my eye.
Please don't be disgusted by me.
~
(A/N: She's so precious it makes me want to cry.
Don't worry, bad bitch Midnight will be back soon.