Sorry for the late update, but this chapter is like soooo long. Anyways im working on another book so it was hard for me to focus on two things at the same time! Moving on, I hope you enjoy this chapter!
ATHENA RUSSO:
"Shit. What do we do?"
Artemis presses down on the gas, "I live an hour away from you guys. We're only thirty minutes away from my place. If I speewe will get there even quicker and have more time to look normal."
I sigh and nod.
I turn my head and look out the windows. We're still in a secluded area. Looking up at the dark sky I realize how bright the stars are shining tonight.
I'm not a lucky person. Everything that has happened to me has proved it. Especially today. I wonder if anything really good will happen. I wonder if I'll finally be happy. I'm so tired of feeling this way. I just want it to be over.
After a while, the car stops and we're parked outside a normal-looking house. Artemis gets out of the car and so do I. It's not like we're not talking. I think we're both trying to process what just happened.
I follow her to the front door and she unlocks the door and steps in. I enter her home and I'm met with a sweet floral smell. Lavender. Her home is cozy and comfortable looking. I can tell if I needed a place to go to, to calm down I would come here.
Artemis shuts the door behind me and looks around, "Well this is where I live. I know it's nothing compared to where you live—"
I cut her off, "No. I love it. I really do. It feels like a proper home."
She smiles at me. "Thank you, now you can go take a shower and I'll go get you some clothes," she tells me. I nod and she takes me upstairs and into the bathroom. She tells me to take a quick shower so I do.
Once I finish I find some clothes on the counter and I put them on. I exit the bathroom and go back downstairs. I find Artemis sitting in her living room, drinking a cup of tea.
I sit down next to her, "Did you take a shower too?"
She places her cup down and nods, "Yeah. But I'm going to tell you what's going to happen when you get home." I slowly nod my head and let her continue.
"You're going to feel guilty. You're going to blame yourself. You might feel like you're losing your mind. I'll come to your house as much as I can to help you get through this. You need to distract yourself. I know you're supposed to be on bed rest but I need you to not stress about this. It's going to be hard but I'll help you. I swear. I got you into this and I'll get you out of this."
I want to ask her how she's so calm about this but I don't think I want to know the answer to that. No matter what she has done, I know she is a good person. If she wasn't she wouldn't have tried to help me, if she wasn't she would have made me leave Bianca in the woods if she wasn't she would have denied my request of wanting to bury her. She would've dragged me away from her body and blamed it all on me. She is a good person.
I place my head on her shoulder. "We were both there so we are going to be in this together," I firmly say.
I know I've always been a burden but from this day onwards I refuse to be one anymore. I am not going to let my best friend down. She could've been a bitch to me from the first day I met her but she wasn't. She was nice.
She puts her arm around my shoulder and leans her head on top of mine. I slowly close my eyes, feeling content. "I don't know what I did to deserve you Athena but you stuck with me forever," she quietly says. I smile, "I don't know what I did to deserve you either."
"Don't say that. You're going to make me cry."
I mutter a sorry and then ask, "Who do you think shot her?"
She tenses and I feel her breathing heavily, "I don't know. It could've been anyone really."
"What if they didn't mean to shoot her? What if that person goes and reports it to the police and then tries to find her body?"
"They won't tell anyone," Artemis firmly says, "There are no animals in those woods, Athena. No one can hunt anything there. Whoever shot Bianca did it without hesitation. She must have had someone mad at her or..." She leans away from me and curiously looks at me as if she's trying to figure something out.
My heart drops. Does she think whoever shot Bianca was supposed to shoot me instead? No. No. No.
I search for an answer in her eyes and they tell me everything I need to know. She's come to her conclusion and that bullet that went through Bianca's heart was officially meant to go through mine.
The doorbell rings and the feeling of not wanting to go sinks in. I push the dark thoughts away, I need to seem like I'm fine so no one notices something is up.
Artemis sighs and gets up. "Such perfect timing," she says sarcastically. She goes to open the door and I stand up and follow her. She opens the door and I see Dom and Ares standing together.
Ares is just casually eating snacks and looking at Dommy with an "I told you so" look. Dom stands there furious, like the angry bird he is. My hair is still not dry but if they ask me about it I'll say I took a shower because I did. Anyways Ares looks at me and grins, "Hey sis." I tilt my head and force a small smile, "Hi Ares."
"Enough. We need to go now," Dom says, grabbing my wrist and pulling me out of the house, "Goodbye Artemis. Thank you for looking after her."
He starts to drag me away and I quickly look back and wave goodbye. Ares happily follows us like a dog, grinning. If he was a golden retriever right now I know his tail would be wagging. Sorry, I really need to stop doing that.
I try to pull my hand away but Dom tightens his grip. His grip isn't hard enough to bruise me but it is hard enough so I can't let go.
I huff and speedwalk, making me drag him. I internally laugh to myself, it's like I'm walking a grumpy dog. Okay, enough now Athena. You can't keep comparing your brothers to dogs. It isn't nice. Dom tugs me back, making me stumble back.
That's it. "Let go of me you dog!" Dom halts and slowly looks at me. Stay strong Athena. You can do this.
"I am not a dog."
I would cross my arms right now but he's holding my wrist.
Ares snorts behind us, "You sure are. If you were a dog you would be a grumpy one, right Athena?" I gasp and look at him, "That's exactly what I was thinking!"
"Just shut up already and get in the car."
I wait for Ares to get in the car but he's looking at me like I should get in the car.
I look up at Dom with a confused expression, "Wait me or him?"
"Both of you!"
My eyes widen and I quickly get to the car, dragging Dom with me. I open the backseat but someone picks me up.
"Sorry princess but I'm getting in the car first."
"Ares!"
"It isn't a goddamn race. Both of you in the car. Right fucking now."
We both look at Dom and then look at each other. Ares sighs and looks at me guiltily before he starts to loosen his grip No. He's going to drop me. I furiously shake my head at him, begging him not to
He places me back down on the ground and I go on my tiptoes, grabbing his collar, this is a race. I yank him back and make a run for it. I get in the back seat and put my seatbelt on.
I grin to myself. I'm so good. I always win, like why am I even surprised at this point?
Dom gets in the driver's seat and Ares gets in the passenger seat. Ares faces me and glares at me, "You may have won this time but I swear I will win next time. I'll beat you both. I swear."
Dom groans, "For the last time it was never a race."
"It was a race," I say, earning a glare from Dom once the words leave my mouth.
"Yeah, it was a race."
Dom shakes his head and starts driving, very fast. "Okay if Lorenzo and our two other annoying older brothers are back when we get back we say we went to the grocery shop because... Fuck we need Dante for this."
"We could say I wanted snacks?"
I shake my head, "No. We all know you keep a hidden stash of food somewhere in the house. Just say I need some girl stuff because I started my girl thingy."
Ares nods, "Yeah. That's good."
"You think they will believe it? And you need to dry your hair, Athena."
I roll my eyes at Dom, "I'll just say I took a shower before we left. No biggie."
"She's really good at this," Ares tells Dom and then he looks at me, "hold on. Have you lied to us before?" I shake my head. "No," I pause, "I haven't. I don't lie." He nods and grabs popcorn out of nowhere.
Where did he get that from?
Dom narrows his eyes at me through the rearview mirror clearly not believing me. Shaking my head, I look out the window.
I need to pretend nothing has happened. I have to. No one can know what happened today. Only me and Artemis.
✩ ✩ ✩
I feel the back of my shirt stick to my spine because my wet hair made it damp. I try to ignore it and get out of the car.
I look around at the many cars my brothers own. I haven't driven a car in so long, I miss the feeling of speeding in the middle of the night. I always took my "father's" car when he slept. I never knew how he afforded such an expensive car but now I know the truth of what really happened to me. My uncle must have paid him to make sure I could never go back.
I glance at Dom and Ares, I stiffen when Ares comes up to me but the bright grin on his face makes me relax. He throws an arm over my shoulder and leans down and whispers, "Wanna sneak out tomorrow night?"
I give him a disappointed look. "And where are we gonna go?" I whisper back. He pats my shoulder, "You will see if you come." I shake my head and drag him into the manor when I notice Dom is gone.
The second I enter the manor I get pulled away from Ares and get engulfed in a hug. "I missed you," Elijah softly tells me. I manage to smile and hug him back, "I missed you too."
He tightens his hold on me. Not being able to breathe I tap him as if I'm tapping out in a wrestling match. He immediately lets go of me, muttering an apology.
I look behind him and notice Lorenzo and Marcello standing there, not a single emotion on show.
I stare at Marcello, did he miss me? He looks back at me and I give him a smile. He doesn't give me one back. I take a deep breath and walk to him. He looks down at me, trying to predict what I'm going to do. I slowly wrap my arms around him and press my face against his chest. I feel him tense.
Oh, he doesn't like hugs.
I go to pull away but he hugs me back, holding me firmly against him. I hear someone gasp and I roll my eyes knowing it's Ares. Marcello lets go at me and his face twitches. I give him a confused look. What's going on with his face? His mouth slightly switches and I realize what he's trying to do.
He's trying to smile.
He gives up. Then he walks away, I smile as I watch him leave.
"What about me?"
I cross my arms and give Lorenzo a bored look, "Really? You think you deserve a hug?" He slowly nods, "I do actually." I keep my mouth shut although I have so many things I want to say to him.
I turn around and look at Elijah and Ares. "Where did Dom go?" I ask. Ares shrugs in response, that's not very helpful. Elijah rolls his eyes at him before answering, "He went up to his room."
I nod, beginning to walk away from them. "Where do you think you're going?" I immediately stop and turn around. Lorenzo opens his arms indicating he wants a hug. I clench my fists, "I'm going to Dom's room."
"Come and give your big brother a hug before you go. I haven't seen you in ages."
"I wonder why, oh right! You didn't visit me in the hospital. And when I came back home you were gone. You didn't even tell me where you went. None of you did," I snap, breathing heavily.
Feeling tears in the back of my eyes, I blink them away. I am not going to cry. Lorenzo frowns at me, dropping his arms to his sides. Elijah whispers something to Ares and drags him away leaving us alone. In my head, I'm pleading for them to come back and not let me deal with my eldest brother alone. Lorenzo takes a step forward and I cautiously watch him.
"I know. And I'm sorry. I shouldn't have left you like that. I should've stayed with you. I should've made sure you were okay. You are important to me, and I should've made that clear a long time ago."
I stare at him. Oh, God. The tears are coming back. No. Don't give in that easily. He left you, Athena. "Well you didn't," I quietly say.
"I know. So let me make it up to you. Let me be your annoying brother that never leaves you alone. Let me be the brother, you drag around everywhere. Let me be the brother you talk about books with."
I can't do this anymore. I walk away from him, guilt eating me up. I can't do this today. I really can't. I go up the stairs and speed walk into my room. The second I shut the door behind me I slide down the door and burst into tears.
I bring my knees up to my chest. Letting out a shaky breath, I let my head fall on top of my knees, curling into a ball.
I chew on my lip, desperately not wanting to make a noise. Sometimes I wish I wasn't in this life. Sometimes I wish I didn't shoot the man who hurt me for years, I wish I shot myself. Sometimes I wish death itself would take me, instead of the people who hurt me so they wouldn't be able to hurt me anymore. I lift my head and my vision blurs because of my tears.
Get up. You're better than this. Get up. Stop being a weak little girl. Get up. You're being overdramatic again. Get up. You're too sensitive, that's why you're crying. Get. Up.
Forcing myself to stand up, I wipe my tears away and take a deep breath.
I've added a few new things to the list of what I'm good at. I'm good at surviving and racing but I'm also good at crying all the time and witnessing people die. That's what I'm good at and it's not even actually good.
I go to my bed and lay down on it. I wrap the covers around me and I sigh. My eyes slowly close and the image of Bianca's dead body doesn't go away.
✩ ✩ ✩
With a blanket wrapped around me, I tiptoe down the stairs so my feet don't get cold. I should've worn my slippers. I curse under my breath as I slowly walk to the kitchen trying to be as quiet as possible. My blanket trails on the floor behind me since it's so long.
It's around four in the morning. The reason I'm awake at this time is that I woke up from a nightmare. It wasn't like the other ones. I remember it so vividly, the thought of it makes me shiver.
I make it into the kitchen and I find it empty. I wrap my blanket around me even tighter and go to the fridge. I open it and frown. It's full of healthy food. I huff and shut it, I just want a snack.
I know I've been here for a while but I mostly just stay in my room so I don't really know where everything goes. Especially in the kitchen. I open a couple of cabinets and find spices and sauces. I look around as if someone will be here to help me.
I'll just get a glass of water because I know where the glasses are. I go onto my tiptoes and reach for the cabinet that is filled with cups. I'm able to open it but I'm not able to reach the cups. Letting out a sigh, I turn around.
The lights suddenly turn on and my heart drops when I see someone standing at the entrance of the kitchen. Confusion fills me when I realize it isn't one of my brothers, it's Romano. The guy from school. The guy who said he's friends with Dom. You've got to be kidding me. He doesn't say anything though.
Instead, his eyes trail down by figure and I remember how much of a mess I look like. I know for a fact my hair is messy, I'm wearing the most unflattering pajamas and I've got a blanket wrapped around me like a child. Great.
He slowly walks toward me and I cautiously watch him. I stand a little taller when he towers over me. My eyes widen when he leans down. "What are you doing here?" I blurt out.
He looks at me with amusement and he leans in so close I feel him breathing down my neck. I look away, not having the guts to look him in the eyes when he's this close. I feel his lips brush my cheek and I freeze. What is he doing? I slowly lift my head and our eyes connect.
"Nice pajamas," he whispers in my ear.
My head snaps down and I look at my clothes. The pattern of cute little pink flowers on my clothes stares back at me. My cheeks flush in embarrassment. Holding my breath, he lifts my chin up with one finger to make me look at him. He's so close. So. So. Close.
I let the blanket around fall to the ground and I take a step back but he takes a step forward.
In my peripheral vision, I see him lay his hand on the cabinets, caging me in. Is he going to kiss me? No. Why would he do that? But I don't even know how to kiss. No. I don't even know him. He knows Dom. His face is centimeters away from my face. Oh my God. This is just like in the books. The hot bad boy always kisses the girl. No. Technically he's my brother's best friend. Wait. That's why he's here. He's probably staying over.
Stupid Athena.
"Here you go."
I look at him in confusion, what is he talking about? He takes a step back, holding out a cup. How did I not realize what he was doing? I take it from him quickly so he doesn't see how badly my hands are shaking.
I turn around and turn the sink on. I fill my cup with water and quickly drink it. I place it down in the sink when I'm done. I slowly turn around, secretly hoping he isn't there.
He's still there. And he's holding my blanket that I dropped.
"Wanna tell me what you're doing up this late?" he quietly asks. I am not telling him I had a nightmare, he will probably think it was one of those types of nightmares you get as a kid. He will think I'm vulnerable. I don't want to be vulnerable. "I couldn't sleep," I mumble. Yeah. That should be a good answer.
He tilts his head at me, and a small grin creeps up on his face, "Wanna sleep with me?"
I hold back from letting my mouth fall open in shock. I shake my head, "I'd rather not."
"I'll keep you warm," he says stepping forward. The soft feeling of his fingers touching my skin makes me shiver as he wraps the blanket around me. I'm so nervous that I feel so hot already and I know I look as red as a tomato.
"But I don't even know you."
"You can get to know me."
His hands lay on my shoulders and I take a deep breath. His touch feels so right. "I don't think sleeping with you is a good idea," I breathe.
He frowns at me, "But you look so tired."
I close my eyes. I'm not tired, I'm exhausted. I just want all my problems to go away for good. But why is he doing this? I've barely even spoken to him. I barely know him. Is he doing this because he wants my body? "I won't touch you in any sexual way. I promise," he promises me. I open my eyes and I slowly nod. "Okay," I whisper.
He gives me a small smile, pleased with my answer.
I don't want to be found in a bed with Romano by one of my brothers. That would haunt me forever. I don't think I'll ever be able to look them in the eyes after this if they found out. Doing something like that is so intimate.
"But I'm not trying to get caught with you, so come with me. I know somewhere we can go," I tell him. He holds his large hand out, "Lead the way then." I softly smile and place my hand in his and lead him to the library.
Once we stand outside the library, I cautiously open the door, praying no one is in here. Glancing at him, I see a faint smile on his soft-looking lips. I can't believe I'm doing this. You need to distract yourself. Does this count as distracting, Artemis? I take him to the second floor of the library and to the couch. He sits down on the couch and I sit down beside him. I look at him. What do we do now?
I look out the windows and see the full moon shining bright down at me. My eyes don't want to look away from it, it captivates me, it lures me in.
"I'm going to hold you, is that okay?"
I force myself to look away from the moon and look at him. I slowly nod. I watch his arms creep around my waist and he slowly pulls me into him.
I've never been this intimate with a boy. I always thought love was just an act, I love reading about it in books, don't get me wrong but I never thought stuff like that happens in reality. And it's happening to me right now. I know this isn't love, he's just being kind.
He shifts a little and lays down, pulling me down with him. I lay on his chest, frozen. I stare up at the ceiling, what have I gotten myself into? I should be in my room right now. Crying my eyes out because of my nightmare. Not laying on Romano's chest. "You need to relax," he says in my ear.
"I don't know how to," I embarrassingly admit. I mean how can I? I don't even know the guy. I don't even know what I'm doing. His hands soothingly and softly trace my arms, this time I don't tense. He touches me like I'm a beautiful piece of art. I feel a little bit better.
He lets out a breath and moves me to the space next to him. I give him a confused look as he goes onto his side and pulls me to him.
Too close.
Wait. He might be cold. I take the blanket around me and put it on both of us. He sighs in contentment and I relax knowing he's actually okay with this.
"Close your eyes," he whispers so quietly. I carefully memorize his features, his hair, and his eyes before closing my eyes. He gently takes my arms and makes me wrap them around his torso then he goes to hold my waist. "Is this good?" he softly asks. Too tired to speak, I nod.
All my worries, problems, and fears fade away and I feel myself drifting away in the arms of Romano.
✩ ✩ ✩
When I wake up, I wake up alone. I don't know what Romano was doing here. Maybe he was staying over but I haven't seen any of my brothers have friends staying over. Maybe they don't have friends? I quickly leave the library and walk to the living room.
Tonight was the first time I haven't had a nightmare. I actually had a proper sleep. That's a first. Was it because I slept with Romano? Okay. I need to stop saying that. It sounds like we had sex.
I enter the living room and see Elijah and Lorenzo sitting down on the couch on their phones.
I hate myself for being rude like that to Lorenzo. I know it wasn't my fault but I don't know what to do. What would Ares do? I smile at all the possibilities he would do if he was in my shoes. He would probably eat all the food and make them starve for days.
"Shit! You scared me—Hey why are you smiling like that?"
I look at Elijah, apologetically when I see his stunned face. "Oh sorry. I was just—"
He waves a dismissive hand at me, "Nevermind that. You don't need to explain. Come and sit down, I want to show you something."
I glance at Lorenzo and see he's watching me with an unreadable look in his eyes. I sigh and sit down next to Elinah and he holds out his hand and plays a video.
A white fluffy cat jumps on a ceiling fan and swings around in the air. I gasp in shock as it hangs on for dear life. Elijah bursts out in laughter as I put a hand over my mouth. I can't help but let out a laugh when it falls to the ground and runs away. The video ends and Elijah puts on another one when two cats sit next to each other. One of them sneezes and the other cat slaps them. I laugh, feeling tears form in my eyes from laughter.
A message pops up on the top of his screen and I shamefully read it. Bianca has escaped. Another one pops up. We can't find her. My mood shifts from a beautiful sunny day to a gloomy rainy day. My lips part in silent terror. My eyes transfix with horror, unable to look away no matter how much I wish to.
I know in a matter of seconds Elijah will realize that I'm looking at his phone.
Willing myself to look away like I heard something. Be normal. Be normal. Elijah shifts and I feel his gaze on me. "Athena?"
I look at him, "Did you hear that?"
His phone has been put away and Lorenzo is watching us closely. "Hear what?" he asks.
Blood drains from my skin. Panic fills me when I realize I don't have an excuse. My heart beat pounds against my chest. I wonder if he can hear it. I hide my shaky hands so he can't see how scared I am. This time I actually hear something.
I look over my shoulder and Ares strolls in singing a lady gaga song with headphones. He's playing his sound so loud that I hear lady gaga singing. I relax slightly, knowing that he's my excuse now.
"You didn't have Ares's terrible singing?" I ask him, smiling. He smiles down at me and lets out a sigh of relief, "Unfortunately not. But now I do."
"Hey, I can hear you!" Ares shouts at us, and storms off.
I stand up. "I'm going to tell him to be a little bit quieter. I've got a headache," I lie.
Elijah frowns at me, "No. I can go tell him—"
"No!" I shout in alarm. He furrows his eyebrows at me, shocked at my outburst. I look at Lorenzo seeing him confused as well. "I mean—I will. Find more cat videos and send them to me. Bye!"
I quickly walk away and leave the room but I don't follow after Ares, I stay out of sight so they can't hear me. I hide behind a wall knowing they can't see me.
I lay my hands on the wall and lean against it and listen closely but it's so hard to focus with my heavy breathing.
"I'm going to check up on her," Lorenzo declares and I hear him get up. I look around in panic. Do I stay or leave?
"No. We don't have time for that. Something has just happened Diego texted me. Apparently, Bianca escaped." My lips grow thin and firm. I hold my breath. Come on. Come on.
"How the fuck did she escape? We had people around her cell—" Cell?! "She couldn't have escaped." Lorenzo says calmly but I can hear the slight irritation in his voice.
I ignore the fact that this is coming to bite me in the ass but why the fuck do they have tabs on Bianca? Have they been keeping her trapped? And Artemis. She took her. From them? No, she said she was the cause of all her flaws. Oh my God. Lorenzo said Bianca is being dealt with. What Artemis did to her, is that what he meant? I swallow dryly, unable to wet my parched throat. Standing rigid with terror, too overwhelmed to move. As if I was solving a puzzle I realize I'm missing a few pieces.
"Well, she has. We need to leave now."
I look around me and see a big pot with a tall leafy plant planted inside of it. I don't even question how perfect the placement is, I just go hide behind it.
I make sure I'm out of sight and I hear Elijah and Lorenzo both get up and walk past me, too angry looking to even notice me. I wait a couple of moments and I hear the front door slam shut and the roaring sound of an engine.
I slowly get out of my hiding spot and place a shaky hand over my chest trying to stop my heart from escaping.
Artemis is friends with my brothers. My two older brothers were talking about how Bianca escaped. But she didn't. Artemis took her. But Artemis said she hurt her and she didn't regret it. I remember it so vividly. The look in her eyes, it was so murderous, and had no remorse.
Is she working for my brothers? She must be. She took Bianca from them and dumped her in the trunk. She had no time to cause all those wounds. She said she was busy with work. But her tone was so unfaithful. She was busy with work. Busy working with my brothers and torturing Bianca?
I pace around the corridor, panicking.
Fuck. How was I so stupid to not even notice this? Then I freeze. Ares said Lorenzo was digging up someone's grave. I squeeze my eyes shut and let out a breathy chuckle.
I am so stupid.
They didn't go on a business trip because I remember hearing someone mentioning a grave when I called Marcello.
They went back to London, didn't they? They went to go dig up my abuser's grave. I open my eyes and look around, making sure no one is around.
Marcello is apart of this. I bet all of my brothers are too. I don't know what it is they are a part of but now I know they are dangerous. Ares grew up with them. Dom and Dante did too. They've probably been raised to do God knows what.
I go to the stairs and run up them and go into my bedroom and slam the door shut. I run my hand through my hair, feeling crazy.
Lorenzo, Elijah, and Marcello dug up my abuser's grave. I don't want to know why. I don't want to know if they've done anything to his corpse. He's dead. I know he is. I watched him die.
My brothers are dangerous people and I don't doubt it for a minute. Artemis is dangerous too.
The feeling of betrayal finally sinks in and I laugh like a maniac. Then I see red. I roll my shoulders back before I grab the closest thing to me and I chuck it across the room. The object flies right through the window. Rage flows through me like lava. I grab the glass coffee table and throw it at the wall. It crumbles into little pieces of glass.
I stare at the mess I caused, panting. It isn't enough. This isn't enough. I need more. I need to let it all out. I need to get out of here. I know my suspicions are right. I've just been so oblivious. I know my actions aren't outrageous. I've just been so naive.
I storm into my closet and put on a new pair of clothes and shoes. I go into my bathroom, refusing to look in the mirror. I brush my teeth and my hair. I put it up in a high ponytail.
I exit my bathroom and then my door barges open and Dom and Romano walk in. Dom looks at me with a panicked expression portrayed on his face.
"What the hell happened—"
I push past both of them and try to calm down my breathing when I go down the stairs. I'm not going to fucking cry. I'm angry. So angry. I've never felt this much rage ever in my life until now. I'm not going to hide my feelings anymore. I'm not going to—
"Athena!"
Dante stands in front of me, blocking my way. I halt and glare at him. Hurt flashes on his face.
"Did you know?"
"What?"
"Did you know?!"
He looks behind me and I don't bother to turn around to see what he's looking at because I know he's looking at his twin and friend. I feel someone's hand lay on my shoulder. I grab their wrist and yank their hand away. Taking a few cautious steps, I glare at them all.
"Athena, what do I know?" Dante asks, stepping forward. I hear a jingle and I glance down and see him holding his car keys.
I snatch his car keys and make a run for the front door. I swing the door open and I see Artemis standing in front of me. I freeze. She smiles at me and she moves to hug me.
I duck under her arm and press the unlock button on the car keys and I see a matte black Bugatti light up. I rush to it and get in the car.
I press the ignition button and the car roars to life. Putting my hands on the leather steering wheel, I begin to slowly drive towards the gate like I don't know what I'm doing. But I do. I just need them to think they will catch me.
I should be an actress at this point.
The gate automatically opens and I hear my brothers yelling and shouting telling me to stop. I press down on the gas and drive away from the manor.
Now, this is where I think I've gone too far but I'm not going to stay there knowing I might be living with a bunch of psychos.
I need time to calm down and I'm not doing it there.
I hear a roar of an engine behind me and I look up in the rearview mirror. I quickly notice that I can't see anything so I quickly adjust it.
I shift around in the seat uncomfortably. For fucks sake. I need to adjust the seat as well.
I make sure the road is empty before raising my knee to keep the steering wheel in place. I slightly lift my foot off the gas to slow down. I adjust my seat when I look in the rearview mirror and see a red Porsche speeding up behind me. The windows are so tainted I can barely see who's driving it. I squint my eyes and see Dom in the driver's seat. Angry.
I lower my knee as I put both hands on the steering wheel and speed up. I take a random left. The car moves so smoothly that it feels like it's barely moving. But I don't even know where I'm going.
The small screen in the car catches my eye. It's already on. I tap a few random buttons on it and a map pops up. I closely look at it, memorizing the roads and where they lead to.
It randomly puts on a route and it's thirty minutes away. I read the location, and I don't recognize it but if Dante goes there often I would like to know what it is.
Curiosity kills me all the time. I can't help it.
I take a deep breath when I hear a loud beep behind me. I need to lose him first. I take a few turns and end up on a busy road. I swerve past cars that are stopping because of the traffic. I actually like this car a lot.
I look in my rearview mirror again and I don't see Dom following me anymore. I scoff, I'm too good at this shit to know it isn't that easy to lose someone. I stop at a red light and continue to look at the mirrors.
My hands shake on the steering wheel, tears form in the back of my eyes. I let out a shaky breath.
What am I doing?