“No wonder you’re not interested in the party!” Mary said.
They had no idea.
Chapter Three
Raphael
They think I’m the monster. The beast who would steal the innocent girl, when all along, they’re the animals. He’s the beast who would sell her to save his decrepit neck.
I gave Sister Amelia a wink as I left. Outside, I climbed onto my bike, glancing up as I started the engine. Two faces peered out of Sofia’s window, but neither belonged to her. Shifting into gear, I sped off the grounds and toward the city, needing the long ride. The freedom of speed. The danger.
The last was one of the few things that cleared my head.
Sofia had lost weight since last I saw her. Her face looked thinner, her uniform looser. It was expected, though. I imagined she was more than a little anxious about her future.
At least I wasn’t a liar, though. At least I was up front about who I was. She wasn’t going anywhere worse than her home. Maybe even a little better. With me, she’d always know the truth. Life with me would not be easy, but it would be honest.
Another week to wait. Then I would leave this place. Go home.
Home.
Fuck.
What was that even? Where was that? Could vengeance be home? Because that fit. That was about all that fit.
I’d spent the last six years of my life behind bars. I’d killed my father with my bare hands. Although the ruling was overturned and the act declared one of self-defense, I knew better. I’d killed the man who should have protected us, who should have laid down his life to protect my mother, my brothers. Me. I killed my own fucking father after he destroyed us, after he set to flames the only good in our lives.
Between mine and Sofia’s upbringing, we had great fucking family values. Almost made me understand my brother, Damon’s, choice of vocation. Almost.
But that was neither here nor there.
Sadly for Marcus Guardia, I didn’t rot in jail. And now that my life was saved, I would destroy theirs.
See, there was one thing prison did to a man. It gave you time. And in that time, I figured out my priorities. The things that mattered. Used to be family for me. But that was ash now. Now, my priority was punishing those who had been the catalyst for what had happened. For what had led to the fire that destroyed anything worth living for.
But for all Marcus Guardia’s pomp and circumstance, he was a weak man. A coward. He’d all but offered up his granddaughter. Maybe he never thought I’d go through with it. Or maybe he just didn’t give a fuck about her. But he did give more than a fuck about the money. I’d be taking a hefty share of the precious Guardia fortune, and I’d determine what the hell happened to the winery.
My mind wandered back to Sofia. She was innocent. I knew that. And if I had any humanity left, I would have felt for her. For her predicament. All her life, that man had been using her, abusing the trust as her caregiver and legal guardian. Hers and her sister’s. And she didn’t have the first clue.
I knew he not only lived off the money that belonged to her and her sister—his allowance wouldn’t afford him the kind of luxury he was accustomed to—but he was outright stealing from his grandchildren. What in hell he planned to do with that money, I had no idea. The man had to be close to seventy by now. He couldn’t live long enough to spend it. Although snakes like him never seemed to die.
I knew Sofia was as much a victim as me, but she’d have to endure her future. Her fate was sealed the day mine was six years ago. And ultimately, I was the one who’d paid the heaviest price. Who’d lost so much. I was the one who’d had to live among violent, raging men who would rape you or kill you and eat their dinner off your broken body when they were done. Thank God, it had taken exactly one time, one incident, for them to learn not to fuck with me.
I accelerated and shook off my thoughts.
That was all in the past now. I never had to go back there again.
And if I didn’t sleep, not even the nightmares could touch me.
I arrived late to the graduation ceremony.
I could have waited for her to go home with her family. Given her a few precious hours with her sister. But I didn’t want to.
Sofia’s grandfather and sister sat in the second row behind the students. The sun beat down on me, the sky clear, the June heat stifling. I didn’t mind the warm temperatures. It was the humidity I could do without.