Does he hate me now too?
Who fucking gives a shit? With the part he played in Cami’s death, I’ll never be able to forgive him, much less have a relationship with him.
“That’s all you have to say?” Rex takes a step closer, lowering his voice to an ominous level. “You’re right. We never would’ve worked, because how could I love someone as coldhearted as you? You’re no better than my father. The second I found out who you were, I wanted to come to you—once I could ensure your safety—and sit down and have an adult conversation. But you weren’t going to let that happen, were you? All you saw was an opportunity for revenge. Fuck everyone else and their feelings. Fuck their lives. Isn’t that right, Shae? Look out for number one? Well, bravo, sweetheart, because you fucking nailed that!”
Is that how it happened?
My mind quickly rewinds itself, replaying the last several hours, but I lose my concentration because Rex’s next words are like a knife to the gut.
“I will never forgive you for this, and you just started a battle you cannot win.”
“Rex.” Dante pushes up from the floor, clearly shocked at his brother’s words, but that doesn’t stop Rex.
Oh no, he’s on a mission to tell me just how much he despises me.
“If you think you can walk in here and deliver this sort of news and walk out unharmed, you are sorely mistaken.”
I hold my chin high, not believing for one second that he would harm me. “You wouldn’t hurt me.”
“Why the fuck not? You hurt me,” he yells, pounding a fist over his heart. “You fucking hurt me the second you set out to hurt my brother, all because of something my father did. Well, fuck you, Shae. My family means more to me than anything, and you just fucked with my family.”
Judging by the smug look on Sal’s face, he’s happy with Rex’s declaration and all too happy to let his son do his dirty work for him. I turn to Dante, who now stands a few feet away.
“Don’t look at Dante.” Grabbing my chin, Rex forces me to look at him. “He can’t fucking save you. He won’t save you.”
“I think he’s capable of making his own decisions,” I say.
“And why the fuck would he choose to save you? You might be his blood, but so am I, and I’ve been around a lot longer than you have, watching his back, because that’s what family does.”
Dante places a hand on Rex’s shoulder. “Rex.”
Sal has been silent for several minutes, but as soon as Dante gets involved, so does he.
“Did you know about this, Dante?” Sal asks.
Dante’s glacial eyes meet Sal’s. “That’s a stupid fucking question.”
“Answer the fucking question, boy. Did you know you weren’t an Ambrosi?”
“Of course I didn’t know,” Dante says, tossing his hands out to the side.
But he couldn’t leave it at that. Nope, that would be too fucking easy.
“Trust me, if I had known, you would’ve been the first one I told. I would’ve gotten immense satisfaction from telling you you no longer had a hold on me. No ties. No connection. No fucking blood. You’re nothing to me.”
Sal pulls a gun, pointing it at Dante’s head. “You have two choices. Kill your sister and remain a part of my family. No one has to know about your mother’s little secret. Or you can die beside her,” he says, moving the gun toward me. “It’s your choice.”
“No!” Isabella screams, propelling herself toward Sal.
Turning the gun, he shoves it against Isabella’s head, forcing her to walk backward as the metal bites into her skin. “I will deal with you when I’m fucking ready. Say another goddamn word, and I’ll put a bullet through your fucking head.”
She steps back, watching as Sal turns the gun back on me.
This is it. He’s going to kill me. I’m going to die hating the man I love and never getting to know the brother I’ve just learned I have. The severity of the moment crashes around me as I wait to hear Dante’s choice.
He takes a step forward, wraps his fingers around Sal’s wrist, and pulls the gun forward, resting the barrel against his forehead.
Oh my gosh.<