Page 56 of Loathe Me (Touch of Death 1)
“You have as much moral obligation as I do, here, if not more,” Sasha says.
“Adelina was always supposed to marry Bianchi. That’s not on us, her father made that deal,” Nero cuts in, and my heart hiccups at his hurtful words. “If we give her to them, this all goes away. If we keep her, he’s going to declare war with an Elite army.”
“We’ve been up against those odds before. You’ve fought worse wars.”
I hear a floorboard creak. “For Una and Dante. For my family,” Nero growls. “This is different. Gabriella could not have predicted this. Had she known, she wouldn’t have asked us to protect Adelina.”
There’s a long pause, and my heart gallops in my chest as I wait for Sasha’s response. When it comes, my heart fractures, right over the same line that my sister left. “Okay. I understand.”
That’s it? Just okay? I’ve fought him to go to Enrique many times, but that was before. I thought…I thought he cared about me. Stupid girl, Adelina. I stagger away from the door, betrayal burrowing beneath my skin once more. Moral obligation. Sasha has a moral obligation to me.
I’m just a job to him, but then, he told me that all along.
18
Sasha
“Okay. I understand.”
Nero frowns but says nothing.
“Nero,” Una interrupts from her position behind the desk. Her leather boots are kicked up on the polished wood, and she plays with a knife, running her finger over the edge of the blade. So far she’s said very little, but I can feel her watching me. “We are not handing her over.”
“We will not protect her at the cost of our family.”
“But she is family, isn’t she, Sasha?”
I swing my gaze to her.
Her eyes narrow, and her head tilts to the side. “She’s not just a job anymore, is she, brother?”
I turn away from her and pace across the room, bracing my hand against the wall to wall bookshelf. “I agreed to protect her.”
“You have feelings for her.”
She pushes to her feet, and I glare at her. Sliding her knife back in her thigh holster, she walks over to me, close enough to whisper in my ear. “I would not allow anything that would cause you pain, Sasha. You have sacrificed too much.” She steps back and swings her gaze to Nero. “She stays.”
“No,” Nero says, and I tense. He rarely says no to her because the consequences are dire. “Are you willing to risk Dante’s life for her? Because I’m not.”
And there it is, her weak spot; he just dug a blade straight into her jugular. Una inhales a deep breath. “There is always someone coming for us, Nero. If we can’t make a stand for Sasha, then who?” She stalks towards him. “Have you forgotten who we are, Capo?” Una slips the knife free once more, cocking a brow as she flips it over in her hand. She closes the gap between them, brushing her lips over his as she runs the tip of the knife over his jaw. “Do you need a reminder?”
“What are you going to do with that, Morte?” And here comes their sick form of foreplay.
If she can’t sway him with words, she’ll bribe him with sex. I’m not sure if Nero knows he’s being manipulated and lets her get away with it, or if he’s just that in love with her. Theirs is a volatile relationship.
I roll my eyes. “If we’re done here, I’m leaving.”
They barely even notice my departure. Theirs is a relationship founded on blood. I’m never quite sure if Una will kiss him or slit his throat, and he likes it. He’s her perfect match if there is such a thing.
I still at the sound of raised voices further down the hallway.
“Move!” Adelina barks.
“Stop!” Someone else shouts.
I jog along the hall and find Adelina in the hallway right by the front door. One of Nero’s guards is huddled on the floor, cupping his crotch. The other stands in front of Adelina, his rifle clasped across his chest.
Footsteps sound behind me, and I glance over my shoulder just as Nero rounds the corner.
“Lower your weapon,” Nero snaps before going to the downed man and helping him to his feet. “She’s a tiny girl, for fuck’s sake.” The irony of that statement is not lost on me because Una is even smaller than Adelina and more lethal than any of his men. The two guards skulk away, and Adelina turns to face us, making a slow retreat towards the door.
“What are you doing?” I ask.
“I’m leaving.”
I sigh. “How many times must we go through this, Adelina?”
“I heard you. You’re going to give me to Enrique, anyway. I’m just freeing you of your moral obligation.”
Nero lets out an exasperated breath. “I assume you can handle this?”
“Nero,” she cuts him off. “You want me gone. I wish to leave. Why keep me here?”
