Dangerous Numbers

Chapter 26

ALEXANDRA

I must be in a parallel universe or something. This cannot be true. All this time that Vittorio was talking, all I could feel was pain spreading in my heart, like I could feel his sorrow. He had a sister that fell victim to their father's schemes against the Russian mafia. No words could compensate for his loss or pain. I was hanging from his lips as he was opening his heart to me.

It was one of these rare moments where there was not any mask on his face. Emotions had occupied most of his strong features. I can see his eyebrows furrow and his grey eyes are darker than ever. All I could do at the moment was to hold his hands as my life depends on them.

"The coroner told us, when he finished the examination, that she was tortured, raped and I don't know what other things they did to her. He also said that we were lucky to receive her whole body. That made me lose my shit completely. I was devastated but anger was already taking me. I wanted to hunt them down and I wouldn't rest until I have Dimitri's head in a bag."

I could hear it in his voice. A tiny hint of emotion. Lifting my head to meet his gaze, I see he is looking away from me as if he sees me would disorientate him, so I drop my head down, looking at our perplexed fingers.

"I left home before he attempts to lock me up again down in the cellar. The men I found were not enough to attack his place, so I decided to go alone. I didn't want more people to get hurt. I ended up badly bruised by Dimitri, kicking me out of his place, saying that I had it in me, but I should not get involved in grown-ups' businesses. A week after we received my sister's body, I come home one day and find mother lying on the floor in a pool of blood. She had ended her life out of the unbearable sorrow for the loss of my sister. And the reason for all this suffering is my father. Because of his actions, the two most precious women of my childhood were lost, and he didn't seem to care less. It appeared that the business was everything to him. Since then, he stopped being a father to me."

"Oh, Vittorio..." That is all I manage to say before I put my hands around him squeezing him in a tight hug, like the more I tighten my grip around him the more the sorrow will get away from his body.

He slowly breaks the hug and goes a bit back to be able to see me. His hands are still resting casually around my waist.

"I did terrible things Alex, I raised walls around me. I let anger consume me and didn't care about anything or anyone. I became a monster. I killed anyone who was standing in my way even for less important reasons. I was an asshole to women, not even caring about what they felt. I thought that they are only good for night company when my demons were coming to haunt me, and I needed a distraction. I was hollow inside."

His hands leave my waist and raise until they hold firmly my shoulders. "But when I met you, I felt everything changing within me. I have feelings that I never had for any woman since then. I care about you more than my life and sometimes I catch myself wondering how I could live all this time before I met you. I want to become a better man, with you." He says picking a clump of hair out of my face and putting it behind my ear.

His soft touch sends shivers down my spine, and my whole body has goosebumps.

His eyes are pinned on mine, like magnets pulling me closer. I couldn't drift away from his gaze, and I wouldn't either.

My right hand came to rest on his face, gently caressing his jawline with my fingers. He closes his eyes as his full attention falls on the touch of my hand upon his skin. I close the distance between us slowly and give him a kiss close to his lips.

"I had no idea what you're going through. I'm sorry because I thought you were overreacting but after all that you told me..." my voice trails off.

"And what about-" he tries to tell but I cut him off.

"We all have our dark sides. You know your past cannot change. But we can build a better future. Together." I smile at him.

His face lights up when I finish my sentence. Dark clouds seem to have gone away and his grey eyes are sparkling now with tenderness. A soft smile curves his lips. He suddenly drags me close to his body, planting his lips on mine.

We kiss with such force like we need this in order to stay alive. I close my eyes and it's like I can taste his emotions. Happiness, need and love, all in one crazy combination. When we part, I try to catch my breath. I feel my face on fire and I turn to face him. He gives me one of these playful smiles as I hide my face in his chest.

******

Hi everyone!

I'm sorry this chapter is a bit short. Work has kept be back from my usual schedule but I'll make up in the next one planned to be published over the weekend.

I hope you like the story so far. Feel free to leave any comments with your thoughts, recommendations, ideas etc. It will help me a lot to improve my art of writing.

Once again, thank you so much for supporting the story!! See you :)