New Orleans

9. The D'Ambrosios Keep

Muttering in his mother tongue my father held the door to the SUV open. Before I could test his infinite patience any further, his phone vibrated. Holding the small device in his palm, he watched a short clip in revulsion. Hearing the screams of a woman, I shuddered. My skin prickled, as though a familiar, nightmarish memory had just brushed past me. "Mum..." I breathed, my chest aching.

My mother had died long ago, but sometimes it was as though I could hear her screams... "Merda! Bastardo!" With that my father relinquished the fragile leash that had restrained him. Tossing his phone across the compound—to smash against the pillars at either side of the gates—he fisted Tanner's collar. Drawing his side arm, my father moved to an empty SUV.

"Gideon!" Ward blocked his path—the two men standing tall and ready for a fight. "He is trying to goad you-"

"Get out of my fucking way." My father commanded. Eyeing four specific men and women, he gestured for them to get into the vehicle. "Ora!" Stepping aside, Ward let him pass.

Pulling up into the SUV, he looked back at us over his shoulder. "You stay with her. Like a fucking shadow, Reece." Looking to me quickly he fixed Reece with a final glare. "A single scratch on her—an I'll turn this town to ash." His parting threat sent my mind reeling; who was this man?!

The proceedings happened in a blur; my father was gone, my brother was behaving as though I were the enemy and the security was on high alert, the compound on complete lockdown. My knees gave way, unable to carry my exhausted body; I collapsed into Reece's awaiting embrace. Pulling me to my feet, he watched me for a moment. "Annabelle-" brushing his hands away from myself I returned to the manor, hiding myself away in my room.

***
My mind was spinning out of control; the past I couldn't clearly recall hinting at the private affairs that everyone seemed to have insight on but me. Calling the only person I wanted to see in that moment, I slid down to sit against the wall, beneath my window.

'Already in the car,' was Kevin's immediate response, preceding the sound of a car's engine. When the line went dead, I pulled my knees to my chest.

Commotion at the gate had me standing to peer out of the window. Kevin's car was allowed to enter after a thorough search. Running downstairs, I reached him on the porch. Throwing myself into him, I held on. "Annie-"

"Please, I can't right now." Mumbling into his shoulder, I tightened my grip– desperate for the comfort it provided.

"I was just going to say let's go inside." Inhaling on a shaky breath, I pulled away with a nod. Something about his features told me that he too wouldn't divulge any information in his possession.

As we shifted inside, I was hit with a pang of abandonment. "I've never been in this house without my father..." Looking towards the atrociously outdated armchair, that my father had refused to dispose of, I imagined him sipping away at a glass of Bourbon; buried in his diary. Taking a seat on the couch, Kevin pulled me into his side. "It's like I'll forever be a child. He just took off waving a gun and everyone expects me to just roll with it." My temple began to throb.

I couldn't fathom this being okay by a single human being's perspective. Rules were being set, but no reasons given. Secrets being concealed with vague references to safety as justification. Consequences being determined, without precedent. "What good comes from a lack of knowledge. No idea of the situation, its gravity, the outcomes—nothing. How would telling me the truth do any worse than allowing me to live in ignorance?" Pushing away to watch him, I awaited an answer.

When his gaze faltered, I knew his response would come in the way of a swift dodge. "It's not my place to determine that, Annie." Clearing his throat, he tensed subtly. "He's your father. He must have his reasons."