No Strings Attached

CHAPTER 20

I sigh as I push open the parlour door, exhausted from the last few days. I spent the last 3 weeks at the house with Le Aquile Rosse trying to wrap our heads around everything and figuring out how to make our next move.

He let me go.

Vincenzo De Santis let me go.

Although he did shoot my thigh, which hurt like a fucking bitch.

So now I have 2 people who will be out to get me; Vincenzo and my Grandfather.

I failed a hit, so I've been avoiding coming back home since I know my Grandfather will be furious.

As I walk upstairs I internally groan as I smell the strong scent of alcohol coming from my Grandfather's office.

He's fucking drinking.

Why the hell is he drinking?

I try to ignore it but I'm pulled back by his drawling voice. "Anastasia come in here," he shouts, his voice thick. He's drunk.

Mom and Dad never drunk, as when Grandfather would drink he would always beat the shit out of Mom, and Dad was always scared of triggering those memories.

I walk into his office and I wince as an empty bottle is hurled in my direction. I swiftly dodge it and stand to my full height, eyeing down my drunken Grandfather.

"You're a fucking disappointment," he hisses, "I ask you to kill them in a month and you fucking can't,"

"I'm taking care of it," I lie, knowing damn well I have no intentions of killing Vincenzo any time soon.

"You're just like your fucking mother," he snarls, "You've probably been out fucking him, nothing but a pair of cheap sluts you were,"

"Don't speak of her like that," I say coldly, standing up to my full height as he stalks slowly towards me.

"I should've killed you with them," he snarls, and suddenly my mind is sent reeling back to that night.

Two of his men holding my arms as Mom and Dad are tied to chairs. Mom screaming at her Father to let me go, begging him to spare me from this. He didn't care. He didn't care when his own daughter screamed at him to not kill her. When my Dad begged him to let my Mom go, to let me and her live together. He didn't fucking care.

He laughed.

He fucking laughed. Laughed as she shot and killed my Mom. Laughed at my Dad's heartbroken sob, the only time I'd ever seen him cry. He laughed at my cries when he killed my Dad. He fucking laughed.

Suddenly I feel a pain shoot through my left arm, glass shredding my skin. I scream in pain as blood starts gushing down my exposed skin.

I look down and see he's slashed through my tattoo. My tattoo matching with Mom.

I glare up at him as he towers over me, "That's why I told the De Santis' who you are. They're fucking onto you, they're going to kill you," he laughs, his breath strong with alcohol as he leans into me as I clutch at my arm.

Suddenly everything makes sense. Why Adelyn came in to get a tattoo with Vincenzo basically acting as her bodyguard, and then why he came back on his own, why he asked all those questions. Why he came over to me at the ball. They fucking knew all along.

But then why did he let me go?

"But it's been a whole month, one month and nothing," his voice is an angry whisper.

My eyes widen in fear, unable to move as he lifts the broken bottle again, "Give me one reason why I shouldn't just do it myself, not like anyone's gonna miss you," he sneers.