Red

C H A P T E R T H I R T Y F I V E

He sat on a concrete step, I joined him. My shoulders were draped in his jacket and it felt nice, lost under his oversized warmth.

“Did I tell you, you look beautiful tonight?” I pulled back a shy smile, not letting him have it.

“No you didn’t.” I admitted.

He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and brushed my cheek softly with his fingers.

“Look so beautiful tonight.” He said in a velvety ASMR voice. I swallowed.

“I know.” I answered strongly, acting like his heartfelt compliment was no big deal but honestly it meant the world to me.

He wrapped his arm over my shoulder, cuddling into me. I traced my finger around his heart-shaped birthmark and smiled to myself, leaning down and gently kissing it.

“You always touch that.” I looked up at him, wondering if I should remind him of the one memory shared between us that should always remain locked away.

“I always believed my guardian angel wore his heart on his sleeve.” He laughed a little.

“What?”

I shuffled away from him some so I could see his face. “When my father rescued me, I was really fragile. Terrified of everything. I couldn’t fight yet. But your father and his men launched an attack on our safe house.

All I could do was hide away and cry in my closet. A lot of men died that night, both from my family and yours. You were there Ace.”

“I don’t remember that.” He told me and I couldn’t tell if he was lying or not.

“Your father took you out in the field, I’m guessing to train. He sent you in to search my bedroom and you found me. You stood there, holding a rifle to my head but you hesitated to shoot.

We just, looked at one another. Somehow silently communicating. One mafia kid to another. When you heard Titus coming you put your finger over your lips and that’s when I seen your birthmark.”

“Why don’t I remember that?”

“I thought you were an angel, I was meant to be dead Ace. The whole mafia world thought I had been killed. You stopped Titus coming in and finding me. You saved my life and for years after that I always went to sleep feeling safer because the boy who wore his heart on his sleeve was watching over me.”

Ace laughed. “Ironic.” He commented, “but sorry to disappoint. I was more forgiving as a child, stupidly decisive. Thank god I grew up.” He poured another glass of champagne out for us both and proceeded to drink it, dismissing my memory as just another casual story.

“At eight, you were saving lives. At eight, I was taking them.” He shook his head.

“Six. I took my first kill at six. I wasn’t heroic all the time. In fact, barely. Never. Titus beat any niceness and innocence out of me.”

“He beat you?” I sipped my champagne.

“Yeah, didn’t Alessio?” I shook my head slowly.

“He never hit us, not once.” Ace pulled his hands away from my body and hugged himself. It was a defence to his emotional reaction.

“And that’s why you’re weak.” Insulting me was just another defence mechanism.

“And that’s why you’re so emotional, daddy issues.” He grabbed my chin unexpectedly and clipped his fingers around my jaw like a vice.

“Your stupidity never ceases to amaze me, telling the fucking don he has daddy issues. Jesus Christ, you’re asking to die.”

“You do though.” I mumbled, my words not coming out clear since I couldn’t exactly move my jaw. He released his grip on my face and frowned.

“I don’t.” He defended quietly, he didn’t sound sure. Then, he looked at me as if waiting for me to explain why he did.

“You have all of this emotion surrounding the fact that we fucked. It’s like you need to be loved.”

“I don’t-”

“And the masks, you clearly make people wear them because you can’t rein back the emotion in your eyes. So instead you hide behind masks, no?”

“No, and what does that-”

“Because daddy gave you that emotion. He beat you and forgot to love you along the way. Now you’re an emotional little bitch.”

I expected him to strangle me again but he didn’t so I continued.

“You’re possessive, you literally put a tracker inside my neck. Scared the one person showing you any care will disappear, that’s also coincidentally why you haven’t killed me yet.”

He laughed “I’m not emotional.”

I smiled and drunk more champagne. “Sure.”

“I’m not.” He was getting emotional right now, all angry and pent up.

“Okay.” I answered amused.

“You’re saying okay but you’re only agreeing to shut me up.” I held my hands up submissively and laughed.

“There’s no need to get emotional about it.” He rolled his eyes.

“I hate you.” I took small sips from my glass and swallowed it down. It was the good stuff, nice, cold and bubbly - expensive too.

“We’re not supposed to like one another.” I admitted.

I lay back, lying flat on the ground and looking at the stars. Ace watched me with perplexity and I raised my hand to touch one.

“They look like they’re falling from the sky.” I whispered. “I want to feel them on my skin.”

“The stars?” He asked.

I tilted my head back and looked at the fountains behind me. “The fountains.”

“Don’t get in the fountains Red.” He warned. “You’ll get your pretty dress wet and regret it when you’re freezing and soaked through.”

I sat up and pulled off his jacket, giving him a challenging look.

“I mean it red, you’re not getting in the fountains.” He ordered sternly.

“I’m sorry - are you dading me?” His eyes sharped but he tried not to react.

“Fine, do what you want.” He childishly spat out.

I felt like my feet were walking on air, the champagne had well and truly gone to my head.

Ace sat and watched me dance through the fountains. I was soaked but I was liberated. I felt like a magical nymph set to protect the forest.

“What is in the package?” I asked, dipping my toe against a sprinkler.

“No shop talk, tell me something personal about yourself that I don’t already know.”

“Uh, I could easily kill any man, woman or child but one thing I can’t stomach is seeing an animal get hurt or die.”

“Is that why you have ′does the dog die’ in your google search history about whatever dumb movie you decide to watch?”

“Yes.” I laughed, he laughed too. His gorgeous eyes twinkling in the moonlight. “Have you seen Marley and Me? It’s fucking traumatising.”

“No.” He said pointedly. “But I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Or in 101 Dalmatian’s, the poor puppy gets left on his own.”

“He doesn’t die.”

“No but it’s so sad he’s all alone. I cried like a baby for that puppy.”

Ace rolled his eyes and shook his head at me. “What’s your favourite movie then?”

I flicked water at him and he scowled. “I don’t know.” I lied.

“Yes you do.”

“What’s yours?” I asked, twirling in the water more and more until it dripped down my face like a warm shower.

“I like really robust action films, the gorier the better.” I stuck my tongue out and caught fountain water on the surface. It tasted disgusting, like chemicals.

“I like rom-coms.” I admitted, twirling some more in the fountain. “Action movies are dumb and unrealistic.”

“And the love bullshit isn’t?” I rolled my eyes.

“Not this again, you have a real problem with love. Name an action movie that you like?”

Ace was silent.

“Name a movie you like?” I rephrased the question.

Again, he didn’t answer.

“Let’s play a game.” I offered. “I’ll say a line, you tell me the movie.”

“Fine, but I probably won’t have any clue.” He smiled.

“Just keep swimming, just keep-”

“Nemo.” He gave me an obvious look. “Easy.”

“I’m the king of the world! Wooah!” I stretched my arms out, soaking up the water.

“Titanic.”

“It’s not my fault I have a heavy flow and a wide set vagina.”

“Ew! What? I don’t know.”

“Mean girls.”

“And my favourite movie; What’s mine is yours baby, we’re married now, remember?” I showed him my finger and he looked away.

“I’m not playing this game, it’s dumb.” My mouth dropped open.

“Oh my god, you so know what that’s from!” I teased.

“I don’t, you’re stupid.” I tilted my head back and laughed.

“Come join me in the fountain Ace.” He laughed and shook his head. “The water is so nice and refreshing on my skin.” I caught it in my hands and dropped it down my body before repeating the motion.

“Yeah, but that’s only because you’re high.” I stopped dancing immediately. He drunk straight from the champagne bottle, keeping his eyes on me.

“I’m not high, am I?”

Maybe I was high.

Was I?

What did I take?

Ace laughed, blowing air into the bottle. “Yeah you are, I drugged your champagne.” I stepped out of the fountain, shivering and dripping.

“Fuck.” I swore. “To kill me?”

“No, you’re safe.” I looked at him slowly. “For now.” He added as a warning. “I just needed you away from that party and you’re too fucking stubborn to come at only my request.”

He glanced at his watch and then back towards the building before giving me a small smile.

“Why?” I asked, my tongue feeling heavy.

“Because you know too much Red. You’d see my move before I have even made it and likely stop it before it even happened.”

I looked back towards the party, my brothers, father and all the Valentino men were inside, Petrovs men too and some other smaller mafias leaders trying to make it in a big pond.

“What is happening?” I asked, drowsily, I honestly could’ve passed out right there and then.

“Need-to-know-”

A huge bang went off accompanied by a flash. It was powerful enough to knock us backwards and give us severe ringing in our ears.

“Basis.” Ace finished with no emotion or shock to his voice what-so-ever.

Flames danced within the building and debris scattered along the lawns. I could feel the thick heat against my skin and hear the crackle of frames. The air seared and the building was left devoid of all life.

I inhaled a huge gasp, filling my lungs to capacity.

It took me a second to process.

“My father.” I uttered quietly. “My brothers.” I let the emotion of what just happened sink in slowly.

My brain reaction time was taking a lot longer to catch up but when it did I rose unsteadily to my feet and screamed.

“My father!” I cried, I started to run towards the building but Ace grabbed me and held me back. His strong arms wrapped around my waist tightly.

“My brothers!” I tried to fight him. To push him away so I could go running towards the wreckage but I was too drugged and much weaker than him.

“What the fuck happened? Did Nikolai do this?“I yelled, thumping him in the chest repeatedly.

I managed to free myself and run closer to the exploded building, fighting through fumes, overbearing temperatures and heartbreak.

There was a burning pain of betrayal trapped inside of me, it over took a certain portion of my brain. Stealing the part of me that kept my emotions hidden and buried deep down.

This was too much, it charred me to my core. The emotions of loss. Death, abandonment, betrayal.

I stopped still in my tracks and rose my hand over my face, outpouring every emotion I always withheld. My tears fell, my crying was louder than the crumbling building.

“I thought-” his voice spoke smugly behind me. I stopped breathing, remembering he was here. “You didn’t do love.”

A pit of whirling betrayal opened up in my stomach like a black hole, set out to destroy me.

“I thought you weren’t weak.” I turned around to face him, he was wearing a satisfied smile. Enjoying this moment as a victory.

“You did this!” I messily sobbed at Ace. “You blew them all up! You killed them all. Every faction! Civilians! My family! My blood!”

I gripped his shirt and shook him, he laughed coldly. His whole chest vibrated against my hand.

“We’re not friends Red and we’re not lovers. You asked me not to kill Alessio and I decided to use that to my advantage.”

He grabbed me and held me tighter, fanning my hair out with his hands as I uncontrollably and unwillingly cried against his chest. “Shh.” He cooed into my ear softly.

“Get the fuck off me! I hate you!” I tried again to push him away. “You did this! You released my father for this purpose! I knew you wouldn’t just release him!”

“It’s just business Red.” I screamed loudly, releasing everything. I hit him and shoved him and swore at him. He only held me tighter.

“Behave yourself, people are watching us. They’re watching you.”

I pushed my palms against his chest, trying to remove his hold. All of my life training disappeared in this moment. I was too consumed by my emotions and after locking them away all of my life they hit me like a fucking truck. The motherload of grief and anger and hurt.

“I don’t care, get the fuck off me!” I pushed again with no avail. Finally, he let go of me and stepped back.

I stopped still.

Stopped thinking.

Stopped breathing.

Stopped fighting.

Just stopped.

“You killed my whole family.” I spoke slow and calm, forcing myself to stop crying.

“Yes, yes I did.” Ace admitted, so casually.

“You single handedly took out the whole Valentino family in one hit.”

“Well, not the whole family, you’re the heir. Looks like you just became the leader Red.”

“I don’t want it, I never wanted it.”

“Hmm.” He mumbled thoughtfully. I stared at him, completely distraught. “Isn’t it funny how offended you got earlier when I referred to you as just another mafia girl. You swore weren’t one of them. Your purpose wasn’t to merge, it was to fight. To lead. It’s not a choice that you get to make. People are counting on you now, step up, stop crying and lead them.”

I wiped away the tears from under my eyes and patted my cheeks, breathing in and out as I watched fire engines attempt to put out the fire.

“They don’t even know I’m the daughter. I have no one now Ace. I have no one. You killed my whole family.”

“And I will relish in my success.”

“Fuck you!”

“I did you a favour Red. This,” he flicked his finger between us both, “needed to stop. It was never going to stop unless one of us crossed the line. Consider this the line.”

“You made a huge mistake.”

He nodded, looking delighted.

“Then why am I looking forward to your next move?” He chuckled briefly to himself before turning and walking away from the burning building like he was fucking invinsible.

I watched him walk, the sight of him blurring slowly behind my tears.