Chapter Four
Milah had lied to Damon.
She was very much a virgin.
The men who were near her father would never betray him. Not that she’d want to sleep with any of them. The guys at school who were her own age were way too immature. She wasn’t going to risk her father’s wrath just to sleep with them.
“There is a chance, my sweet, that you will never marry for love. I hope one day you will be able to find love, embrace it, relish it, and hold on to it. It is the greatest feeling in the world.”
Her mother had sounded like she spoke from experience, but Milah knew she didn’t love her father. Her parents had been a business deal. Nothing more. Her mother had her own wealth, which she brought to the marriage.
Milah touched her hair, wishing at that moment that her mother was beside her. When she’d been talking about love, there had been a soft smile on her lips, as if she talked from the heart. The way she’d reached out to Milah, stroking her hair back as if in fondness.
Hands clenched, she looked away from the bathroom and saw the metal glint on the bed.
Crawling toward it, almost afraid of what it was, she saw it was his knife. How did it get on the bed?
He must have put it there. Or had it fallen out?
Was this a test?
Was Damon testing to see if she would try to kill him?
She touched her finger to the tip of the side of the blade. It was cold to the touch.
“You must learn how to hold a weapon.”
“Mom, please?”
“No, please. Do you think anyone is going to listen to your pleas? You’re a Russo. They are going to hold it against you, no matter where you go. All you can do is arm yourself.”
The training had been brutal. She had to learn so much and all the while, her mother looked on, completely guarded. Almost as if she was watching something that bored her. Milah knew she did it out of love though. Love for her daughter.
That was her way of protecting her daughter against her own father. Not that her father would hurt her in that way. Never. But he would sell her, like he had done so now to save his own damn hide.
Hatred coursed through her, and this time, it wasn’t directed to her enemy, but to her father. He would suffer for what he’d done.
She hoped right now he was feeling nothing but humiliation and shame for what he’d done. How his men and those closest to him would see him as nothing but weak. He’d given in to De Luca.
He would fall one day, and when he did, she hoped to watch. Even though it meant her own life would soon follow. She was a Russo.
Gripping the handle of the blade, she held it tight within her grasp and stared toward the door. She would kill him and be free. That was all she wanted. A freedom away from this life. Away from her name. She never wanted to be a Russo, preferring to be a Flynn, which was her mother’s maiden name.
With the knife in her hand, she felt the weight of it. This had to be his personal knife. The one he used to maim, to kill. It was impeccable. The feel of it in her hand was … strange. She had never held anything so fine. Her mother had only been able to use generic hunting knives and whatever weapon the soldiers were able to sneak in.
This was a fine piece she held. One she imagined had seen a lot of death.
Sharp as well.
Climbing off the bed, she advanced toward the bathroom but forced herself to pause. This wasn’t a good idea. She didn’t have much of a chance of killing him. This would be nothing short of a death wish.
Could she do it?
Another few steps, and she opened the door and winced at hearing the slight squeak from the hinge.
Damon didn’t appear, and she breathed a sigh of relief. With every step she took, she had to wonder if she should hold herself back.
She got to the shower and reached out to open the door. This was a big mistake. She knew that without even reaching for it, but she couldn’t stop herself.
This was her chance. Even if she killed him now, his guards wouldn’t let her live. She would have to find a way to sneak away. With the door open, she was about to step inside, but all of a sudden, Damon grabbed her and thrust her against the wall, startling her with how quickly he reacted.