Dangerous Beauty: Part Three: This is War (2 page)

Angelo had been her saving grace. She remembered the first time she saw him. She’d been only sixteen years old and had just arrived at the Luchini’s estates. Angelo had been standing guard at the front gate and hadn’t even noticed her. They didn’t lock eyes until the second time she’d seen him. She was walking with Paolo from her bed quarters and Angelo finally looked at her. She had only given him a fleeting glance, but it wasn’t because she didn’t want to look at him, it was because she didn’t want Paolo to see.

Sneaking around with Angelo and Cesare quickly became her entire reason for waking up in the morning. When she immersed herself in the love they gave her, she was able to forget the despair she felt over her father’s passing. Though she was only romantic with Angelo at the time, she had fallen for Cesare. Angelo had a tendency to walk away from her, and sometimes he would leave for days. Every time he did, Cesare was there.

It never failed, he was always there. He’d hold her and just sit with her, quietly, sometimes for hours at a time. After a while of only silence, he would turn to her ear and whisper,
“Tell me a secret, Anabelle.”
God, she always loved when he called her Anabelle. Every time he’d tell her to, she would whisper the biggest secret she had in his ear. Never a lie between her and Cesare. She never lied to him because she never had to. Cesare was the least judgmental person she’d ever known. So much love in his heart, so much understanding. She wanted nothing more than to be with him for the rest of their lives. Never had she acted on the feelings she felt for him until after Angelo’s betrayal. The night after Angelo left Italy for America was the first night Anastacia had ever been intimate with Cesare. Finding out that Abrielle was pregnant with his child after their first night together, hadn’t effected them at all. Anastacia found no reason to judge, and no reason to love him any less. Plus, Kyle meant the world to her. She loved that little boy more than she’d ever loved anything or anyone in her entire life.

Tomorrow, on her twenty-first birthday, her inheritance would become available to her. Before she ended her life, she would go to her father’s lawyers in France and make Kyle her heir. When he turned twenty one, everything she owned would be his. She figured all she’d have to do is push her death back a few days, just to make sure her affairs were in order …

After hours of searching, she was finally given a room at a cheap motel in the middle of a rundown neighborhood. Anastacia didn’t care about the condition of her room. For the most part it gave her what she needed for the night.

The next morning she woke up and headed to the banks to find her assets were available to her. Instead of heading all the way to France, Anastacia was able to make her will from Italy. She upgraded her living conditions to a five star hotel and spent the majority of her birthday with a very expensive lawyer that helped her put her affairs in order. Afterward, she headed to a private physician. After explaining her situation to the doctor and offering him an obscene amount of money, he gave her a chemical to inject into her body, promising her that her death would be quick and painless.

Back at the hotel, Anastacia stood in front of her bathroom mirror, staring at her reflection. In her mind she apologized to all that she loved for the selfish act she was about to commit.

She ran her fingers over her smooth, brown skin. In her short life, Anastacia had been desired by many, but hated by even more. It all narrowed down to the color of her skin. She was an abomination. Born of a white man, with the complexion of her African mother …

She ran her fingers through her thick, black hair that fell past her hips. Hair so fair, so desirable.
Anastacia, the beautiful African girl
. However, what had this beauty brought her other than pain? Her pale skinned relatives were praised for their features, but Anastacia had always been looked at as an anomaly. Males had only been good when she needed to feel pretty, which was never. They flocked to her, offering her the world. Her father had killed more men than she could count, all because they’d offered obscene amounts of money to purchase her. They waited for the day when Alexis Stone would sell them his exotic bastard child. When her father died, his wife had actually tried to sell her … more than once. Luckily, Fiorenzo Luchini had put a stop to that when he took her to Italy.

She would miss him.

Sighing, Anastacia brushed her hair and straightened her favorite dress. She walked to the luxurious tub and stepped inside it. Soon she would be with her father … and her baby. Soon she would finally have peace. Sitting down, she ran her hands down her legs nervously. Her body began to tremble but she ignored it. This was the right decision … it was what she wanted.

She kept reciting that to herself as she reached into the pocket of her dress and pulled out the injection the doctor had given her. He’d told her that one shot in the leg was all she needed, so with a shaking hand and a rapidly beating heart, Anastacia injected herself with the poison.

She scooted her body down to the middle of the tub as tears began to stream from her eyes. Lying in fetal position, Anastacia envisioned Kyle and Cesare’s faces.

“I’m so sorry,” she wept as remorse overwhelmed her. She hated herself for being so stupid, so selfish, but she just couldn’t do it anymore. She could no longer be what they needed. In her dream, she reached forward and pinched Kyle’s little nose and gave his ear a gentle tug. He giggled, causing Anastacia to smile. “I-I love you, Ky-ky …” So much. Kyle was her heart, a perfect little gift from heaven.

She continued to imagine her guys, so perfect and happy. Deeper and deeper she slipped until there was nothing but darkness.

~*~

Cold, hard acrylic against her face, that’s all Anastacia felt. Slowly her heavy eyes opened. In front of her, all she saw was white. She frowned. Was this heaven?

Slowly she pushed her heavy body up and looked around the room. The bathroom? She was still in the bathroom. She crawled over the edge of the tub and fell hard onto the marble floor.

“Ugh!”

Pushing herself up, she crawled to the mirror as fast as she could. She looked up and saw her reflection.

“What. The.
Fuck!
”

~*~

Anastacia ran down the dark streets in the pouring rain, hoping that she’d catch that lying thief of a doctor before he went home for the evening. Four hours! She’d been in a fucking deep sleep for four fucking hours!

When the doctor’s private office came into view Anastacia ran faster. As she approached, she spotted the doctor himself exiting his office with an umbrella above his head as he fiddled with his keys, locking his office door.

Anastacia ran up to him and pushed him hard.

“You lying motherfucker!” she yelled right before she began spewing rapid curse words in her native tongue as she hit the man repeatedly.

Somehow, the large man was able get a tight hold of her.

“Enough, child!” he shouted, his deep, baritone voice thick with an Italian accent. “Enough I say!”

He held on to Anastacia tightly with one arm as he used his other hand to unlock his office door. Anastacia became hysterical, screaming and thrashing in his arms.

Once they entered his office, he carried her to a couch and released her. Anastacia stood to her feet quickly and pointed at the man.

“If you
ever
touch me again I will have you killed!” she screamed. “Do you understand me?”

“I do not touch you,” he shouted angrily. “I protect myself from your attack!”

“You lied to me! You’re a liar, and I could kill you for it.”

“Do not threaten me, child,” he warned. “I have shown mercy here tonight. You have committed many crimes coming to me today and on this night. I could have you arrested.”

Anastacia lifted her chin in cold defiance. “Call the authorities if you must. My Paolo would have me out within the hour, and have your head for putting me there. I could call the authorities on
you
for your stealing!”

“That is a lie! I steal nothing from you, girl.”

“You took the money I gave you, and gave me something I didn’t ask for. You lied to me. You told me the medicine would give me what I needed.”

“It did!”

“No it didn’t!” she screamed.

“You came to my office and ask me for help, and I gave it to you. This is all I offer to you, girl, my help.”

Anastacia tightened her jaw as tears fell down her face. Annoyed by her emotions, she lashed out at the doctor, attacking him once more.

The doctor quickly grabbed hold of her and shook her hard.

“Stop, I say!” he shouted. When Anastacia stopped her tantrum he proceeded to explain. “You need to listen, child. You came to my office today and insulted my integrity as a physician, and as a decent, hard-working man. I do not take your money. I put it in a safe place and await your return. No amount of money will make me kill a child! You are but twenty years, girl. You do not need death. You needed sleep, so I give this to you. Now you are rested and you will think clearly.”

Anastacia didn’t speak for a long moment as she stared into the doctor’s dark green eyes. Though his dark black hair was matted against his pale forehead, she could see the emotion in his eyes clearly. So much genuine concern. Nothing else, just concern. But why should she trust that? He didn’t even know her, why would he care?

“Give me back my money,” she whispered.

He shook his head. “I will not. Your money will remain in a safe place, Anastacia Stone. You will come back to me and get the help you need. Once we get you better, you can have money back.”

“I’m not sick. I don’t need help.”

“I disagree, young one. You need my help indeed. I remember what you told me, dear girl. I understand you are hurt. Is not easy for woman to lose child, but you cannot give up on living. We are human. The pain inside of our hearts can break us, but we must endure. I can help you endure …”

Anastacia jerked out of his grasp. “I don’t need your help!” she spat. “You keep the money then! I don’t want it.”

“Neither do I, child. I want to help you.” Reaching over to his desk, he grabbed a card. “Here, take this. It has my name and number on it. You will call me when you are ready to get better.” He sighed sadly. “Please do not do anything stupid. You have so much life to live. One day, or maybe even ten years from now, you will thank me for not helping you end your life.”

“Fuck you!” Anastacia screamed, throwing the card in his face. “If you won’t help me I’ll find someone else.”

She ran out of his office and into the storm as he screamed after her. Anastacia didn’t stop. She didn’t want him to catch her, she didn’t want to be helped; she just needed to think. She needed to make another plan.

In the distance she spotted a nice restaurant that appeared empty. The sign still shone bright, so she decided to go in to sit and dry off a little bit. Once she entered, she was seated in the back of the restaurant, which she preferred, and given a menu.

She didn’t want to eat. Nor did she feel like talking, or drinking. She wasn’t even supposed to be alive right now …

“Pardon me, is this seat taken?” a male asked, breaking her trance. Not even waiting for her response, he took the seat across from her.

Anastacia looked up at the man that had spoken to her but didn’t speak. Couldn’t speak … Even her annoyance at being spoken to couldn’t stop her from noticing him.

The first word that popped into her mind when she saw him was smooth. So smooth, sleek, sharp, and flawless. An untouchable God-given beauty that she’d never seen before. Skin without a blemish, which was dark like hers, and seemed to glow …
yes, glow.
He possessed a different type of beauty. One she’d never seen before.

“Hello,” he said, breaking the silence.

Interesting accent
, Anastacia thought, unable to place it. His voice—which was dark and hypnotizing— was smooth like silk. Anastacia’s eyes narrowed in on his full, sensual lips. They were moving, but she heard nothing. Her gaze lifted to his deep brown eyes, striking in contrast to his skin. She was fascinated by this alluring creature. Never before had she felt such an attraction. It was new to her, it was … exciting.

Quickly she looked away from him. What had gotten into her? Maybe the doctor was right. Anastacia was losing her mind. Yes, the man was incredibly handsome, but the fact was,
he was a man.
Men only wanted one thing from her, and it was something she wasn’t willing to give to anyone else other than the two men she’d already given it to.

She shot the oddly handsome man a cold look and motioned for him to get lost. “This seat is taken” she lied.

The man chuckled. “Is it?”

“Yes it is,” she said dismissively. “Now move.”

“Move?” he asked with his brow arched and amusement in his eyes. “Why must I move?”

Anastacia shrugged. “Because I don’t want to sit with you, that’s why.”

He smiled, revealing perfect white teeth. “Keep talking. You’re accent pleases my ears.”

Anastacia rolled her eyes.
Great
,
he’s arrogant
. Yet, arrogant seemed too simple of a word to describe him. “What do you want?” she asked, annoyed.