Dangerous Beauty: Part Three: This is War (32 page)

Chapter 13: The exes. . .

Anastacia strolled out of her bedroom fighting to contain the smile on her face. Cesare always did this. He always made her feel like everything in her world was right, even though she felt like shit. Plus, she couldn’t get her mind off of what had happened on the window ledge.

She bit her lip again, still fighting to stifle her smile. He was so amazing, and unpredictable in the most exciting ways. He was honestly too good to be true.

“Oh my God!” Anastacia exclaimed, immediately stopping when she nearly collided with Angelo. “Jesus Christ, Angelo!” She placed her hand to her heart. “Announce yourself. You can’t just sneak up on people like that.”

“I’m sorry, you’re usually not this jumpy.” His voice sounded as if he were surprised she could be caught off guard.

Anastacia wanted to roll her eyes but she didn’t. People and their idiotic, as well as unrealistic, expectations of her pissed her off. “I was thinking. Am I not allowed to think?”

“I didn’t mean it like that, Ana.”

“I’m just saying I’m a human being, too, you know.”

He didn’t say anything for a moment; he simply stared at her until it made her feel uncomfortable.

Placing her hands on her hips, she huffed. “What?” she asked sharply.

“You changed,” he stated, voicing what he had just noticed.

She shrugged. “So what? It’s just another pair of pajamas.” For some reason she didn’t feel like wearing any clothes today. She had freshened up and changed from her purple pajama set to her pink. It was just as big, and she looked just as messy. It was perfect.

“Where is Cesare?” he asked, eyeing her suspiciously.

She frowned. “How the hell am I supposed to know, Angelo? Go look for him yourself.”

Today was not the appropriate day for her and Cesare to let anyone know they were officially dating. There was too much going on. They’d both agreed to wait. Cesare had gone back outside to finish his walk after they’d sat and talked for a little while more.

Angelo nodded. “Very well. Carterina will be calling you soon. The plane landed about thirty minutes ago. She is on her way home.”

Both excitement and fear rushed through Anastacia’s body. She wanted to see her baby girl so badly, but she was also nervous as hell about the talk she knew they needed to have.

Regardless, she pasted a smile on her face anyway. “Perfect. I’m going to go get my phone.” She headed for the kitchen, which was where she believed she’d left it.

“Ana,” Angelo called for her.

Anastacia stopped and turned to face him. “Yes, Angelo?”

Slowly, he advanced toward her until he stood in front of her. He reached behind her head and gathered all of her hair, bringing it to the side. Leaning forward, he kissed her forehead, then her cheek, and finally the side of her mouth.

Anastacia frowned. “Angelo,” she whispered. “If this is your way of apologizing for being an ass in the kitchen, no need. There are no hard feelings. I’m fin—”

Her words faltered when Angelo abruptly gripped her face and forcefully turned her head.

“What is this?” he growled. “It’s a fucking hickey, Ana!” He roughly pushed her away, disgust twisting his features. “Where did it come from? I know I didn’t fucking give it to you.” he shouted. “Why the fuck am I even asking you? You smell like him—”

Anastacia silenced his shouting when she harnessed every bit of strength she possessed in her body and slapped him right across the face. The force from the abrupt blow knocked him back a few steps, but he completely lost his balance when she pushed him to the floor.

“
I hate you!
” she screamed the words at the top of her lungs, then turned on her heel and stormed away from him.

Angelo had already recovered and was coming after her. “Get your ass back here, Anastacia!” he shouted from behind her. However, Anastacia didn’t stop. She kept walking until she reached the kitchen, and he roared, “How dare you? How dare you put your fucking hands on me after
you’ve
done this?”

“I’ve done nothing!” she shouted. She made it to the kitchen and snatched up her phone.

“You’re fucking, Cesare!” he bellowed.

“I’m not fucking him. I love him!”

“Goddammit, Anastacia,” he roared, getting in her face. “How can you say that shit to me? To me! You’re a fucking bitch!”

“
You’re the fucking bitch
!”

“So did it just start, or have you been fucking him the entire time?”

She grabbed two handfuls of her hair and screamed, “Get away from me! I swear to God if you don’t get away from me I’ll stab you in your fucking neck.”

“I
wish
I could kill you! I hate you so fucking much, half of the time I wish you’d just die anyway.”

“
Likewise,
motherfucker! So
please
do me a favor and drive off the nearest fucking bridge.”

“I wouldn’t give you the pleasure! You’re such a fucking hypocrite, Ana. You gave me all that shit about Cynthia and you’ve been fucking Cesare. As far as I’m concerned, we’re even.”

Anastacia shoved him with all of her might. “This is not a game, Angelo. I haven’t fucked anyone in the last six years besides you.”

“Bullshit!” he snapped, shaking with anger.

“I don’t give a shit if you believe me or not because we’re done. We’re finished. I ended it with you, so who I fuck is no longer any of your concern.”

“Fuck that shit! We’ll never be over.”

“
Fuck you
. I’m done with you. I don’t love you anymore—”

He gripped her face again, harder this time. “That’s bullshit,” he shouted. “No matter how many times you say it’ll never be true!”

She hit his arm with her fist until he released her, then she reared back and slapped him again . . . harder this time.

He stumbled back, but quickly regained his balance and stormed angrily toward her. “Stop fucking hitting me, Ana. I swear to God I’ll—”

“You’ll what? Hit me?” She pushed him again. “Go ahead, hit me,” she screamed, and smacked him in his face once more. “Hit me you piece of shit.
Show me what kind of man you really are
. Hit me.” She smacked him again. “
Hit me!
”

“
Anastacia!
”

Anastacia whipped around when she heard Cesare shout her name. “Cesare—”

“Your phone,” he cut her off.

Frowning, she looked to the counter and saw the light on her phone light up.

She gasped, ran over to her phone, and answered it. “Hello? Hello, baby? Its mama, is everything okay?”

Silence.

Pulling the phone away from her ear, she looked at the screen.
Why isn’t she saying anything?
“Carterina? Baby girl, are you there?”

“No, pet, she is not.”

The feeling came immediately and rendered her motionless. Everything around her turned pitch black and she immediately disappeared into his world. The room around her resembled the room he would put her in to punish her. It was dark, cold, and the only thing she could hear was the sound of his voice.

“Si–Silas,” she whispered, even as her body began to shake. That ever-present leash began to tug at her neck, letting her know that she still didn’t make any decisions when it came to her own life; she didn’t have a say, nor any control over anything. She was still his. He owned her, controlled her. She was still his … pet.

“It’s so good to hear your voice, pet. How long has it been?”

Her hands began to shake, and tears clouded her eyes. “Twenty-two years, Silas. That’s how long.”

“That’s too long, pet. I’ve missed you.”

She didn’t say a word.

“How have you been? I’d love to hear you speak, dear.”

How has she been?
How has she been?
Was he out of his mind? Of course. Of course he was out of his mind. The man was Silas Steele for fuck’s sake!

“Why would you ask me that?” she cried. “Why would you ask me that!”

“Because I want to know, pet,” he answered calmly.

“You took my daughter from me, that’s how I’ve been. You beat me until you killed our son. You made me give my baby to a
stranger
. You’ve been tormenting me for the last twenty-three years!”

“Lies, Anastacia,” he said sharply. “I let you be until you turned my brother against me, using your feminine wiles on him. Committing adultery with my brother was low, yet I have not yelled at you. I just wanted to call and check on our kids, and have a civil discussion with my wife.”

Anastacia shook her head. “Do not call me that. I am not your wife.”

“You are my wife, and you have been for twenty-four years.”

“I asked you for a divorce. I told you I didn’t love you. When are you going to just get it and leave me alone?”

“Easy, pet. Lower your tone. Let’s keep this civil, avoid any unwanted ugliness. I’ve called to check on you and my kids, that’s all.”

“How are you calling me right now? How did you get my number?”

“I have your number every time you get a new phone. I just didn’t have a reason to call you until now.”

“What do you want?” she screeched.

“I thought I requested that you lower your tone. You know how I get when you raise your voice at me. Let’s avoid the dramatics and calm ourselves, love.”

“I am not your
love,
” she spat. “I’m hanging up!”

“I’d advise you against that, dear. I don’t quite understand why you are being so testy. I let them go.”

“You kidnapped
my
daughter—”

“
Our daughter!
” he roared.

Anastacia flinched and shut her mouth as his enraged face flashed through her mind. Yes, it was true. Even after all these years, there was a part of her that still feared Silas Steele.

“
I cannot kidnap what is mine!
” he shouted. “She is
ours
, she came from the
both of us
. I was there the night she and her brother were conceived, pet.”

“Yes you were, Silas.” She clenched her jaw as tears spilled from her eyes. “You were there when our twins were conceived. You were also there when I was seven months pregnant with them and you beat me. The night you killed our son, and nearly killed me and our daughter. The night you obliterated any love I had ever felt for you! What kind of fucking father are you? What kind of father have you been to her? You handed her off to Robert, remember? He raised her!”

“Don’t act like you’re a better parent then me, Anastacia.”

“I
am
better than you—”

“I gave you a choice. A choice! And you chose your fucking pride over raising our kids together!”

“Did you
actually
think I was going to let my children see the way you treated me? Did you
think
I was going to stay with you after you
hurt me?
After you locked me up in that room for days with no food, water, or decent way to relieve myself.
You’re out of your fucking mind!
”

“So your solution was to
stab me three times
, then run away with my children? My blood, my family.”

“Yes! I would have done anything to get my kids away from you. They already had to live with the curse of your DNA, I would never have made them endure living with you.”

“You ungrateful bitch! After all I’ve done for you. After all I’ve done to protect you. I’ve killed to protect you, to protect my daughter, my son, and this is how you treat me.”

“I owe you nothing—”

“Oh, you don’t think so? Who did your Robbie called when you and Cecilia needed to be protected? Who do you think it was that stopped the Stone’s from going for your riches, for your life, for Cecilia? You think that little pint-sized army of yours intimidated them. No. It was me! And I didn’t even need a fucking army to back me up. You should be honored to be my wife. You should be honored to bear my children, and have my love. They would have killed you long ago if I didn’t kill them first, trust me, pet.”

Both disturbed and confused, Anastacia pinched the bridge of her nose with a shaky hand. “It’s Carterina …”

“What?”

“Her name,” she whispered. Her voice shook as she fought not to breakdown and cry. “Her name is not Cecilia, Silas. Her name is Carterina.”

“I will not call her that.”

“It is her name—”

“You call my daughter the name of a whore.”

“She was not a whore!” Anastacia screamed. “She was my mother.
My mother.
Her name is Carterina and you will call her that
.
I am her mother. I want her name to be Carterina
. Not Cecilia, Carterina!
Just call her the
fucking
name, Silas.”