Chapter 5

• THOMAS
• I gently place Melina on the bed. I stare at the wounds on her body, and a deep frown appears on my face. Every fiber in my body is boiling with rage. There's no one on this earth I hate more than her. Betrayal isn't something I take lightly, and the fact that it was her makes it ten times worse.
• I refocus my thoughts when the doctor knocks on the door. I tell him to come in as I back away from the bed to give the man room to work.
• "Make sure she doesn't die." I plan to kill Melina, but not yet. I'm not going to give her the glory of an easy death. By the time I'm done with her, I'll make sure she regrets the day she met me.
• "I will, sir."
• I leave the doctor to work and proceed to my bathroom for a shower. I need to cool down, and I also need to wash off Melina's blood. Kimberly really did a number on her. I'm surprised Melina lasted as long as she did before she passed out.
• I spend more time than necessary in the bathroom, lost in my thoughts. I walk out to see Melina entirely stitched up. Before walking to my closet to put on some clothes, I check to ensure she's still alive. I leave her where she is before putting on something casual and leaving her in my bedroom to go get some work done.
• I walk into my office to see my IT analyst and Leo waiting for me. I stay in the mafia house in Italy. My elder brother, Don Costanzo— head of the Costanzo family, travels a lot. So, I manage most of our affairs here in Sicily while Stefano handles most of our international business.
• "What've you found on her phone, Richard?" I ask my IT analyst as I take my seat behind the desk.
• "Unfortunately, nothing, sir."
• "How is that possible?" I was banking on Richard finding some leads on where to find James through Melina's phone.
• "Melina hasn't been in contact with James for the last six months. The last time they spoke to each other was when they disappeared from LA."
• "Did you check all her social media accounts? He might not be using his real name. Did you check the messages with all the people she spoke to online?"
• "I did, sir, and I found nothing."
• "Wow. How can they be communicating? There must be something we've missed, some secret they have.".”
• "I believe so, sir."
• "Keep digging; I'm sure you'll find it. They've been doing this for a long time. There's got to be a way we can find James through Melina."
• "Got it, sir. I'll take my leave now." Richard stands up to leave, and I wave him off as he walks to the door.
• Richard and Leo leave me alone in my office. I try to get some work done, but it's hard because my mind is filled with thoughts of the traitorous, green-eyed woman in my bed.
• "Fuck!" I hiss, throwing the papers off my desk. I push out of my chair and walk to the bar in my office to fix myself a drink. Grabbing a bottle of scotch, I take a big sip straight from the bottle. I pull a cigarette from my pocket and light it, and take a long drag, inhaling deeply.
• She's in my head and I hate it. Seeing her after so many months was stirring something inside me that I'd once thought was dead. I still remember the first day I saw her like it was yesterday. I've seen a lot of women, but none was as beautiful as Melina. My iced heart skipped a beat once I laid my eyes on her.
• Past
• I look down, hearing something drop in front of me. My eyes widen as I see a woman—a gorgeous woman with lovely green eyes and blonde hair. I quickly move to help her off the ground, but I can't keep my eyes off her. I've never seen someone as beautiful before. She looks like a goddess, glowing with unexplainable beauty as she stands before me.
• She refuses to let me help her, but I don't give up. I feel a pull to her and insist she get her elbow treated despite not knowing her name. I take her hand to walk her out of the ballroom, and my heart skips a beat. As a rule I don't feel anything. My job working for the family requires it to be like that, so I'm confused by the sudden, unfamiliar emotions. I narrow my eyes at her, and she stares back at me intensely.
• I do my best to ignore it for now and walk us to the elevator. I use my free hand to press the button, and while we wait, I look at our joined hands. She is so small next to me, but I smile as our hands look perfect linked together. I don't let go, even after we enter the elevator. I ask myself why but I'm unable to answer, so I ignore it and continue to hold her hand.
• Present
• I release a sigh as the memory comes to an end. I couldn't believe how things had changed in just a few months. I take a drag of my cigarette and gulp my drink. Melina melted the ice around my heart months ago. Now, that ice has refrozen and is colder than ever. She caged all the demons that lived inside me while we were together. Since the day I learned about her betrayal, they've been set free. The monsters inside of me are hungry and in need of something to satisfy their urges. I put out my cigarette in the ashtray and stand. I walk out of my office and head upstairs to visit the food my demons crave to devour.
• I walk into my room to find my bed empty. My nose flares up as I pull my hands into tight fists. I can't believe I didn't think of the possibility of Melina running away. She keeps making a fool out of me, and this time when I find her, I'll make sure Kimberly gets to carve her face any way she wants. I pull out my phone and quickly dial Leo's number. I'm about to bark orders to find Melina when my bathroom door creaks open, and Melina steps out. I end the call and put my phone away.
• "Do you love him that much?" I ask the question that's been roaming my head all night.
• "Oh my God! Thomas, you scared me." "Answer my damn question!"
• "No, I don't."
• I'm not surprised she knows who I'm talking about. "Don't fucking lie to me!" I walk closer to Melina. She doesn't move.
• "I'm not lying, and as much as you might not believe me. I don't know where—"
• Melina is cut off when I wrap my callous, muscular hand around her tiny neck. Melina grabs at my hand and tries to pull it off her neck as I block her airflow. Her hands are small and weak compared to mine. Frown lines appear on my forehead as I squeeze the life out of her. Those demons in me feed as her face reddens and her veins look ready to pop.
• "Will you stop fucking lying to me? Do you think I can't kill you?" My nails dig into Melina's neck, drawing blood as I choke the life out of her. Her nails scratch my hands to pry me away but to no avail.
• "Please," Melina manages to rasp out. I feel a tug in my heart as I gaze into her eyes. They're begging me not to kill her. My frown lines increase as the ice around my heart shakes from staring into her eyes.
• "Please, Thomas, I don't want to die," Melina pleads and a teardrop falls on my hand. I look at it and feel that strange tug in my chest. My hand begins to loosen as I look at the teardrop. Melina removes my hands and drops to the floor, coughing, and massaging her neck.
• I watch her as tears fall down her cheeks. Before I know what's happening, she begins to wail and clutches her chest. My brows pull together in confusion as I watch her begin to hit her chest.
• "Why are you hitting your chest?"
• "It hurts," she cries out, her face red and stained with tears. She rubs viciously on the area above her left breast.
• "What hurts? Did your wounds reopen?" Bending down to her level on the floor, I try to check if the cuts around Melina's neck and chest have reopened. But I don't get a chance to as Melina scrambles out of my reach. I move closer and try again to check on her wounds, but Melina pushes my hand and turns away.
• My hands turn white as I pull my fingers into tight fists. I stare at her, wondering what the fuck she's doing. I grab the collar of her shirt and lift her off the ground. I back her against the bathroom door and pull her hands down from her chest. I grab her dress and rip it off her body. Melina gasps as she finds herself half naked in front of me. The room is so silent the buttons hitting the floor make a loud tink as Melina and I stare at each other. Melina quickly covers her chest area, which is already covered in bandages. I force her hands away and cage them above her head.
• My breath fans her face as I stare at her. Looking at her chest, I notice it's moving faster than it should, but none of her wounds have reopened.
• "Why the fu—" I'm cut short by the knocking on my door. "Who the fuck is it?" I bark.
• "It's me, sir,"
• "Who the fuck is me?"
• "Sorry, sir, it's Richard. I have something important to tell you." "Can't it wait until tomorrow, Richard?"
• "I wish it could, but I'm sure you'll want to know what I found." "Alright, I'm coming. Wait for me in my office."
• "Okay, sir."
• "Stop hitting your chest or you'll open up your stitches." I let go of her hands. Walking to my closet, I grab a black shirt off the rack; I throw it at Melina, and she struggles to catch it.
• "Put it on and wait outside for Leo." I say, approaching the door. "Thank you."
• "Don't thank me, just put it on and get the fuck gone by the time I'm back," I say and walk out of the room.