The Carrero Contract - Selling Your Soul (Mafia Romance)

Chapter 153

The conviction in his voice, the gentle way he strokes his thumb over mine and pulls me to his chest to lean his nose against my temple, stirs a belief in me deep down that this is a genuine apology, for all of it. Alexi really does regret the past between us and for the first time, without doubt, question or niggles, I truly believe him.

We have hit a crossroad and I need to choose a path. I can either dwell and continue to find fault and put hurdles in his way, or I can take his hand and see where this takes us. I’m so tired of living in the shadows and misery. I have a longing to walk into the light and maybe my master of darkness will be the one to lead me there.

“No point dwelling anymore. The past will only drag you backwards.” I deflect the tender moment and push him away gently to give myself breathing space. Hating the route of our conversation and stare at the fire instead. Hating myself for being so conflicted and hot and cold with him, even if I cannot help it. Not knowing how to feel or how to be with him from one minute to the next is fucking me up. Trust will not be easy to gain, and my head will keep throwing a spanner in the works. I just need to take it as it comes, roll with the punches and trust my gut.

The low, flickering orange and yellow and the mesmerising dance of the flames instil peace as I try to cleanse myself of the erratic emotions building inside me. Trying to find something steady and stable to pin my attention on for just a few minutes while I pull myself together.

“You haven’t said much about his death, about what I did to him. Does it scare you? Does what I did to him change how you see me?” Alexi seems a lot less confident, his voice lower, softer, and it brings my attention back to him. I regard him for what feels like an eternity, turning this over in my mind before I shake my head and shrug, before answering.

What do I really feel? I guess if I’m honest, then not very much. A monster is dead; the world is a better place without him.

“I don’t know Alexi. Am I repulsed by knowing you tortured an abuser who brought pain to so many like me? No. He had it coming, and karma brought you to his shores. I knew who you were before I even met you. I know you have capabilities that most would be terrified of. I’m not. Am I scared because you took his life? No. I watched you take a man’s life once before and that scared me, but only because you didn’t seem to react to what you did. I didn’t know if I was next for having seen it. You were switched off emotionally, and I didn’t think I had any value to you back then.”

He wants honesty, so I’m giving it to him. Start as I mean to go on. No more lies between us.

“Even detached at what I was doing, I could never switch off my feelings for you. It’s part of the reason I lost my shit with you so easily. I would never physically hurt you like that.” He interjects, but I sigh it away.

“To me, you are someone who physically hurt me, more than once. Maybe not in the sense of hitting me or forcing me into something like Rick did, but you used things against me that did way more damage. I’m scared of what you could to me, but I’m not scared of the fact you’re a killer. It comes with the job and I know you are probably as numb to it as I am with the shit I endured in my life. I understand the psychology of learning to normalise abhorrent things, Alexi. It’s one thing I actually share with you to an extent.”

Oh, boy, do I know about becoming an acceptor of the seedy in a bid to live on through it.

“I don’t want you to be afraid of me. I didn’t know the effect I would have on you—I swear. I thought it was lies and manipulation, and I was showing you it had no effect. I didn’t think there was truth in what you told me.”

“I don’t have many triggers, but Rick left his mark on me, and I’m still trying to find the way to overcome the last traces of him.”

I squeeze his hand, wanting him to stop explaining. I get it. I know why and I understand it deep down. Looking backwards, over the past few hours, has opened my eyes to so much that happened between us.

“I know. I didn’t exactly help.”

Alexi needs to stop twisting himself with guilt over this if we are to move past it. I believe him. He’s sorry, truly.

“What did you do to him?” I ask in afterthought, becoming a little detached and numb again and this whole scenario seeming more like a dream as adrenaline fades and I suffer the after-effects of a comedown. Mentally exhausted by it already.

I hadn’t wanted to know before but sitting here with Alexi being so open to honesty, there’s a part of me that does want to know. An idea of what my brutal abuser suffered before his demise. Maybe it will give me the closure I have sought my whole life. Knowing he got what he deserved in the end and experienced a tiny fraction of my suffering.

“I’m not sure telling you is a good idea. I can be a sick fuck. I know this; I don’t want you to be even more afraid of me than you already are. I’m trying to prove that I can be someone else for you.” Alexi looks uncomfortable once again and glances to his right to avoid me. Face forming a frown and I can feel the nervous energy all around us. He’s worried that I’ll only see the actions of a deranged monster and not the reasons he did them.

I’m past that now. I’m not his mother.

“You tortured him?” I push gently, dismissing his reasons for not being detailed and Alexi nods without looking back at me.

“Did he die from that or …?”

I want to know. I want him to tell me and normalise this between us as an insignificant conversation that puts it to bed and gives him no reason to think I will dwell on it after tonight. I don’t want him to carry doubt that it’s affected how I see him.

“I put a bullet in his head. I was wasting time there when I should have been here looking for you. I ended it because I had better things to do. My priority was continuing to look for the woman I sent running. Does that sound like a sane person?” Alexi sinks a little and I guess he hates that he just walked himself into this conversation with me and is killing his chances of proving he can be what I need.

myself to sit straddling him, he looks me dead in the

part of why I had the major hots for you the first time we did meet. Guess I’m not sane either when you look at it like that.” I smile softly and lean in to kiss him gently. Wanting so badly to take that look of utter rejection from his face. All I keep thinking about is how his

for me, twice.

to love. Even if it included torture

me. It’s his way of loving and protecting and giving his all. As screwed up as he is, he

have done it that way, he wouldn’t have killed him

screwed up as he is because I

people, Cam, and sometimes, I don’t feel anything about it.

is trying to shock me with an honest reply and a neutral tone. Seeing if I will up and run, but I stay put. Testing me to be sure I accept this is who he

doing what is necessary. You do what you were raised to do and what is needed to keep your empire safe. To keep me safe.” I point out, confirming he has nothing to fear and pull

love someone like me, knowing what you do?” Alexi slides his hands up my back, so he holds me as near as humanly

little, a head tilt that

my face on both sides and draws my eyes

night when you said those words to me, I would change everything and undo all the mistakes I made. Those three words are my goal, but to deserve them this time and to never hurt you again. I

painfully. There’s no hint of deviousness in the hoarse, raw way he’s saying those words or the penetrating gaze he has stuck me with. It’s like he

the chance to make me

won’t.” Alexi silences my tears with another kiss, fuelled by longing and raw passion and I give in to it hungrily, wrapping my arms and legs around him and losing myself

In Alexi Carrero.

eyes re-joining. I trace

boundaries. You are in control of what happens between us.” He runs his fingers up my spine and tangles them in the tips of my hair, brushing

that list?” I whisper quietly and he pauses what he is doing. Stilling with a finger wrapped in my hair, his eyes

you want?” His tone so soft and inviting and I impulsively shake my head. If I say yes, he will stop what he’s doing, and I don’t

a way of grounding me and making me feel safe, despite everything, and right now he is calming my nerves with such a simple act of tenderness I would never in a million years have connected to him. Confessing his feelings for me enabled him to shake off the last traces of the mask he was hiding behind with me. He has shed the act to show me what he

I don’t want to go backwards and

so I’m not riding blind all the time. I’m not good at reading you and I don’t have a high success rate in knowing what you’re

stupid for saying it out loud, and the realisation of just how lonely my existence has been hits me in the face. Before him, I had no one, and without him, I return to

did to deserve him, but I’m not about to walk away from the

Jackson, don’t you?” He raises a brow at me questioningly, like he suddenly realises how

the way I have blurted out to Alexi in the past, but I know neither of them would deliberately bring me harm. Trust is

honestly because I truly don’t.

Rousing me fully as I’m not used to waking up beside someone, ever.

a furry carpet and my head aches with the after-effects of far too much alcohol and a night of walking myself to death. I have a monster hangover, head pounding

kept plying me with booze and egging me

stare at his face just inches from mine and hold

He always gets up and leaves long before I wake, and the fact he is still here,

What it means.

can’t leave without his say so, and shared a bed

to keep me captive in his company overnight, but it’s

me, like he said. So, he made it happen, whether I agreed

feel surprised at

caged in by him. I’m drawn to watch him. The rise of that wide chest and fall as he sleeps on under my gaze. Unaware, trusting, so powerful as a male physique but he looks so young and vulnerable like

length and never too close and cosy. Now I think about it, it’s self-protection in other ways too. He has a lot of enemies and being asleep beside some strange girl he just screwed, leaves him open and unprotected. I know there are women in his world who are used to get

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