Heartless - Jade West Page 0,64

every part the monster I’d grown to be. And there was more. He knew the full extent of my icy coldness, in a way that nobody else had ever seen.

He knew me. All of me. Even the deepest secrets. The deepest strengths and weaknesses, both entwined.

Secrets snake through the depths of every family bond, and ours was the very depths of the hiss and snare.

My mother looked unsteady as she picked at the food on her plate, caught up in our unspoken tension while struggling with her love for both sides. I was her son, but my father was her husband, the man she’d loved above all others for the biggest part of her life.

The battle in her was lost for me. Father’s side held more power in her heart. Sarah Morelli hated the Constantines almost as much as he did. Almost.

“You had some unexpected events to attend to, did you?” he repeated with a scowl. “Unexpected events such as druggie bitch Elaine Constantine by any chance?”

I didn’t lower my stare. “I know you’ve been speaking with Trenton.”

“Just as well. Trenton is concerned about family business and reputation. It appears that you haven’t been quite so loyal, or smart.”

I scowled back at him across the table, the original rage and purpose restored in my heart. “Our family reputation will never reach its peak unless we take a final stand against theirs. Someday, somehow, we’re going to have to strike at the heart of them and destroy them a piece at a time. I want that day to come soon.”

That’s when my father got to his feet and cast his plate aside with a crash. He jabbed a finger at me across the tabletop, and his face was pure fucking spite.

“It’s not your concern when we take a stand against the Constantines, boy. It’s mine. It’s always been mine.”

“Stop,” my mother said, but Father gestured her away.

“This isn’t for you, Sarah. Leave, please.”

She hovered, a maternal fear in her eyes as she looked at me across the table. Still, it didn’t stop her bowing to my father’s will when he cursed and pointed to the doorway a second time.

“Leave!”

I watched my mother’s exit and wished that I could somehow feel something inside me.

I wished I could feel more. I wished I could embrace a hint of love, or warmth for the woman who’d given birth to me and raised me to my place in this world. I wished I could look over at my father and his rage and feel the true belt of shame gripping me tight. But I didn’t.

I didn’t feel a thing . . . and Father knew it. I never had.

He walked around the table and kicked out a chair at my side. He turned it to face him and dropped himself down to straddle the seat.

“Believe me, Lucian, if violence were an option to knock some sense into you, I’d be taking it now. You’d be feeling my wrath with your skin and bones.”

I didn’t react, just kept my eyes on his until he spoke again.

“Trenton told me you’ve been asking questions about Elaine Constantine. He said that you met with her.”

“Trenton Alto is a piece of shit who has no business telling anyone any of mine.”

“Trenton has every business telling me about anything that concerns me,” Father snapped. “Tell me now, boy. Have you met Elaine Constantine?”

I tipped my head to the side. “I met Elaine Constantine at Tinsley Constantine’s masked coming-of-age ball. I went there to investigate the Constantine compound and work out a route to their destruction. I enjoyed the thrill.”

As usual, I hadn’t lied. My stance was faultless as I stayed still in my seat.

Father would have punched me straight in the ribs if there had been any point. Instead, he leaned in close, and his voice was a river of shards.

“I’ve always been very proud of you, Lucian. You’ve made an excellent son with excellent prospects. You’re every part the Morelli heir I created, and I’m very proud of that. Very proud.”

Every statement like that always comes with a but, and Father’s came loud and clear.

“I’m telling you now though, boy, you go anywhere near that Constantine bitch again, and you’ll be dead to me. Our family will never live with that betrayal to our name. Do you understand?”

He was giving me more leeway than I would have expected. A pleasant surprise.

I smirked at him. “Yeah, I get it. I go near Elaine Constantine again you’re going to wipe me out.