Starlet: A Dark Retelling - Cora Kenborn Page 0,132
stare with a resigned look in his eyes. “All I’m saying is I’ll always look out for you, kid. At the risk of my own life.”
I don’t doubt his word. Opening my fist, I glance down, finally noticing I’ve gripped my key so hard, it broke the skin. Furrowing my brow, I trace the thin line of blood on my palm, dragging it from the top to the bottom and then swirling it in a small circle. “I never got the chance to thank you.”
“You don’t have to thank me. Hell, I should thank you.” A ghost of a smile rests on his lips. “Because of you, I finally know the truth.” As quickly as it appeared, the smile fades, a frown tugging the corners of his mouth down. I don’t get the chance to ask before he pulls my hand forward, tugs at the hem of his T-shirt, and cleans the bloody “6” off my palm.
I blink, and the realization of what I’ve done dawns on me, I draw my hand away and curl it by my side. “Thanks.”
“So, did you get what you came for?” he asks, nodding toward the now empty bus. “Did I live up to my end of the bargain?”
I purse my lips, thinking over Tess and Isla’s inflated version of events. I think of Alexandra and her declaration that some people were meant to drown. I think of the moment I resurfaced from the bottom of the Hollywood Reservoir alone. I think of truth and lies, and that gray area some place in the middle where reality exists.
My reality.
Because in the end, isn’t it the only one that’s ever really mattered?
“Oh, Luciano.” Cupping his cheek, I memorize the loyalty etched across his face, knowing this will be the last time I ever see it. “You did more than keep your word. You saved my life.” Dropping my hand, I stare at the bloodstain I left on his cheek, locking the image in a tiny corner of my mind reserved for Alexandra Romanov.
One. Two. Three. Four. Five.
Six.
I’m not scared of it anymore. Six can’t hurt me.
Because just like all the others, six is finally dead.
Chapter Fifty-Three
Luciano
If you keep knocking on the devil’s door, eventually, he’ll answer.
Those words will haunt me until I go to my grave. The words I spoke to a scared little girl as she held tightly to my arm, begging me with tears in her eyes not to leave her in a strange house.
I didn’t know what to say. Kids weren’t my thing. Never had one, never wanted one. They were just liabilities that people like me used against other people like me. But something about Alexandra Romanov got to me.
She thought I was a good man, just like she thought Dominic was an angel. Neither of us deserved that kind of devotion from such an innocent soul. Better she learned that then than to end up like her siblings one day.
Bending down, I took her chin in my hand, looked her in those trusting green eyes, and told her the truth. “I’m not the hero you seek, little one. I’m the monster hiding in the dark. So, run as far and as fast as you can, because if you keep knocking on the devil’s door, eventually, he’ll answer.”
I never expected her to use my own words as a final goodbye.
Laying the bouquet of red roses beside me on the marble bench, my fingers trace the engraved words, years of regret and searching finally at peace.
Brenda McCallum
Beloved mother and shining star
Brenda McCallum.
I never knew her name. She refused to tell me. The beautiful young girl behind the deli counter with long dark hair and deep blue eyes the color of the Pacific. It was her shy but mysterious smile that captured my attention. I couldn’t take my eyes off her. The guys busted my balls, but I couldn’t get her out of my head.
I went back the next day, and when she saw me, she gave me the same shy smile and handed me my sandwich. I didn’t even have to order. She remembered.
Meatball sub. Extra parmesan.
I waited until her shift ended and took her to dinner at Amalia. Just the look on her face did something to me. It changed me. One night was all we had. But I never forgot my beautiful dark-haired girl, or her shy, mysterious smile. Even after waking up the next morning and finding her gone, I still searched for her. I went back to the