Blame it on the shame Part 2

The next words out of his mouth throw me. "I'm worried about your father."

"Worried? Why?"

"Since I'm not in Italy I have no way of knowing for sure what he's up to...but someone close to me said some shit's going down with the DeLuca council. He doesn't know what because the meetings are private but according to him, it's serious. And I think...I fear—" his voice trails off and my spine feels like jelly.

"What?"

"I think it may have something to do with you, kid."

"Me? How? I'm not a member of the DeLuca council. He knows I won't take over for him and he can't kill me because I'm the only son he has. Not to mention, the DeLuca council forbids and will seek revenge on any DeLuca who kills another DeLuca...given we're a rare species and all."

And that right there, is the only thing that keeps me from killing the bastard.

"I don't think your position is as safe as you think it is, kid," he says solemnly.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean? The only way I wouldn't be safe is if he had another kid, and we both know I'm his only son. Unless there's another kid of his out there? Shit, is there?"

I can hear him sucking his cigarette down to the filter on the other line.

"No, Ricardo...he has no other kids but you."

"Then what the fuck is going on?"

"I don't know!" he shouts. "All I know, is that DeLuca is looking for a way to take you out. My source said he overheard talk of a 'replacement' for you after one of the meetings ended."

That's when I start laughing. "It would be impossible to find a replacement for his own son. You know as well as I do that DeLuca blood is the only thing that matters to the DeLuca council. The council's never going to go for him bringing in someone to replace me."

Although I wish they would.

"You're right. The council would never go for that," he says.

"Exactly. See? Everything's fine—"

"Unless DeLuca somehow found a way to break the curse...or get around it. Call me crazy but I'm almost positive that's what he's been doing in Italy."

I fight the urge to throw my cellphone over the balcony. "There is no curse, Emilio. My father and I don't agree on much—anything even. But the one thing we both do agree on is that the curse is nothing but a bunch of hocus pocus."

"I know, kid. Either way, I want you to watch your back. Because curse or no curse, rumor has it; he's still looking to replace you."

He mutters an Italian swear word under his breath. "Listen, between him sending Lucia

What should have been a conversation to put me at ease has the opposite effect.

I slide back into bed, feeling like the weight of the world is on my shoulders.

"You seem tense," Lou-Lou says while nuzzling into my chest.

That's when it occurs to me.

"Why did you call Alyssa a slut?"

She sits up in bed. "Huh?"

I glare at her. "You heard me, Lou-Lou. Why did you call Alyssa a slut? And why were you setting her up to sleep with Jackson? Did my father put you up to something else that you're not telling me about?"

She throws back the covers. "Wow, you know for someone who constantly preaches trust...you seem to be severely lacking it."

Her tongue finds her cheek. "Don't worry, Ricardo. Your precious Jackson is safe. DeLuca didn't tell me to set her up to sleep with him...that was all me."

The fact that she did this all on her own makes it even worse. Especially considering all that Alyssa's been through...most likely because of me.

"Why would you do that to her? You have no idea what she's been through in her life. The last thing she needs is someone calling her names like slut and setting her up to do shit like that."

She narrows her eyes. "I did it because I wanted to find out if she was another gold digging whore like Scarlet or if she had another ulterior motive for being there. You know, like being part of one of DeLuca's traps. I was trying to protect us."

I open my mouth to tell her that even though her intentions might have been good, her actions weren't, but she points a finger at me. "And not for nothing, it's not like I forced the girl to sleep with him. I just led her to believe it was a requirement because I wanted to see what her next move would be."

Hurt splashes across her face. "You know, it's fu

I stand up. "I already told you I was sorry about that."

"And what about all the other times, Ricardo?"

She's lost me. "What are you talking about?"

"I hear how Jackson talks about me. I know he thinks I'm nothing but a slut and yet, you never defend me."

"He only thinks of you in a certain light because DeLuca sent you here to seduce them. It's not his fault you're tied up with DeLuca and you agreed to go along with his plan."

"I didn't have a choice!" she yells. "Do you have any idea what he would have done to me?" She flicks a hand in my direction. "You out of all people should know."

I can physically feel my anger tearing through me. "And yet," I grit, through clenched teeth. "Knowing all that he's capable of didn't stop you from constantly shoving down my throat how much you loved him and wanted him up until a month ago!" I shout so loud the walls vibrate.

She stands back and gapes at me. "And there it is," she says. "I was waiting for you to start holding that against me. You'll never be able to accept that I was with him."

She looks down at the floor. "Sorry, I'm not some perfect angel like Alyssa is." Her voice wavers. "Sorry my insides aren't pretty like hers and I have a past that makes me ugly and dirty."

She lifts her head and meets my eyes. "It must be really hard to have to defend someone like me...no wonder you don't waste the time or effort."

The pain blazing in her eyes cuts right through me. Jesus, I've never felt like more of a dick in my life.

"I'm sorry," I grind out for the second time that night. "I'm stressed and I snapped. I'm under a lot of pressure and I took it out on you. You're not dirty or ugly, Lou-Lou. I don't like what you did to Alyssa...but it still doesn't change the way I feel about you."

"What is it about her that makes her so important to you? You don't even know her." She arches an eyebrow and puts a hand on her hip. "Do you?"

Shit. I open my mouth to tell her the truth...but then Emilio's words from before echo in my head.

It's not that I don't trust Lou-Lou...I just don't trust her jealousy over Alyssa right now.