Страница 65 из 111
Chapter 25 (Lou-Lou)
Marlene presses her palms to her eyes and lets out a frustrated sigh. “I'm sorry, Lou-Lou. I would let you out of your room if I could but I'm under strict orders not to.”
She hums and goes back to fiddling with the vase full of dandelions while I fight the urge to chuck them at her head. “Can you stop with the dandelions, Marlene? They don't distract me from this hell hole and they're not making me happy.”
She gives me a strange look. “Trust me, I would if I could, but he's been anal about these damn dandelions for the last four months.”
She rolls her eyes. “He wants a vase of them in every room he frequents. And if they haven't gone to seed yet?” She twirls her finger around her head. “He goes nuts.”
I move until I'm perched on the end of the bed. “You mean to tell me that the vases full of dandelions were here before I was?”
She thinks about this for a moment before replying, “Yeah, pretty much. Heck, the man didn't even care about the size of the mansion or the cost of it when he bought the place. As soon as he saw the gigantic field full of these weeds out back he was sold.” She laughs to herself. “The real estate agent told him he would have the landscapers take care of it, but he took his gun out and threatened to use it if he did.”
I sit utterly speechless as she continues, “He doesn't bug me about much, believe it or not...and as you already know, I'm really not the greatest maid.” She turns to face me. “But the dandelions...they're important to him. So I make sure he has them.”
She fixes her ponytail and wrings her hands, appearing uneasy now. “Ricardo DeLuca is hopelessly in love with you, Lou-Lou. And trust me, I know how he can be. I know what he once was compared to what he is now...but the one thing that's never changed is what he feels for you.”
“Why are you telling me this?” I ask, my voice suddenly quivering.
“Because I want you to know that he's not Bruno DeLuca—”
“What makes you think you have a right—”
“Bruno kept you inside his walls for his own sake. He kept you locked up for his own selfish reasons. Ricardo's reasons are the complete opposite. He became a DeLuca for you, Lou-Lou, for your protection. Everything he does is for you. I can't tell you why you're here, and I hope you never tell him that I'm telling you this. But if you never believe another word that comes out of my mouth...believe this—you're his weakness, Lou-Lou. You're the only thing that can bring him to his knees and make his empire crumble. Be careful how you use the power you wield.” Her eyes land on mine. “The result could be deadly.”