“I want them,” I say and hold my own. I step out from Enzo’s guard and stare directly at my father. “I want all three of them. I want their blood.”
“No,” my father chortles at me. “I think your loyalty toward Maverick is enough to have me denouncing you of any rights. I really do think you have said and done enough today. Actually, for the last few weeks, you have done nothing but cause a massive rift in this family. So no, Amelia."
“I will go behind your back if you do not grant me this, Papà,” I threaten, and I’m proud of how fiercely my voice carries through the air.
"You're being nothing but a child over this. One who needs to be stripped of any and all power. You were the wrong Abbiati to ever drag into this life. I should have listened to your madre. She always told me that you weren't cut out to be what I wanted you to be. I thought she was crazy...I was the only crazy one believing I could make you some heartless beast."
"But that's the problem," I reply, my ferocious tendencies sparking to life. "You made me into something other than a normal human being, Papà! You made me into someone who blocks everything out to kill in your name."
He laughs at me, publicly ridiculing me. "So much so, you fell in love, Amelia! You don't blank out at all. You go in with your heart opened wide and hope for some grand ending to the kill. I know all about your facade. You are so incensed by emotions and expectations that your judgment is clouded and always will be. You are everything I never wanted you to be."
As much as his words penetrate me deep and wound my soul in the process, I keep myself from breaking and my outer appearance toughened up. "Well, now is the time for me to show you what I really am capable of."
My father begins to shake his head viciously. “No. We are not having this discussion. Bambina, you have one final task then I am revoking all your rights. I should have done this a long time ago. Hell, I should have never allowed you the chance to become a killer. I should have treated you like you were made of glass and made sure you were just a normal Italian daughter.”
“But you didn’t!” I bellow at him, stepping away from everyone to take my father on directly.
As he speaks, I feel a rapid fire burst through me. It tears through every cell in my being, destroying it in hateful fire. He ruined my life once already, now he wants to ruin it again. My father took the opportunity to change the course of my life. He decided to do that, no one else. I never had the chance to grow and become my own being because he dictated every step of my life. Now, he wants to tear it all away from me.
At first, I was angered by the calculated death of Zane at someone else’s hands other than mine. I still am, but after watching Benji’s bloodied demise, I’m filled with more hate fire than ever. However, now my father wants to rid me off any and all of the power he forced upon me and I am becoming a live wire of agitated nerves and disgruntled bursts of anger just waiting to be released. I would gladly release them all in his direction if the end result was incentive for me.
“You do not get to force me to be your little killer and then take it all away! You do not get to steal my fucking life from me like this. I allowed you the first time, but you do not get to do it again!” I tell myself inwardly to calm, but I’m becoming an unraveled mess. “I am twenty-four years old, and I have no prospects out of this fucking hell because of you. Don’t you dare begin to think I’m going to let you take away my opportunity to get some sort of revenge on the men who tried to kill the man I love!”
“This is what I mean, Amelia!” My father roars to life, taking gradual steps toward me. “You were never this sort of girl,” he belittles with his wording, but I don’t show any outward signs of him winning. I won’t grant him such gratification. “In the last year, you did the Dio Lavoro, you worked hard to be a part of this family and all it stood for. Now, I barely recognize you! A conscience is bad enough in my eyes, but a damaged one from loving a man is even worse! You knew what Zane Maverick was capable of where you were concerned. He reeled you in, made you love him, only to have him callously throw it back at you. Amelia, had you never experienced that love with him, I believe you could’ve shone. But you, much like your mother, think too much with your heart. All the while you lived with a broken one, it was fine. I thought killing Maverick would have been an excellent show of getting vengeance for yourself. However, it backfired quickly on me. He, once again, changed you.”