All the Dangerous Things: A Dark Mafia Romance (The Underworld Kings Book 5) by Jenika Snow

Author:Jenika Snow [Snow, Jenika]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Jenika Snow
Published: 2024-09-29T00:00:00+00:00

19

GIO

I lay beside Tatiana, the warmth of her body pressed against mine, making me feel alive. The feeling of her soft breaths moving along my chest had my heart feeling a little lighter.

My heart pounded not from what we’d just shared but from how Tatiana made me feel.

She stirred, stretching her lean, perfectly smooth, and warm body against mine. I ran my hand up and down her back, and she tipped her head to look into my eyes.

Her expression held a mix of curiosity and concern, and I felt myself tense at the weight of the conversation I knew was coming.

“Gio,” she began, her voice a gentle whisper.

I kept running my hand up and down her back, giving her the time she needed to ask what she wanted. I knew this moment was bound to happen, and I would’ve been lying if I didn’t admit it gave me a mix of anxiety. Because I’d never spoken of my childhood shit with anyone. And what scared me the most was that I wanted to share that part of myself with Tatiana.

“Why do you fight in the underground cage matches?”

I stared at the ceiling and contemplated how I’d answer.

“Why do you go by D'yavol?”

I used my other hand to smooth my palm over my face. After taking a deep breath, I allowed the memories I usually kept buried to claw their way to the surface. Tatiana deserved to know. She needed to understand the darkness that lived within me because I wasn’t letting her walk away.

“It's not something I’ve talked about before,” I started, still staring at the ceiling, my voice void of emotion. “Not with anyone⁠—”

“I don’t want you to share what you’re not comfortable⁠—”

“But you... you deserve to know the truth.”

Her hand found mine, pulled it closer, intertwined our fingers, and rested them on my chest, and I stayed silent for long moments.

“My father,” I began, the words tasting bitter and vile on my tongue, “he trained me at a young age to handle pain and violence.” She squeezed my hand. “He was a monster. A cruel, sadistic bastard who took pleasure in beating me because he thought it was the only way to make sure I didn’t grow up to be weak.”

“I’m sorry.”

I gritted my teeth at her words. They pissed me off, not because she said them but because having anyone pity me was like a hot poker in my chest.

“He left scars, both on my body and in my mind.” I lifted my arm, and our hands broke apart as I stared at my tattoos. “The ink… they're there to hide the marks he left behind. To cover the reminders of the pain and violence.”

Tatiana stayed silent, letting me spit this vile shit out.

“I fight because I need an outlet for the darkness inside me, the monster that has a hold on me. For the rest of my fucking life, that motherfucker will live inside me.” Memories of my father beating me with his hands, belt… hell, anything he could use… played through my mind.

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