His Twisted Heart by Ellie R Hunter

Chapter Eleven

Luca

Iround the corner on my way to find a working lighter when I find Victoria leaning against the wall, her hair hanging loose down her back. She has no flowers tucked between the strands today, nor any braids. The wisps brush along the bottom of her back, and I imagine wrapping it around my fist and pulling it as she bends over.

Blinking, the images fade, replaced by Sara’s fragile smile. But even that image disappears when I remember Tor singing in my ear while rubbing my dick. It’s getting harder and harder to remember Sara’s face. It’s getting hard, full stop, because of Tor.

Stepping in behind her, I push up against her without moving her forward. “Come to my room.”

“Hold on. I want to see how this plays out.”

“What’s going on?” Not that I particularly care, but whatever it is, it’s standing in my way of getting my dick sucked.

Sliding my hand down the back of her skirt, I cup her pussy from behind and tease her entrance with my finger. Arching her back into me, she widens her stance.

“Zach’s having a go at Slade,” she breathes. “Did you know Slade isn’t his real dad?”

“No.”

And I don’t give a shit, either.

I slip a finger inside her as the fight between father and not-really-his-son grows in volume, and my finger slides in and out of her swiftly. Adding another finger, she clenches around me and I whisper, “Don’t make a sound.”

My fingers work faster, and her head falls back on my shoulder, her chest rising and falling fast.

Her body trembles against mine, right on the verge of coming on my fingers, when the sound of a body hitting the floor has me looking up to see my dad’s the one lying in a heap.

My body freezes.

Sparky is the first one at his side. Victoria starts to inch forward, but I wrap my arm around her waist, stopping her from going anywhere. We’re in the shadows of the bar, and that’s where I want to stay.

“Go get Alannah,” Slade orders Zach, who heads for dad’s office, running right past us. But he won’t find her in there. She’s over at the main house.

I zero in on Dad, or what I can see of him with Sparky kneeling beside him, obstructing my view.

The air seems caught in my chest, forcing me to take one shallow breath at a time.

I don’t know how much time passes, but he doesn’t get up.

Mom finally rushes into the bar with Zach on her heels, shouting,

“What happened?”

“He just fell to the floor, and he hasn’t come around. There’s an ambulance on the way,” Sparky tells her.

“I don’t understand… What caused him to fall?”

When Sparky just stares at her, she snaps, “Tell me!”

“He’s sick, Lana. Real fucking sick. And now you know.”

My heart beats erratically in my chest, and I tighten my grip around Victoria. The anger I’ve held for him over the last few weeks still boils, but it all feels confusing to me right now.

“Know what? I don’t know a fucking thing!” Mom yells at him.

I should go to him. I should drop to my knees at Mom’s side and comfort her in some way.

“He’s got lung cancer.”

The room goes silent. I can’t hear anything but the pounding in my head.

Cancer.

No, he can’t have cancer.

Slipping my hand out of Victoria’s panties, I back up, knowing I should go to my dad, but I can’t stop myself from backing away. As soon as the side door comes into view, I duck out into the sun, which doesn’t seem so bright anymore. The truck is where I left it last night, and I’m behind the wheel before I make the choice to leave. Once the engine ticks over, I slam my hand in frustration against the wheel. The passenger door swings open, and Victoria slams it shut after jumping inside.

She wisely keeps her mouth shut, and the engine finally fucking starts. I drive until I reach the town’s border and I pull over. Needing to do something, I jump out, leaving the door open, and punch the side of the truck over and over.

“You shouldn’t have left, Luca.”

Tensing my jaw, I manage to stop myself from snapping at her, and instead murmur, “Just let me think.”

All the anger I’ve thrown at him, and he’s been sick this whole time? Why didn’t he tell us? Or, at the very least, tell Mom? More secrets that’ll hurt her, and now he’s dying. Perhaps he would’ve told us sooner if Lily hadn’t dropped the daughter bomb. Just another reason to want her gone.

My phone rings, but I don’t bother to answer it. It’s Victoria who climbs down from the truck and digs it out of my pocket.

Before she can answer it for me, I snatch it from her hand and see Leo’s name flash across the screen.

I hit accept and press it to my ear.

“Where are you?” he bellows down the line, but he doesn’t wait for an answer. “Dad’s sick. He collapsed at the club, and he’s on his way now to the hospital.”

He tells me as if I don’t already know. But then again, he wouldn’t know that I know. I ran off.

“Get to the hospital. I’ll wait for you out front.”

He hangs up, and instead of backing off, I move into action. Tor shuffles back into her seat when I climb behind the wheel, keeping quiet as I drive—too fast—back to the club.

Pulling up to the club gates, I keep the engine idling.

“I don’t mind coming with you if you want me to,” she offers.

“I’ll be fine. I’ll come find you later.”

This seems to be the right thing to say, because she leans over, kisses my cheek, and says, “Your dad is one of the strongest men I know. He’s going to get better.”

I appreciate the thought, but cancer doesn’t see strength. It rips apart anyone standing in its path.

Once her feet hit the ground and she closes the door, I pull away and head straight for the hospital. My dad better fight, because I can’t lose him. I can’t let him go when he thinks I hate him.

Leo is waiting under the awning at the hospital entrance with a lit cigarette in his hand, but he isn’t smoking it. He’s staring at it like he only now realises how harmful they are to a person’s health.

When he sees me, he drops it to the ground and grinds it out under his boot.

“You got here fast.”

I smirk, telling him, “I didn’t hang around for the stop lights.”

“Come on. Mom texted me where to go once you got here.”

I expect the waiting for news to be painstakingly long, but once we reach Dad’s room, we find him awake, with Mom sitting at his side.

He doesn’t smile, nor does he try to get up, he’s so physically weak. I stay by the door as Leo drags a chair from the corner and to his bedside.

“You must’ve known your secret would come out. Why would you keep that you’re sick from us?” Leo asks.

Mom’s holding Dad’s hand, her thumb rubbing small circles against his palm. She too has forgotten her previous pain and anger toward him.

“I only got the results back last week, and I didn’t want to worry any of you, at least not until I knew more.”

“This is why you’ve not been smoking, isn’t it?” Mom inquires.

I remain quiet, but it’s me he’s staring at.

“I’m glad you came. I wasn’t sure you would.”

“You are my dad,” I huff.

That gets me a smile, and my shoulders relax a little.

“You know, you three are the most important people in my life. There isn’t a thing I wouldn’t do for any of you, but…”

“But you have a daughter too,” Mom whispers.

“Yeah. Lily can go fuck herself, but none of this is Harper’s fault.” He looks between Leo and me. “She’s your sister. I want us to get to know her. She and JJ got married, so she’s going to be around for a long time.”

They got married? When the hell did that happen?

“Dad, I’m good with her. She doesn’t bother me.”

Of course she doesn’t bother Leo. My brother has more on his mind than some new family member.

“And you, Luca?” The hope in his voice irritates me, but for the sake of keeping the peace, I nod, choosing my words carefully. “I’m fine with Harper.”

I have no desire to promise the same for her mother, and I don’t think he’d believe me if I did.

“I start chemo soon, and when I’m done with the first cycle, we as a family are going to Mercy, and I’m going to bring her home with us. I want her to be a part of our family.”

It’s all well and good that Dad wants to fetch his daughter, but Mom hasn’t said a word yet about it.

“How do you feel about this?” I ask her, as no one else seems to be.

“Like your dad said, it’s not Harper’s fault. When we’re in Mercy, you’ll both show a united front, and hopefully one day, it’ll be genuine.”

And like that, shit has been declared, sorted, and expected to be followed through.