Chapter 51

LUCA

Two weeks had passed since we'd almost fucked. And Veda hadn't once come out of the room she'd taken over without my permission.

At Enzo's suggestion, with Tristan backing him up, I’d left her alone and allowed her to grieve, but the waiting was driving me mad. I wasn't a patient man, though I was trying to be. I'd allowed her to move out of my room. I'd given her time to deal with the worst of her grief. But now I needed her to get her shit together.

My brother had come home to Austin.

I found Lisa in the kitchen just as she was starting to make dinner. "Why don't you go on home," I told her.

"Are you sure? I don't mind making something for you real quick."

"No, really. It's okay. I'll take care of dinner."

"What about Veda? Ms. Calbert?" she corrected.

"I’ll handle Veda tonight."

Lisa stilled, looking down at the floor. I watched her, more curious than anything at this reaction from her, but she only raised her chin and said, "She's only been eating what she needs to stay alive. And barely that. I keep making her different things, hoping something will catch her interest enough to get a decent meal down her, but so far I haven't had much luck."

"I'll get her to eat," I promised. "Do you have the key to her room?"

Another moment's hesitation, and then she reached into her pocket and handed it over. "I only use it to leave food and drinks on the nightstand for her."

There was a warning in her tone. I chose to ignore it. "Thank you," I said.

She looked like she was about to say more, but she correctly thought better of it, for she only gave me a tight smile and went to gather her things. "Have a good night, Mr. Morelli. And good luck."

I saw her out and then went to my room to change into a pair of jeans and a T-shirt before I went back to the kitchen. Lisa had a package of chicken breasts thawing in the refrigerator, so I took it out to make my famous chicken piccata. Turning on some soothing music, I opened a bottle of wine and got to work.

It took me a little over an hour, and in that entire time I hadn't heard a peep from the direction of Veda's room. I'd been in and out of the house a lot these last couple of weeks while she’d kept herself locked away, dealing with some things I've been ignoring since I'd brought her here. I always left either Enzo or Tristan here with her, the only two I trusted to keep her safe, just in case she decided to come out.

When the food was ready, I left it warming in the oven and went to get her. As I expected, the door was locked when I arrived at her room. I knocked softly. "Veda? Are you awake? You need to eat something." When there was no response, I knocked a little harder. "Veda. Open the goddamn door."

I knew she was grieving. I knew she was hurting. But life went on, and I wasn't going to let her fucking starve herself to death. I knocked again. "Veda! I'm coming in." Pulling the key from the front pocket of my jeans, I unlocked the door and let myself in.

The room was all shadows with the setting sun, and it took me a moment to find her curled up beneath the heavy comforter, small as a child. "Veda?" Shoving the key back into my pocket, I walked over to the bed. Through the cracks in the blinds, I could see her blonde hair covering the top half of her face, and the comforter covered the rest.

I found the lamp on the nightstand and turned it on, keeping it dim. "Hey," I said softly, reaching out to touch her arm, though I'd told myself I wouldn't. "We need to get you out of this bed. I made dinner for us, and it would be an insult to my mother if you at least didn't come try it." She didn't move or respond in any way.

Carefully, almost afraid of what I would find, I took the comforter away from her face and brushed her hair back out of the way. It was limp, weighed down from not being washed. I laid the back of my hand against her cheek. She was warm and alive. "Amore." I touched her face again. "Come on now, let's get up and have something to eat."

Finally, she responded to my voice. Just a disgruntled moan, but it was better than nothing. She tried to pull the blanket back over her face. "I'm not hungry." The words were so quiet I barely heard her. Her voice raspy from disuse.

"Veda, you have to get up. You need to shower. And you need some food. I know you're hurting right now, amore, but it will get better. But only if you get out of this bed and continue to live." She didn’t move a muscle, and I sighed. "Your sister is gone, Veda, but you’re not. You’re still here. You still have a life to live."

Her eyes fluttered open, and the extent of the lifelessness inside of them stopped my heart. "I don't want to live without her," she told me. "I haven't even told my parents... They don’t even know…" Her words were drowned out by a fresh set of tears.

"Yes, you do. You may not feel like it right now, but you do. You still have so many things to do, Veda. Places to see. People to meet." Grimly, I steeled myself against the lies I was forced to tell her. She wouldn’t experience any of those things. Not for long. But I needed her to be up and functioning.

She made a disgusted sound and closed her eyes again.

"Oh no, you don't. You can't just give up on me. I need you."

"You only need me for your sick game."

Her venomous words, filled with a sudden burst of energy, struck me right in the face. I pulled back as they ricochet around inside of me, creating fissures in my cold exterior.

She was wrong. She was so, so wrong. And as the truth of that statement hit me in the gut, it made me angry. Not at her, but at myself.

Closing my eyes momentarily, I took a breath. I was being ridiculous. I barely knew the woman. The only thing I needed was for her to get out of this disgusting bed so I could burn it.

Gritting my teeth, I yanked the blankets off of her. "Come on, Veda. You're getting up. You're getting a fucking shower. And you're eating the fucking food that's drying out in the oven while I waste my time dealing with you. Food I made with my own fucking hands." She tried to pull the blankets back up over herself, but I wouldn't allow it. "I'll shower you myself if you don't get out of this goddamn bed." Still, she didn't move.

Okay. Fine.