Whispers of the Damned

I restrained myself from exploding.

Shock overcame me brutally. I never thought that this would happen. I couldn't believe this was reality because I assumed I would never see him again during my five years away from Mexico. My smile is forced out for a few seconds. Something constricts my lungs, making it hard for me to breathe. I take his hand, and he squeezes mine, shaking our hands slightly.

"I never thought my ugly brother would get a beautiful woman like you, Daniella... Gomez..." he tilted his head, looking at me with his sweet, easy smile.

I unlinked our hands and nodded. "Thank you,"

"I'm not that ugly," Jason replies, seemingly unaware of my changing facial aura. "She chose me because I'm a good guy and a real man." Jason continued jokingly.

Danzel...er, Zane Bernardi just smiled with a sneer and shook his head "I can't believe there are still good women like Daniella who fall for your mask, Jason." He replied, then drew his gaze to me again. I swallowing hard at that.

His face was still the same, even more ruggedly handsome with his well-defined jawline, and eyes as sharp as a hawk. His short black hair was thick and messy from the sea breeze. His dimples were still there when he smiled. There was no denying that so many people were always curious about Zane Bernardi. Because the rumors turned out to be true.

He is definitely still so damn ravishingly gorgeous.

And sexy.

And charming.

But he's a dick. His facade is like a demon walking over the world and trapping people into sin. He uses charm, good looks, and beauty as a curse on people who are weak in faith.

Zane Bernardi is like that. He was the one who had destroyed my world five years ago, interfered in the murder of my best friend, he was the one who made Joanna and me hunted by the Mexican cartel, and made us have to be under strict security by my family. But it was all because of me too, who was so easily trapped by the anchor he created. It was all because I was so stupid.

"I'm not a con artist like you." Jason replied, which made me agree. It was like he was representing me to say that. He was indeed a con man. The real con man is him... Zane Bernardi. "You're just jealous that I'm happy with getting a good woman while you're still in your filthy habit of fooling around in bed with bitches." Jason shook his head with a chuckle. "You have to stop that, Brother. What if they carry venereal diseases and pass them on to you? What if you get the disease instead?"

"You're ruining my image in front of your girlfriend, Jason." His brother's warning came out softly but his tone was so sharp, he smiled at both of us. "Have a good time at the party, then. I have to meet my friends first." He continued. Zane Bernardi looked at me with a smile, a smile that was like a horrible grin like he knew that I was scared now, and like he was glad that I didn't run away like yesterday. "Nice to meet you, Daniella." he says in a low, drifting voice, and sends a jolt of vibrations through my body.

And then he's gone, past us.

The hook seemed to release from my weak lungs, and I began to breathe softly. I took a sip of my red wine and looked at Jason, who was smiling at me.

"What do you think? You've met Zane Bernardi. The man you've been urging me to meet. What do you think of him?"

I shrugged. I honestly regretted it. "He's... I don't know, kind of an asshole." It just came out from my mouth.

He laughed softly as he pulled me gently towards the empty spot by the fence. "No one said that before. I'm really surprised now. Usually they're immediately mesmerized by him." "Well, I'm not." I replied.

"What would you like? Pasta or mushroom pizza or just a drink?"

"I want lasagna."

"Oh that's available," he nodded. "Wait here, okay? I won't be long." He said.

I nodded as I looked at him, who approached the long food stand. I sat facing the people. It made it easy for me to get to Zane Bernardi, leaning on the iron railing while talking to his other friends, who... I just found out that they were the guys who surfed at the beach yesterday.

He seemed to be talking seriously with them, which was taken seriously as well, and I immediately pulled my eyes away from there so that he wouldn't catch that I was watching him.

Oh god.

This is really a disappointing surprise.

And I really can't stand being here.

I even... gosh, that guy is in the same house as me. That means... I frowned, my eyes looking at the crowd, but my head wandered to remember what happened after taking my panic medicine yesterday afternoon. I remember that I daydreamed before an unbearable sleep overcame me, and I don't know that I went to bed. Does that mean... Zane Bernardi was there and took me?

I shook my head lightly, pushing the thought away. No, he didn't. He didn't. I must have unconsciously gone to the room. Yes, I did.

I smiled as Jason approached and brought a tray with two square bowls of lasagna, a water bottle, a spoon, and a fork. He sat in front of me and arranged them. I took it because the dish before me was so dazzling. I also wanted to eat to ease the heat in my chest.

I couldn't keep quiet when I met Zane Bernardi again. I wanted to slap his face and shoot him in the chest with a gun in retaliation for Magnan's death. I could do that now, but I couldn't handle the mess afterward. But wasn't it worth it? Yet I won't do it now. I can't... I just can't bear the weight on my chest.

I'm scared. I'm afraid of... what if he accidentally showed up to me to take another life? What if he's still working with Carlos Garcia and will kill me after this? What if what happened five years ago happened again?

I picked up a piece of lasagna with my trembling hands while Jason smiled at me. "You hungry, huh?"

I nodded, chewing on the lasagna, which instantly took away the bitter taste from my tongue. I took my phone from my small bag and typed a message to Joanna saying: call me.

It didn't take long, just ten seconds, for her to read my message and call me. I looked at Jason, who was frowning at me, and I picked up immediately.

"Why? Something happened?"

"What? Why? How did you get into an accident, Jo?" I made my worried face, and my hard face as I looked at Jason.

"What, Perra? You told me to call you!" Her grumbling voice almost made me laugh.

"So where are you now? Is it bad? You need to see a doctor, JO!" I put on my increasingly worried voice.

Joanna yelled angrily on the other end of our call. "What the fuck, you fucking bitch. Who's in the hospital?! You have the wrong number, you idiot!"

"Okay, fine. I'll try to make it in time, at least Damien's there. You'll be fine."

"DON'T BRING THAT HORRIBLE BROTHER OF YOURS. YOU BIT-"

I hung up our call and looked at Jason, who looked at me with a worried look from earlier.

"What's wrong? Why?" he asked.

"Joanna had an accident," I replied, shaking my head and looking sad. I didn't know. She..."

"The accident was that bad?" Jason asked.

I nodded. "She hit a tree at high speed when she went to the beach."

"What?"

"I think I should go back to San Francisco, Jason. She.. I'm worried about her. There's no one to look after her now. I'm really worried about her." I replied, busily checking my phone. "Are you okay with that? I'm sorry. I'm not..." I shook my head in an artificial panic.

"It's okay. I'll book a plane ticket for you."

"I just bought it." I shook my head, even as I typed a message to Theo to pick me up now. I couldn't continue to be around Jason while his brother was around, plus he lived in the same house as us. Obviously, I didn't want to see him. He nodded. "I'll drive you to the airport."

I shook my head. "The party's still going on. You can't just leave it. Just take me to your villa and my brother will pick me up. He happens to be here."

Jason shook his head. "No, Daniella..."

I put on a severe face. "Jason. It's okay."

He let out a long breath and nodded. "All right. Come on, then."

***

"Your brother is already here?"

I nodded. Theo had just sent a message that he was at the store next to Jason's villa. I finished putting my dirty clothes into the plastic and looked at Jason, who was standing and looking at me worriedly. I actually felt guilty that I had to lie. But I can't give him any truth about what happened between his brother and me, especially since we were in the same house. I couldn't bear to see him.

I was broken. Right now, I'm even holding onto that fracture.

If I see Zane Bernardi again, I'll break.

"Calm down, Danny." Jason said softly. He rubbed my face. It looks like I'm acting with totality. "Joanna will be fine."

I nodded. "Yeah, I have to go now."

"Okay, let's go," he said, taking my suitcase.

It was getting dark, the orange streetlights were on, and my brother leaned against his classic black car. I cursed in my head when I saw him.

"Just here, Jason. He will finish you off if you come along." I stopped him as we started to enter the convenience store parking lot. I looked at him and then hugged him. "Thank you, Jason. I love you."

He hugged me tightly, gently stroking my back, burying his face in my hair. "No thanks needed, sweetheart. Give my regards to Joanna."

I nodded.

"I'm going to San fransisco on Wednesday or Tuesday." He said. "To spend our time together."

"Sure. See you soon." I broke our hug, and he kissed my lips briefly. He wanted to watch me until I got into my brother's car, but his father calling him made him undo that intention while I breathed a sigh of relief. At least Theo wouldn't see Jason, and Jason wouldn't see how my brother's style, who was too high for the middle class.

I pulled the suitcase towards Theo, who was still focused on his cell phone. He was also ignoring the few women who were looking at him with interest.

"Theo," I called low.

He straightened up and looked at me, frowning at the dress I was wearing, the one he had given me for my birthday. "You're wearing my dress," he said with a slight nod. It's beautiful."

"I know, now let's go. Hurry up." I replied.

He lifted my suitcase to the back of the car, and I got into the front passenger seat. He got in and started the car while looking at me with astonishment in his eyes. "Didn't you say you were going to have fun, spend time with your boyfriend? Until you had to persuade dad to let me and Abraham loosen the security around you." he started to drive us away. "What happened?"

I narrowed my eyes. "Yeah, I think I'd rather spend time with my brother." Theo was already starting to smile widely. "That's what you wanted to hear, right?" I continued.

He laughed. "It's what you're supposed to say."

"You wish." I replied, folding my arms across my chest. "I met him." I continued.

"Who?"

"The man who made Garcia kill Magnan." I replied, staring at the road and the beautiful sunset that decorated the road to Abraham's villa. "I met him earlier, and I couldn't bear to be there."

Theo stiffened next to me. No words and no more jokes. He stopped at the side of the road. I looked at him and hugged him. My tears just came out; they came out so hard and flowed freely. He hugged me back, rubbing my back gently. I couldn't spit out all the anguish in my heart. I just cried and cried harder, soaking Theo's white t-shirt.

<<<

"Zane Bernardi." Abraham said he snorted.

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I looked at my first brother, glaring. "You knew?" I asked. Hugging myself, I sat on the couch with my mom's knitted blanket, hugging my body and a warm cup of coffee. "Of course. We've all known for a long time." Abraham replied.

Theo, sitting on the floor on the carpet in front of me, asked, "Why did you get to meet him?"

"He.." I lost the line. "..he was invited by my boyfriend's parents."

"Who's your boyfriend?" Abraham asked. "He's one of Italy's elite?"

I couldn't tell. I couldn't say that my boyfriend was Zane Bernardi's younger brother. They would make Jason an easy target. "No, they're not. They're business colleagues." I said.

"What's your boyfriend's name?" Abraham asked again, his expression stiff and flat. Cold. He was always like that, but I knew he loved me in his own way.

"Francisco Maranello." I replied, remembering the made-up last name Jason had given me because he didn't want me to accept him as a Bernardi man. He wanted me to accept him for who he was, not for his family. Abraham nodded. "Cut him off, then." He said directly.

"Abraham," I called softly.

"What? You can do it. If your boyfriend's family can invite that man, then their business ties are so strong. He'll probably track you down through your boyfriend and then he'll repeat the same thing. Do you want that to happen? What if it's you in this time?"

"Abraham," Theo warned him lowly. "Watch your language."

"I'm saying the right possibility. I'm not wrong."

Theo growled. "I know. But you scared her."

"To get her to think." He replied to Theo, then looked back at me. "You know we don't tolerate Italians, you should break up with him right now."

I really should, especially since Jason was a Bernardi. If only they knew about that, maybe now I would be returned to Madelin immediately. Moreover, his brother worked with Carlos Garcia, the man who killed Magnan, which put my life and Joanna's at risk. Zane Bernardi was the mastermind of it all.

"I'll do it."

"Good." Abraham gave a slight nod and leaned back on the couch. "Now go home. Both of you."

"No," Theo disagreed. "We're going on vacation, right Princesa?" he tells me. "We're going to spend time at the beach tomorrow and go on a food tour. I'm taking a week off so I'll spend it here with her."

I nodded in agreement to Theo, but doubt slipped into my chest. "What if it's dangerous? There's a big mobster after me, and I just met with him last night. What if..."

"Don't worry about that. He won't dare. California is not Cosa Nostra territory." Abraham said soothingly. "There is already a limit set, there will be a war if he dares to touch and hurt you in our area."

It was an exaggeration, but I had seen exaggerated halls all my life, and then I remembered about the man in the Chile restaurant. "Do you know the Chilean who opened the restaurant on Venice Beach?" I asked Abraham. I put the warm coffee on the table.

Abraham frowned and nodded. "Yeah, why?"

"I told him I was from Madelin and he accidentally mentioned the Colombian who helped him. Apparently he was Papa. He even said that you came there often. He gave me food for free."

"That's true. His name is Guzman. He's a good man."

I was surprised about that. "I threw away the food he gave me."

"Oh God," Abraham sighed harshly,

"It wasn't my fault. You three always say not to accept anything from people I don't know, and I wasn't sure about his story. That's why I threw it away." I said, shrugging.

"Fair point," Abraham said. "Their food is really good. We're going there tomorrow." He continued.

I shook my head. "No." I replied. "What if Zane Bernardi is there? I don't want to see him even if he's forbidden from harming me here. Besides, my boyfriend's villa is close to Guzman's restaurant, what if my boyfriend finds out that I'm still in Los Angeles? There are many better restaurants here. We'll go there when they're about to leave."

"Whatever you want, princess." Said Theo, and Abraham rolled his eyes to us.