Luca

20 - A lot to take in

Sofia

“When Luca and Dray were born,” Marnie continues. “They were so small. Dray was much smaller than Luca, and it took a while for them to be okay enough to come home. When they were little, Luca was such a sweet, loving little boy. But Dray, even then, I could see that there was something wrong with him. I didn’t want to admit it because he was my little boy. But I couldn’t deny it any longer. When Dray was thirteen,” Marnie blows out a long breath.

I can see this is hard for her. Maybe she hasn’t spoken about this with anyone outside of the family before. I’m honored that she’s telling me. Whatever this is.

“Dray got into a fight with a boy from school,” Marnie says. “He beat the boy to a bloody pulp. Two days later, we got a call from Dray’s bodyguard, telling us that we needed to get to the warehouse. Somehow, Dray convinced the man that no one would find them there. I mean, what kind of fool believes a child who was clearly not scared of him?”

“What happened?” I ask after a moment’s pause.

Marnie sighs. “The boy’s father had followed Dray out of school. While Dray was on his way to the car, surrounded by other kids, the man somehow dragged my son away with him, and his bodyguard didn’t reach him fast enough to stop it. I know now that Dray went willingly.”

I gasp. “Why would he do that?”

“Because Dray wanted to prove himself to his father. My children didn’t know it at the time, but their shoes, backpacks, and even their jackets had trackers in them. So, it wasn’t hard for Dray’s bodyguard to find him. I should have allowed Draven to insert the tracker chips into Luca and Dray’s arms, the way he did with Lydia and Amber. But for some reason, I was against it.

“Anyway, I forced Draven to take me with him to the warehouse. I was so scared that something terrible had happened to my little boy. But when I got there, what I saw has stayed with me always.”

Marnie is quiet for a few minutes. I’m scared to ask her to carry on. I can’t and won’t rush her. I can see that this is difficult for my future mother-in-law.

She looks at me and smiles slightly. “My thirteen-year-old son,” she continues. “Had butchered a man in cold blood – literally destroyed him with a chainsaw!”

My eyes widen so much I feel like my eyeballs are about to burst!

“Dray was covered in blood, his eyes wide and maniacal. In that moment, I didn’t recognize my own child. When Draven asked him what the hell had happened, Dray didn’t say a word. He lifted his shirt so we could see the deep bruises on his side. That man had hit my baby, so Dray retaliated and killed him.

“Draven was so angry with Dray. But my son lost control. He screamed that he was just being what Draven wanted him to be, and wasn’t he proud? When Draven didn’t reply, Dray asked what we would have done if that man had taken Luca and hurt him. My heart broke because I knew that if it had been Luca in that situation, he would have tried to fight back, but he wouldn’t have done what Dray did. Luca could have been killed, and a massive part of me would have died with him.”

I close my eyes because I can’t even begin to imagine what Marnie witnessed that day.

“After that day, I kept a close eye on Dray. But he wasn’t the same. He’d always been an angry boy, quick to violence, but something had changed in him. No one was safe around Dray, and I began to fear him.” My eyes widen again, but Marnie smiles. “Dray never has and would never hurt me, Sofia. It was others I was worried about.

“Dray was fifteen when I finally got Draven to agree to Dray seeing a psychiatrist. It wasn’t a pleasant experience for any of us. It didn’t take long for the doctor to tell us that Dray was a psychopath. Violent, narcissistic, and manipulative to the point he could literally send a person crazy.” Marnie sniffs and wipes her eyes with her hands. My heart aches for her. “The doctor didn’t even know the full extent of what Dray was capable of, yet he knew that my son was…” She blows out a breath. “It hasn’t been easy to deal with, but Dray got better at hiding things the older he got.

“When I was pregnant with Dray and Luca, my ex-husband’s mother attacked me.” My eyes widen, but I don’t interrupt. “I was with Lydia and Amber in town when she bumped into me, literally. I thought nothing of it, but I began to get really sick that evening. The next thing I remember is waking up in the hospital to be told that I’d had an emergency C-section and that I had now had twin boys.

“I was so shocked.” She laughs. “I had twin girls and twin boys, and I wanted to see them so badly. But I couldn’t for a while because they were in the NICU and I was too sick to leave my room. Draven told me that my ex-husband’s mother had injected me with an abortion drug, which meant I almost lost my sons and my life.”

I swallow hard, trying to process the information overload!

How did any of them survive something like that?

I’m assuming Draven killed the ex-husband’s mother. It makes sense because he strikes me as the type of Don who would end the whole bloodline, leaving no one alive. I’m not going to act Marnie to clarify. I don’t think I could handle knowing.

Marnie continues, “I have often wondered if what I went through all those years ago, being shocked with that cattle prod, being injected with that abortion drug, and then Dray’s early birth, contributed to the way he is now.

“But I know that there is good in Dray, I’ve seen it. But his mind isn’t wired right. Dray rarely thinks before he acts, and no one can control him. I think Luca is the only person Dray really listens to, but sometimes, even Luca can’t get through to him.

“I’m not making excuses for what he did to you. Draven should never have asked him to take you to that place. Believe me, I have given my husband a piece of my mind. But I want you to know that Draven never ordered Dray to go to the lengths he went to. I can’t imagine how frightened you must have been, and Luca is still angry. I guess I’m just trying to say that I’m sorry, Sofia.”

It didn’t take a genius to work out that Dray wasn’t right in the head. But having his mother confirm that he’s a psychopath has my stomach turning over.

However, I don’t blame Marnie for Dray’s actions. Regardless of his mental illness, he’s a grown man who makes his own choices. He chose to do those things to me, no one else.

“I don’t blame you, Marnie. I knew I would have to go through loyalty tests. Now that I have, it’s over with, and I can get on with organizing my wedding to Luca. We still have a dress to prepare. Right?”

Marnie smiles while cupping my cheek. “You’re going to be such a wonderful wife to Luca. I can see it now.” I smile, and she drops her hand. “Right. Let’s get back to business. We have family arriving tomorrow for dinner. We’ll be able to discuss your dress and accessories then.”

That’s right. Tomorrow, I’m going to meet Draven’s younger half-brother – they share the same father, and their mothers were identical twins! – Hammer, his wife Willow, their children, daughter-in-law, and grandchildren. Draven’s full-blooded younger sister, Maria, her husband, Jett, who is also Willow’s older brother, and their children. Also, Hammer’s half-brother on his mother’s side, Tank – also Draven’s cousin – his wife, Nova, their children, and son-in-law. Then there’s Draven’s cousin, Avery, her husband Ghost, and their children. Not to mention Marnie’s sister, Brooke, will be joining us with her husband, Hawk, and their children.

Why do these men all have weird names?

Luca told me that they’re bikers, even their sons are. Jett and Maria have Jessie, Aya, and Rabid – thank God that’s only a nickname! Hammer and Willow have Storm, Dragon, who’s married to Kyla and has two kids of his own – Cobra, and their only daughter, Hilly. Tank and Nova have Ember, married to Marco – both famous singers! – and Eagle. Ghost and Avery have Razor and Vinny. Hawk and Brooke have Wolf and DJ.

It’s going to be a busy evening!