“Don’t let the door hit you in the ass,” I say to him.
“You. Out as well.” Lorenzo turns his glare to me.
My heart lurches in my throat. While being trapped in a room with Lorenzo gives me anxiety, being on the other side of the door, without Stone and with Antonio, will set me in another panic attack.
“My wife stays.”
“She goes.”
“I’m in charge here and I say she stays.”
I want to kiss him, for so many reasons. I blink back the tears that threaten to spill and roll my shoulders back feigning confidence.
“You think you’re clever, don’t you?” Lorenzo says, leaning against the table. “Has the little puttana been hiding in your bed all these years? Is that why we couldn’t find her?”
I want to fight back. To yell at Lorenzo, but I stay quiet and let Stone take control.
“Watch yourself around my wife, Parisi.”
“Your wife.” He laughs, spittle coming from his lips. “I’m her father. She is legally bound to marry Antonio. She’ll file an annulment then you won’t have ownership anymore.”
“This isn’t the eighteenth century. You can’t legally bind anyone to marriage.”
“She will marry him, or you’ll find yourself regretting the day you fucked her.”
“You’re in no position to make threats.”
“You’re just like your father.” Lorenzo scowls.
“I take that as a compliment.”
Lorenzo grinds his teeth and narrows his eyes at Stone. “He tried to betray me and look where it got him. You think fucking my daughter is payback for him? For your sister? Tell me.” He sneers at me before smiling evilly at Stone. “Does she scream out in pain like your little sister? Or does she beg for more like your mother?”
No. My god. Lorenzo was the one who killed his family. And raped them. My heartbeat pounds in my chest, and I feel my body temperature rise from the rage I have burning inside. I want to cry for Stone and stab Lorenzo in the chest and watch the blood drain out of his body.
I’ve never thought about killing anyone, not even my father, but if given the opportunity, I would in a heartbeat. I hate Lorenzo on so many levels, not only for the pain he caused Mama and me but for the pure torturous evil he’s inflicted on Stone’s family.
Minutes go by without Stone moving or uttering a word.
“Does your little puttana of a wife know the real you? Does she know how you like to rip apart little girls’ virginity?”
“Hey, asshole,” I finally say, moving the attention from Stone, giving him time to formulate whatever words or actions he has planned.
Lorenzo snaps his head toward me. “What did you just say?”
The courage I find inside doesn’t come from the clothing or expensive shoes. Those I had when I was a prisoner in Lorenzo’s home. The strength and power I feel within come from the man sitting next to me.
Even though Stone stripped most of my freedoms away from me, he never stripped my humanity. He never made me weak and powerless. Instead, I have more confidence than I ever have before.
“I called you an asshole, but you know what? That’s an insult to all assholes out there. You’re the devil who is going to rot in Hell when we’re done with you. Your reputation as a successful vintner is over. But you don’t care about that, do you?”
I rise to my feet and place my hands on the table, leaning over and showing him I’m not afraid of him. Because I’m not. I have Stone by my side.
“We’re going to take you down piece by piece, exposing all your dirty secrets.”
“Lots of talk for a pretty little puttana.”
“A pretty little whore who escaped from your Hell eight years ago. Curious what I’ve been up to? All the secrets I brought with me? All the people I’ve told? Stone and I aren’t going into this blind. We’re a team. An unstoppable team. You.” I jab the air. “Are. Going. Down.”