“He didn’t steal from you. It wasn’t him.”
Vadik let out a maniacal laugh. “Naïve. Naïve. Naïve. Of course,I knowhe wasn’t the one who stole you from me. But unfortunately, word on the street is Antonio Valenti, boss of Boston’s notorious crime family, was the one who took you from me. My reputation is already tarnished. I have no choice but to demand he pay for his crime.”
More tears slipped down my cheeks, soft whimpers rolling over my lips. “There was no crime,” I whispered.
“Of course, there was.”
Anger simmered.
“Stealing is a crime, Nessuno.”
And then it exploded.
“I wasn’t stolen from you because I was never yours! I don’t fucking belong to you!” My voice came out loud and hard, slamming against the walls. Tears streamed down my face, but it was a mix of anger and pain. Fear and rage. My nostrils flared as I launched forward on my knees, grabbing the steel bars. “You were the one who stole me ten years ago. It was you! You are the thief!”
Vadik stepped back, his wide eyes focused on me. “My, my, my. Seems like the Valenti heir managed to fuck a spine into you.”
My chest rose and fell, my rapid, shallow breathing causing my lungs to expand even though it didn’t feel like I was breathing. I was too busy concentrating on the rage, turning it into courage so I could have the strength to not show weakness.
Vadik tilted his head the side, studying me. “I will kill him for that, you know. For putting his filthy hands on you, touching what’s mine. Even if my reputation wasn’t at stake, I’d still drive my knife through his heart.” He leaned forward, cold, hard eyes pinned on me. “Then I’ll spend the rest of my life fucking him out of you in the most unimaginable ways. You think you’ve seen the worst of me. You’re wrong.” The hate in his eyes caused me to shudder, and I felt the strength I had a few seconds ago evaporate.
I stepped back, and he smiled. “Not so brave now, are you?”
“Please,” I whispered. “Don’t hurt them.”
He rubbed the stubble on his chin, eyes dark and vicious. “I might let the Valenti girl go…after I’ve fucked her.”
“No!” My heart ached, my ribs feeling like they were being cracked one by one. I knew him. I knew what to expect from his evil touch. But Karina didn’t. There was no way she’d survive him.
I heard the sound of a motorboat engine, and my gaze cut to Vadik. The corners of his mouth curved into a smirk. “I give you one guess who that is.”
No. No. No. I shook my head, fear clawing into my lungs. “Don’t do this. You don’t have to hurt him.” I wanted to plead. I wanted to beg. I wanted to go back in time so I could stop myself from ever defying him. Maybe if I had obeyed him from the start, never disobeying him, he would have had mercy right at this moment. But the way his eyes darkened, the sheer satisfaction and excitement plastered across his face, told me there would have been nothing I could have done to stop him.
“You have me back. You don’t have to hurt him. Please.”
Vadik snorted. “He corrupted you, fucked up all the years I invested in breaking and molding you into the perfect puppet. And for that, he will die.” He leaned forward, still wearing that vicious smile. “But not before he witnesses me ruin you over…and over…and over again.”
“Dear God,” I whispered. Vadik hadn’t even touched me yet, and already I could feel him break me, little by little.
I fell back on my ass, pulling my knees up to my chest. Slowly, I felt myself falling, being pulled back to the past. My mind was already starting to sort through the emotions, through the pain, readying to compartmentalize. It was the only defense I had. The only escape.
“Remember this?”
I looked up and sucked in a breath when I saw the diamond studded collar he held in his hand, a golden ring attached to the front. “No.” I shook my head.
“Yes.” He smirked. “It’s time, Nessuno.” He bent down, pushing a key into the lock on the cage door. “Now, be a good little girl, and let’s put on a show the Valenti heir will never forget.”
Chapter 19
Antonio
I was going into this completely blind. There was no plan, no goddamn blueprint of how everything was about to go down. All I knew was I had to get to her. The longer I was apart from her, not knowing what that son of a bitch was doing to her, I was dying inside. I was already thinking about a hundred different ways to torture and kill the bastard once I get my hands on him.
I drove into the harbor. It was just after midnight, and apart from the security guards at the entrance, there wasn’t a person in sight. As I slowly drove along the road, I saw a black SUV parked just ahead. I pulled up and switched off the ignition, the car lights shining on the men in front of me sporting huge ass rifles, trying their best to look like mean motherfuckers. If I didn’t have so much to lose, I would have flat-out laughed in their faces.
Glancing down at my phone next to me on the passenger seat, I prayed to God Lucio had enough time. But since time wasn’t on my side, I got out of the car.
I held my hands up. “Gentlemen.” I glanced at their rifles. “If your Russian good looks didn’t give you away, those life-size guns sure would have done the trick.” Sarcasm. A man’s best defense mechanism.