“Nessuno, look at me.”
I didn’t hesitate. Not for a second. I lifted my head, staring straight at the devil who had kept me prisoner in his hell for so long. My hate for him only intensified as I stared into the blue pits of his soulless eyes.
“Would you like to know who your real father was? And take note in me using the wordwas.But we’ll get to that shortly.”
“Jesus. Stop, Vadik.” From the corner of my eye, I saw Antonio struggle. Blood was smeared over the skin of his wrists as he tried to free himself.
Vadik kept my gaze. “Do you want to know, Nessuno?”
It was a trick question. I knew that. Even if I didn’t want to know, the right answer was yes. It was the answer Vadik wanted, so I nodded.
“Thought so.” Vadik turned to look at Antonio. “I think you should tell her. No, wait…let me.”
Up and down he paced, the keys to my cage and collar swinging around and around his fingers. “I’m sure since you’ve spent the last few weeks with the Valentis, you’ve heard the name Mancuso before?”
There it was again. That name. The name of the man Antonio told me was their enemy.
I nodded.
Vadik continued to pace. “Good. Okay, so let’s make this real easy. Why don’t you tell her what her name is?” He faced Antonio. “Her full name.”
Antonio looked my way, and I couldn’t stop myself from looking back at him. Vadik was too preoccupied with his theatric bullshit to notice.
“Tell her!” Vadik yelled, and it sent a jolt of fear down my spine.
Antonio’s eyes grew sad, the grooves on his forehead telling me how hard this was for him. All I wanted to do was run to him, to throw my arms around him. I didn’t care about the truth, about the fact that he knew who my father was. The night at the beach I told him I trusted him—and I did. So, I knew he had to have had a good reason why he never told me who my real father was.
But Antonio made a mistake—a mistake no one could afford to make when it came to Vadik. He hesitated.
I heard the familiar sound of Vadik’s folding cane, and then I felt the burn. It took all my strength not to fall to the ground, the skin on my thighs seared by his cane. I bit my tongue, desperate not to scream from the pain. But Antonio did. He screamed. “Stop! You motherfucker!”
And then I felt another lash, just above my knees. This time, my legs faltered, the agony of my burnt flesh almost sending me to the ground. But I righted myself, still biting my tongue, tasting my own blood.
Vadik held out his cane, placing the tip just below Antonio’s chin. “I suggest you start doing as you’re told, and you show me some motherfucking respect.”
Antonin’s jaw ticked, and I saw the anger in his eyes as he glared at Vadik.
“Now, tell her, her real fucking name,” Vadik bit out between clenched teeth. “Or I swear to God I’ll beat her until she bleeds.”
“Alessia,” Antonio said without hesitating this time. “Alessia Mancuso. Just don’t fucking hurt her.”
Vadik let out a squeal like the fucking maniac he was. He turned to me. “You hear that, Nessuno? You’re the daughter of loverboy’s enemy. Talk about a modern Romeo and Juliet tale. But,” Vadik held up his hand, “that’s not the best part. Tell her the best part, Valenti heir.”
I wanted to look at Antonio. With every fiber of my being, I wanted to look into his eyes while I listened to the truth falling from his lips. But even now I was too aware of the risk.
“Jesus,” Antonio cursed, and Vadik pulled his cane into the air, aiming at me. I closed my eyes, anticipating the blow, when Antonio cried out, “It was him!”
I opened my eyes, and Vadik held his cane in mid-air. “Go on.”
Antonio let out a breath. “It was him. He was the man who came for you that night. The man you thought rescued you.”
Tears stung the back of my eyes, the truth hurting more than I ever thought possible. I wanted to look at Antonio so badly, it took every ounce of strength I had not to.
“And?” Vadik urged, and now I wished Antonio would hesitate. I would rather endure Vadik’s cane than listen to the rest of what Vadik was forcing Antonio to tell.
Antonio screamed. Hard. Loud. The agony echoing in his cry. “It was him,” he cried, and I could hear the pain in his voice. It felt like a million pieces of glass sliced through my heart, tearing it to pieces. I couldn’t fight it anymore. I looked at him. I wanted to see Antonio’s eyes. His face while the truth knocked the wind right out of me. “It was him…Alessia,” Antonio continued softly, our gazes locked. “It was your father, my enemy, who sold you into the hell you’ve been living for so long.”
I swallowed, tears rolling down my cheeks.