My own father. My own father was behind my mother’s murder and the one who ruined my life. That was why the name sounded so familiar. It was a name I heard my mother say in the past, only a few times. But I never knew the name belonged to my father. I never knew how important that name was to me…until now.
Antonio’s face turned hard, his eyes dark and heavy with hatred. “I killed him. I killed Stefano Mancuso. I took my motherfucking knife and I tore it through his skull.” Every word he spoke was laced with disgust, revulsion, and there was no trace of remorse, no sign that he regretted killing…my father.
I leaned my head to the side, the sorrow I felt spreading to the marrow of my bones.
My own father.
“He was a bastard, Doe,” Antonio continued. “Mancuso was a fucker who didn’t deserve to breathe. And I don’t regret killing him. I would do it again in a fucking heartbeat.”
Karina whimpered from where she sat on her knees next to Antonio. When I looked at her I saw tears streaming down her face, black mascara smeared across her cheeks. This had all gone far enough. No one should suffer any further because of me.
“Let her go,” I whispered.
Vadik snapped his head in my direction. “What did you say?”
“I said let her go.”
Vadik walked closer, so close I could smell the familiar stench of vodka on his breath. “How dare you talk out of place?”
I met his glare, not cowering away this time. “Let Karina go, and I won’t fight you.”
He snorted. “Fight me? You can never fight me.”
“I can. And I will. I will fight you until my dying breath. I will defy you every chance I get, no matter what you do to me.”
“Doe, don’t,” Antonio pleaded, but I ignored him.
“If you let Karina go, I swear I won’t ever try to fight you. I’ll be the most obedient goddamn pet you’ve ever had, the perfect puppet. That’s what you want, isn’t it?”
Vadik’s light brown brows slanted inward. “You’ll be the perfect puppet no matter what, Nessuno.”
I shook my head. “If you hurt her, I’ll destroy it.”
His face remained stoic. “Destroy what?”
I raised my chin, leaning my face closer to his, biting out the words. “Whatever the fuck it is that you put inside me.”
Seconds passed. He didn’t look away, and neither did I. See, he thought I had retreated into myself earlier. That I wasn’t aware of what the hell was going on around me. But I was. And I heard it. I heard him and Antonio talking about how I had something of Vadik’s, how Antonio told him he could take it out of me. I managed to put it all together, getting all the puzzle pieces to slide into place.
I remembered a conversation Vadik had with the plastic surgeon when they operated on my mutilated ear. I remembered Vadik asking the doctor if it was secure and safe. I didn’t know what it was back then, and frankly, I didn’t care. There was just too much pain, too much humiliation knowing I had been injured and maimed for life. But the doctor confirmed it was well hidden underneath the skin…my skin. I just never thought about it until now since it was something I had compartmentalized. The memory of how I had my goddamn ear sliced off wasn’t something I liked to think about.
Vadik licked his lips, and I could practically see all the vile images playing off inside his head. “You don’t even know what it is.”
“I know it’s something worth a shitload to you.”
He continued to look me in the eye, and I scraped together every ounce of courage I had not to look away. Seconds of silence turned into eternity, and with my shoulders squared, I tried my best to let my determination show. My defiance. I no longer feared his retaliation. I would gladly embrace hell if it meant saving Karina, and hopefully Antonio as well.
Vadik lifted a hand, and I wanted to cower away, expecting a blow. But I continued to hold my head high.
He snapped his fingers, and the moron who stood by watching from the other side of the room rushed forward.
“Yes, sir?”
Without breaking eye contact, Vadik said, “Take the Valenti girl. Make sure she gets to the harbor…safely.”
The stone expression on my face didn’t falter even though relief slowly spread through me. My skin was damp, sweat slipping down my naked back.
Antonio watched as the guy helped Karina to her feet. “If you hurt her, I’ll cut off your balls. You hear me?”