Chapter 21
Isabella
Franco wasn’t bluffing when he said he’d make sure I suffered. Every single thing I’ve felt over the last day has been agonizing. The past twenty four hours there have been men in this room, using me in whatever way they could because their boss allowed it.
But when Madigan and I have been alone I made sure I spoke to her. Somehow, by the grace of God she’s still alive. Even with all that blood drizzling down her legs onto the floor she’s still alive. I truly don’t know how. Any other person would’ve bled out by now. I’m no doctor or anything but I’ve seen my fair share of medical tv dramas.
I lean my head back against the metal of the refrigerator and take in slow, deep breaths. Whenever it’s quiet I try to relax, to give myself silent motivation to continue on. Sometimes I’ll tell myself we’ll get rescued and other times I internally berate myself for thinking that way, knowing the likelihood is Madigan will bleed out in front of my very eyes and I will become this breeder sex slave for Franco, giving him numerous children before I’m graced with his death. Even then, I’ll probably end up dying when he does. His sons wouldn’t dare turn me back out on the streets knowing what I’d been through. I’d only be one thing for them —a liability.
The sound of the latch on the door opening again causes me to open my eyes, ready to face whatever is about to unfold. It’s been a day so no more of Franco’s men can touch me anymore. I find relief in knowing that. Every part of me is sore, from my shoulders down to my legs. A couple of the men got off on beating me with hanging pieces of meat and now my skin is starting to turn purple.
“Teresa, are you awake?” I hear the snickering laughter of no one else than Franco Falcone himself. Only as he comes into view I see he isn’t alone.
He has Lupo with him. Part of me feels weirded out he brought Lupo and not Alfred. Alfred seems to be the most like his father out of the bunch. While I understand punishing those who tried to harm your family, all Alfred did was make me drink pigs blood. Franco is a completely different type of fucked up. He takes the cake over his sons.
The brown eyed man who I picked as the womanizer of the bunch looks at me with saddened eyes today. Almost like he’s ashamed of what’s being done to me. Is Lupo the one with the heart in this family? If he is, I may be able to use him to my advantage to get Madigan and I out of this hell hole. I refuse to only think about myself. No matter what role she had in Vinny Falcone’s disappearance, if she had any, she doesn’t deserve this. “You wanted to see what I’m doing with her, so here we are. What do you think?” Franco asks his youngest, who is barely over twenty-one.
“This is . . . asinine. Al found her going through drawers and here she is in meat locker, bloodied and bruised, violated by our staff. What is wrong with you?” Much to my surprise, the younger Falcone challenges his father.
“That is what we do to those who and try to cross us, son. We show them we’ll make their lives hell. We are Falcones, not average idiots. She could’ve fooled anyone, but not me. I’ve been in the game for far too long. Women like Teresa though . . . if that’s even her name, pfft. They shouldn’t be trusted. I will give you this advice, women like her try to take down families like ours. They plant themselves in our lives for a reason. Now, tell me, what was hers?”
Lupo approaches me, sliding his hands into his pockets and stares intently. Moments go by of pure silence with nothing said from any party when Lupo turns to face his father. “This is a woman who wants to be safe. Someone betrayed her in a horrible way and now she can’t trust anyone. Teresa here is only trying to do what is right.” I narrow my eyes at what Lupo is saying. Z had told me there was an informant close to the Falcones, but is the informant one of hissons?
Franco steps in front of his son and pushes him back, staring down at his boy. “It sounds to me like you’re smitten for Teresa, Lupo. Is that the case?”
Lupo looks back to me and for a moment we share a silent look. He hasn’t said a word and yet I know he’s the informant. He’s working with the government to take his father down. Now I’m only left with one question—why?
“Ah, don’t answer that. I know you, son. You’ve always had big eyes when it comes to the ladies. Now I’ll be blunt with you. I told Teresa she was to be a sex slave to me now and that is my plan . . . however, if you want her as your own I will respect that. There is one condition, though.”
Lupo turns to look back at his father and I watch as Franco’s smile turns into a sneer. “If you want her, you have to prove to me how much you want her.” Franco’s eyes lock with mine and I know what he’s doing. He’s trying to sense if his son is bluffing or not.
“Fine, I’ll bite.”
“Now are you going to tell me what I did to Madigan was too over the top?” Lupo looks over to Madigan and for a split second I see something flash across his eyes, but he quickly recovers.
“No, fuck her. If she had anything to do with Vinny disappearing, then she deserves this and so much more.” While Franco might be fooled, I’m sure as fuck not.
Lupo turns toward me, makes me stand and yanks a pocket knife from his pants, cutting the zip ties from my wrists. Grinding his hips into my stomach, he speaks loudly “Let’s see if you prefer father or son, shall we?”
I yank away from him but he wraps his hand around my throat and holds me against the wall while I hear his zipper coming down. Lupo presses his mouth against my ear and whispers lowly, “I’m sorry I have to do this, but the agencies need you and I alive. You’re the in for the CIA and I have a handler at the FBI. If I don’t do this, he’ll kill me. Don’t put it past him.”
Suddenly, I’m realizing there’s a side to Franco Falcone I don’t know. One that’s far worse than the monster I thought I understood.