A man sits in an armchair, and I’m escorted to the sofa.
“Sofia,” he says with a big smile, “Do you want something to eat? Something to drink?”
“Are you…are you Jose?” I ask, confused. “Your accent sounds….”
“I’m from Argentina too. I’ll be taking over your father’s territories. My name is Amancio. We should get to know each other because we will see a lot of each other for the foreseeable future.”
I swallow hard as he pours some iced tea into a glass. “Drink, help yourself. How can I call myself your husband if I treat you like a prisoner?”
I frown. “I was told Jose is going to make me a mistress,” I reach for the glass, not wanting to anger Amancio.
“That was before. He feels you’ve been too much trouble now. He’s decided to align our houses, mine and your father's, through our marriage, and I will take over your father's businesses. See, Jose takes care of those who are loyal to him.”
I frown and sip my iced tea. It's sweet. I set it back down. “And if I don’t want to marry you?”
“I’m sorry,” Amancio chuckles. “Did I give you the illusion that you had a choice?”
I swallow hard. “But don’t you want a wife that will love you, care for your every need and raise your children.”
“If you know what’s good for you, you’ll be doing all those things. I may seem like a friendly person, Sofia, especially because of my bright Hawaiin-themed shirts, but make no mistake. I won’t kill you quickly. I will tie you to our bed, rape you, force you to bear me children, and that’s all you will do. I won’t give you the peace of a quick death.”
I look at him, horrified. “Why…”
“Because my family has been waiting faithfully in the wings for long enough now. Perhaps you know my cousin, Bruno. He’s your father’s second in command.”
“He’s my Uncle,” I say defiantly. “He betrayed our family.”
“He’s adopted,” Amancio says calmly. “Planted in your family to grow from a seedling to a mighty tree. Now I am going to have your father and the rest of your family tortured and butchered for their betrayal, and I’m going to send your father's head to Jose as a gift, a token of my loyalty.”
“Please, no,” I beg. “I’ll do whatever you want. I’ll marry you and have your children, and I’ll be a good wife, but please don’t kill my family.”
“I’m afraid my decision is final, Sofia. Such a pity, too. Your father really does rule the roost of Argentina.” He clicks his tongue and sips on his glass of iced tea. “I’ll be sure to rule with a more iron fist.”
“The people are loyal to my father. He isn’t soft. He’s just patriotic,” I say, sniffing.
“He’s a fool, a fool that’s going to die sooner rather than later.” he sets his glass down. “Now I imagine you’d like to have a nice relaxing hot bath and get into some proper clothes. Those definitely aren’t appropriate for someone who will be my wife.”
I look down at Carmila’s clothes and remember she’s dead.
“How did you find me?” I ask, looking up at him.
“I have little birdies everywhere, my dear,” he says, standing up. “Now I have to deal with your little Sorvino friend, put an end to that, and then I will see how much of the wedding I’ll let you plan. That should make you feel better, right? Women love planning their weddings. I promise we will spare no expense.”
I look around, looking for an exit.
“You’ll find this is a rather heavily guarded house, Sofia. I wouldn’t try to run. If I have to kill you and take your father’s territories by force, I will. Don’t try me.”
Chapter 13 - Dominic
I watch as they escort Sofia out of the room I’m trapped in. There’s a part of me that wants to rip through the cable ties and kill everyone on this property with my bare hands.
But I won’t need to do that.
I know I still have my knife on me, and I just need the perfect opportunity to use it.
I sit there for what feels like forever, but I know it’s just the minutes passing by and my worry for Sofia making it worse. I need to get to her, to get her out of here and to safety. There is a burning rage inside me that wants to forgo all careful, calculated action and rip everyone to pieces.
The thought of what they might be doing to Sofia, if she’s even still on the property, drives me mad, and I realize I’m crossing my boundaries here.