“Child prostitution.” My heart stilled. “But then Daddy died in a car accident….” Her voice trailed off.
“With your mother, I know.” Dominic filled me in on the Rossi family history, but she shook her head frantically.
“No! Lies! Lies! Lies created by Ercole, because she reminded him of Sorcha. He hid my mother in his ring and raped her daily, calling her Sorcha, making her dress according to the picture he had of your mother. And he called meRosa.” She stressed my name, as if mocking it. “But then Mommy couldn't handle it anymore and committed suicide in the bathroom. But I was six years old, old enough to entertain him and his clients. He got off on bringing me pain, because I was Rosa, Don’s daughter, the man who took away the love of his life.” She addressed Ercole, who breathed heavily on the floor. “Son of a fucking bitch.” Then she fired and fired bullets into his chest until he stopped moving completely and his head fell to the side, his eyes wide open and lifeless. “I could still smell them, see them, experience their touches.” She shivered as her voice lowered.
“Why did he make you part of the family?” Based on the information given, I thought he brought her in right after the accident. But it didn't add up with what she was saying.
“He only declared them dead several years after the accident, and then he took me in, because he liked to inflict his sick desires on me until I turned fifteen. Then I don’t know who took care of his needs.”
“Angelica?”
“Oh, he never touched her,” she replied bitterly. “No one dared harm Vito’s favorite niece. She acted nice around folks, but was mean as fuck to me, always reminding me where my place belonged. That’s why I had no remorse in killing her as part of my plan to eliminate you. I found out your great-grandmothers were related, so that makes you what? Long lost cousins or something?” My soul chilled, as I struggled to keep awake despite the loud buzz in my ear.
“What?”
“I was ready to put all this behind me when I won the gold medal, but then your daddy and you showed your pretty faces in New York, and how come you deserved all this happiness while I suffered? So I’ve made sure to destroy your life.” At this point, I didn't even care what her plan or intentions were; the only reason I kept all my focus on this conversation was so it would give Dom and the rest more time to find us and save Jake.
“Alfonso?”
She snorted. “Idiot always wanted to be liked in the mafia despite his sociopathic tendencies. I got him addicted to our brand of sex, then we stayed friends, but not before I offered him the perfect plan. He did everything according to my command. Down to replacing Angelica that night and raping her, instead of you.”
“What?” Did this mean those men never touched me? And as bad as Angelica sounded, she didn't deserve such a death either.
“No, there was no time for it. Trust me, I would have stayed to watch. Oddly enough, you were too similar not to use this opportunity to get rid of both of you. She knew about Ercole’s business and never stopped him.” Oh my God, what the fuck was wrong with this family? Who didn't report it? “Only Mom was in the dark, and she was kind of nice to me, so she gets to live. Long story short, I needed Rosa Giovanni dead so you could marry Oliver.”
“But what were you gaining in marrying me off to him?”
“On the wedding night, you’d be transferred to a ship for human trafficking.” This woman was insane, nothing like the girl who liked and helped me through everything. Then suddenly she changed her tone, as her gun lowered. “During this year… you were so nice… understanding… always talking and including me in everything. Becoming my best friend, the one I never had. And I hated you for it even more, because you evoked emotions inside me. You had no right to charm me as you charmed everyone else, including the man I wanted for myself. Dominic.” Then she said, “It doesn't matter anymore. The game is over.”
As strange as it sounded lying there in a pool of my blood, hate wasn't an emotion that spread through me, but overwhelming sadness for the child whose parents failed to protect her. Then a family took her in, only to harm her more. How could I reason with her?
You could not reason with a person who never knew love because they didn't understand the concept, only despised it due to never being on the receiving end.
So whatever it was, this time, I was indeed powerless to stop the evil.
Dominic, I’m so sorry.
Maybe her plan would have been a better option. Then my family, friends, and the love of my life wouldn't have to struggle with losing me again after they had just gotten me back.
Dominic
The vehicles circled the house as the car with listening devices gave us access to the conversations going on inside, and everyone froze at the horrific story Ciara spilled to Rosa.
The FBI had their guns ready, while Melissa once again explained the plan in detail and assigned the shooters and snipers around the property and through every door so Ciara had no chance of escaping. They would have burst inside sooner, but because of Jake, they couldn’t. They struggled to come up with a plan that wouldn't put the kid in danger.
“No fucking way!”
Melissa exhaled an exhausted breath. “Radmir, you reject every plan. This scenario is the best. We don’t have time to waste.”
Grabbing him by the nape, I punched him right in the chest. “Shut the fuck up! Your kid is safe upstairs in the room. She won’t have time to rush to him. The chances are minimal. In any case, it’s your fucking fault he’s even here.” My sovietnik fucked up with his moody attitude, not seeing straight in his rage for revenge. As much as I understood his desire to keep his kid safe, at this rate, none of them would survive. I addressed the agents. “Proceed with the plan.” As much as I disliked cops and the law, as they never could properly help anyone in the system, they dealt with shit like that on a daily basis.
“In five minutes.” Then I caught the eyes of my brother, who jerked his head then hid behind the back of the building while motioning for me to go inside. If he thought we had no time, then we needed to act now.
“Hold on, Rosa. Just hold on.” I chose the moment when the FBI were in a circle deciding from which angle to attack on Melissa’s command, while FSB—the Russian version of the FBI—joined the party, essentially stopping the operation, as the FBI couldn't act all high and mighty on foreign land. The Bratva backed me up with Konstanciya holding a sniper mark on the door, Vitya trailing behind me, covering me from any unexpected shots, and the byki guarded the outskirts of the property.
So many people involved because of some fucked-up woman who thought Rosa was to blame for her unhappiness.
Then I heard it.
