“Thank you, sir.”
“Do not stoop to their level,” I caution her. “Or Tom’s. Make it a lasting impression, but leave some mystery for them. A warning of more to come, should they not comply with what we want.”
“Understood. I’ll make sure Carter, and the rest of the Family, know we are not to be underestimated.”
I give her a nod as she smiles, the corners of her mouth tipping up in a genuine grin.
“I look forward to watching the footage.”
Cecily laughs. “You’ll be the only recipient who is.”
I hum in agreement, and we pass the rest of the ride in silence. Cecily works on her phone, I’m assuming organizing everything she needs for the torment of ourguests. And I sit back in my seat, some of the stress falling off my shoulders, knowing we are this close to winning the game.
Victory has never tasted sweeter.
For every fucking moment I spend locked in this room, our kidnappers will pay. Starting with that bitch, Cecily. It’s not even me that I’m worried about. Fuck, this is the third time I’ve been held captive, and while I can’t say it gets easier, they’re going to have to work very fucking hard to beat Il Padrone or Peter. It’s Roman that worries me.
My friend, my stabby soulmate, is not handling this well. He’s strong—so fucking strong—but he doesn’t see it. And right now, the battle between the past and the present is tearing him apart. Which means, I need to fucking kill someone, but locked in these manacles makes it fucking impossible. So instead, I bide my time. The bitch has another thing coming if she thinks I’m just going to roll over…
I tilt my head back, trying to roll out the tension I’m carrying as we wait. Captivity always sucks with that. It messes with time.Has it been minutes, hours, or days? Fuck. We haven’t seen anyone else, and the lights go on and off at random intervals. Loud music pipes in whenever one of us nods off. I’d approve of the methods, if it wasn’t so fucking predictable.
Sighing, I squeeze Roman’s hand again, waiting for the responding pressure. He’s lapsed into silence lately, and that scares the hell out of me.
The door bangs open and the bitch strolls right in, a smug grin lighting up her face. I sneer at her, and I’m certain Dr. Ranlen would have words about the bitch’s heels. They have to be knock offs, and she does not wear them well.Some people have no class…
“The baby Bosses. You both made it so easy on me. Hell, Tom at least had to work to get the supposedly mighty Il Padrone and Cristian.” I bite my tongue, unwilling to feed into her ego. Roman yawns and I stifle a laugh at how red she turns. “Very well. It’s time for some fun. And since I’m a generous person…I’ll give you a choice.”
“Is the choice to leave? Because, honestly, you’re boring me. There’s nothing you can do to me that hasn’t been done already.” I roll my eyes at her, tired of her games.
Cecily laughs, the sound too light for this concrete dungeon. “Oh, no. I’m certain I’ll exceed your expectations. After all, that’s why the job was given to me. Let’s start with you, Lio, since you seem to underestimate me. I had the…distasteful responsibility of watching your sex tape. It got me thinking, though. How about we show people your true colors?”
I freeze at the mere memory of that tape. Fucking hell. Being forced to beg for it…having people think that was the real me. Fuck. No. There is no fucking way she’ll get me to bend over on this.
Shaking my head, I try to keep my voice steady, but fear I fail as I say, “There’s no way.”
She shrugs one shoulder, before looking down at her polished nails. Of course, they don’t stand out, she’s too professional for that, but her vanity is there. When she meets my eyes, the sadistic excitement pours off her. “You have a choice. We can take Roman and torture him, maybe even kill him—after all, we really don’t need both of you—or you can perform.”
“Don’t do it, Lio.” Roman’s voice is hard as he stares at the bitch. “He’s not going to do anything for you.”
“If he doesn’t care for his friend…I guess that shows his true colors anyway.” She steps back and gestures to the doorway, when two men come in, heading straight for Roman. They grab him, even as he starts to struggle.
“I’ll do it,” I spit out. They immediately let Roman go, shifting over to me. I ignore Roman’s protests as I glare at Cecily. She’s a fucking idiot. I may have no desire to get fucked, but at least I’ve been through this before. It won’t kill me. What’s a piece of my soul to save my friend?
The men release me from my restraints and drag me up, pulling me along so quickly that I can’t get my feet under me. I try not to listen to Roman’s increasingly frantic pleas, and Cecily’s high-pitched laughter, as we exit the cell that Roman and I have been stuck in.
Blinking, I’m surprised by how…normal everything looks. Not that I’m given much of a chance to check out my surroundings, as I’m forced down the hallway and jerked into the next. When we finally stop, I take a deep breath, trying to stop myself from cursing these two assholes out. My heart sinks at the rapid clip of heels. While I’m thankful Roman doesn’t have to put up with Cecily, I’d rather the bitch not be near me.
I’m tugged around until I’m facing her. Thrusting my chin up, I stare her down. I’m not the weak, naïve kid I used to be. If she thinks having someone rape me is going to tear me apart, she’s wrong. All it’ll do is distill the hatred already churninginside me, and she’ll soon learn that will only make me more dangerous.
“You’re going to have a fight on your hands if you think I’m going to bend over and take it that easily,” I spit out.
Her twinkling laughter grates on me, and she exchanges looks with the two men still holding me. “I’m not cruel enough to have someone force you… After all, I want your true colors to come out. And on video, for everyone to see.”
Swallowing, the first hint of unease begins to seep through my skin. “My true colors are loyalty to my Family. I may have blood on my hands, but there’s no regrets tying me down. I can face myself in the mirror…can you?”
“Let’s see if you can still face yourself after this.” She waves my words away, as if they’re insignificant, and to her, they probably are. “Inside that room is a young man, an innocent. You’re going to do a little reenacting—but the right way. You’ll be forcing him, and I guarantee, he does not want it.”
My heart seizes and my body goes cold. There’s no way I’m understanding this correctly. I shake my head, and I’m actually thankful I’m still being held by her two men, because my knees go weak. There’s no fucking way I’m going to rape someone.
