Tears prick my eyes, and I’m tempted to grab the cake knife and stick it in my husband’s chest. I think Don Maltese would probably let me get away with it, but Cesco wouldn’t. That man is the devil incarnate. If I kill his father now, he’s in charge of me, and I’d rather suffer ten of Dom over one of his nasty offspring.
Forcing the tears to subside, I thrust out my shoulders and enter the room.
“What took you so long?” Dom shouts, taking his frustration out on me as usual.
“I had to assemble it,” I say with bite, deliberately not apologizing.
“Watch your tone, baby girl, or Daddy’ll have to remind you who’s in charge.”
“Valentina.” Fiero eyeballs me with intent. “You’re coming with me now. Go pack.”
“Stay where you are,” Dom hisses. “Nothing is agreed.”
Cesco leans back in his seat with his legs kicked out in front of him, smirking at me as the two men battle for supremacy. I already know who’s going to win, and I want Fiero to take me now. New York is my ticket to freedom, and I’m ready to grasp it with both hands.
With lightning speed, Fiero has a gun pressed to Dom’s temple. Cesco straightens up immediately, reaching for his weapon. “Pull that out and your father’s dead,” Fiero coolly says, curling his finger around the trigger. Cesco stalls with his hand on his gun. “Give it to Valentina and don’t try anything. I’m a trained sniper and weapons expert. I’ll kill you and your father in a heartbeat if you try to pull a fast one.”
My pulse is racing in my neck and blood rushes to my head, making me lightheaded.
“Don’t bother.” Fiero has a tight grin on his face as he cautions Dom. “I took the bullets out of your gun when we were on our tour.”
I glance down to where Dom has his fingers curled around the holster strapped to his hip, getting a real thrill out of Fiero besting him and his son.
Cesco slaps his gun into my palm, eyeballing me with a silent message. If he thinks I’m siding with him and his father against Fiero Maltese, I have given him too much credit.
“Walk around the table slowly, Valentina, and hand me the gun,” Fiero says, sounding and looking completely unruffled.
I obey without protest because it suits me to leave with him tonight, so I don’t fight him.
“Good girl,” he says, making me instantly want to withdraw my words and extract my claws.
Oh, Dom does not like that. His nostrils are flaring, and he’s frothing at the mouth.
“Get your things, Valentina. We’re leaving in five minutes.”
I don’t need to be told twice. Racing out of the room, I take the creaky stairs two at a time and barge into my bedroom, quickly grabbing the suitcase from the top of my closet. Grabbing clothes haphazardly off hangers, I stuff them into my case, adding the couple good dresses I have along with the matching shoes. Shoving some underwear in the case, I rush into the bathroom and quickly dump my toiletries into a washbag and toss it on top of the clothes.
Pressing my ear to the bedroom door, to ensure no one is coming, I move my bed to one side, lift the loose plank from the floor,and retrieve my stash of cash and the white pill bottle, hiding it in the middle of my clothing. Then I sit on the case to close it, push my bed back into position, and grab my purse. Before leaving my room, I remove my hair tie, drag a comb quickly through my messy hair and spritz some perfume. I wish I’d had time to shower and change, but Fiero seems in a hurry to get out of here, and I am too.
“I’m ready,” I say in a breathless tone as I run into the dining room.
Fiero stands, emptying the bullets from Cesco’s gun before handing it back to him. He speaks to my husband without looking at him, which is a huge disrespect. Inside, I’m silently cheering Fiero on. No one has ever taken my side and stood up to Dom before. Everyone sees how he treats me, and they don’t interfere. Cowards and perverts, the lot of them, with one notable exception. I still don’t know whyhehelped me, but I’m grateful.
“I’ll wire the extra 1.5 to you tonight, and the rest of our agreement remains intact.”
Dom nods tersely, understanding there is no choice. Even if I planned to come back, I wouldn’t return with the look he throws my way. It promises weeks of his unique brand of punishment, and I’m done being his toy.
“Let’s go.” Fiero comes up to me and takes the case from my hand.
“Wait, baby girl.” Dom stands, and knots twist in my gut as he approaches me. “Daddy deserves an extra special goodbye.” Yanking me forward, he bands his arms around my back and smashes his disgusting mouth to mine, forcing his tongue between my lips and almost choking me. I instantly zone out, having trained myself to do this from an early stage. Grabbing my ass, he squeezes hard as he thrusts his groin at me, and then thankfully it’s over. Dom presses his mouth to my ear. “Keep your legs open and your mouth shut, Valentina. Think of your family.”
“Enjoy the city,Mom.” Cesco feigns politeness as he pulls me from his father’s arms. My skin squirms like a thousand fire ants are dancing across my flesh when he presses his mouth to my cheek in a kiss. “Your cunt is mine when you come back,” he whispers in my ear while keeping a fake smile plastered on his face. “Daddy can’t help you this time.” He kisses my other cheek before releasing me, and it’s a miracle I’m still upright. Terror skips through my veins at an alarming rate.
I will throw myself in front of a train before I ever step foot in this house again. Death would be the lesser evil.
“We’ll see you Sunday,” Fiero says, taking my elbow and steering me out of the room. The others don’t follow. When we’re out of earshot, he says, “Breathe, Valentina. You look like you’re going to pass out.”
I draw air deep into my lungs, feeling the stress leaving my shoulders the closer we get to the door. But it’s a false sense of relief. I fully understand I’m jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire.
