“Revenge? But why?” My mouth is dry, chalky. I swallow hard and feel myself about to gag again. Thank God it’s been days since I ate properly, or I’d be throwing up right now.
“You think I’m such a fool, Andrea?” His lip curls. “You think I believe you came running back to me because you wanted to be with me?”
“Mark, I swear—!”
“I swear!” he mimics, his voice pitched high. “I’m so sorry, Mark,” he continues. “You think I sucked that up? What do you take me for? A fucking fool?” He’s still sitting, seemingly relaxed, but I can sense the rage coiling in him. I snap my mouth shut, afraid to antagonize him further.
I shake my head mutely. In the mirror, I can see my eyes wide with terror, my face pale. I’d been prepared to face him and sacrifice myself for what I needed to do. But this? No…not like this…
I fight to control my erratic breathing. My chest is heaving. My only consolation is that he hasn’t stripped me naked. And then the dark crystal heart glitters between my breasts in the low light. He hasn’t removed my jewelry.
Oh, thank God! Please let it be working…
“Your people cost me good men that night, Andrea. Those fucking Caraldi cunts. That fucking Fed.” Mark gives a sharp jerk of his head, hatred darkening his features. “You’re going to be the bait, prettyAndy,” he sneers. “You’re kryptonite to that bastard. He can’t help himself.” He gives a laugh that makes my blood run cold. “I’m going to lure them into a trap, using you as bait. The fool is going to bring those fuckers with him too. Dario…Raoul. They’ll all charge in like the cavalry to save poor littleAndy. And when they do, I’ll be waiting for them. They’ll all die. Because of you.”
“God! Mark, no…please!” I shake my head. “This…this had nothing to do with them, I promise you!”
“You think your promises mean anything to me, Andrea? You’ve lied to me from the start. And you think I didn’t know?” He starts to laugh. “Stupid cunt. I’ve been onto you from the start.”
God…he’s been playing me all along. I feel like such a fool. But I can’t let him drag Mateo further into this. I set my jaw. The time for pleading is over.
“Mateo has nothing to do with this,” I say, surprised at how firm my voice has suddenly grown. “Leave him out of it.”
Mark scoffs, then shakes his head.
“You know I killed him, don’t you,” he says abruptly. It’s not a question. It’s a statement of fact. My heart lurches. He just said he’s using me as bait to get to Mateo. He can’t be talking about killing him, surely?
“Killed who? What do you mean?”
“Kyle.” His lips curl into an ugly smile. “Your precious golden boy. I took him out.”
My breath catches in my throat. This is the moment I’ve been praying for.
Please, God…please let the recorder be working!
“You’re lying.” I know he’s not, but if I can goad him, maybe he’ll spill enough information to make it impossible to dispute. He gets to his feet, walking around the side of the bed toward me. He keeps his eyes running over my helpless form as he walks, smirking.
“You think I’m lying, darling?” He sits on the mattress beside me, then traces a circle around my nipple through my bra. I cringe away, then flinch when he pinches it sharply.
“Don’t!”
“Don’t what, Andy?” He starts circling his finger again. “Don’t touch you? Or don’t tell you what I did to your beloved brother?” He leans down, his breath against my face. “Because I assure you, I can do both.”
I twist my head away, squeezing my eyes shut. I want him to keep talking…of course I do. But having him touch me. Having him so close when I’m so helpless. It’s a living nightmare. I feel my jaw gripped between cruel fingers as he forces me to face him again.
“It was me, Andy. I was the one who put the gun in his hand. I was the one who squeezed his finger over the trigger. All. Me.” He starts to laugh again. His breath is vile.
Keep it together, Andy. You need him to say this!
“You’re lying,” I grit out. “You wouldn’t have gotten away with it.”
“Oh, but I did! The fact that I’m here right now is proof of that, don’t you think?”
He strokes a finger down my cheek, the pressure taunting. He wants me to know he can hurt me if he wants to.
“How? How could you hide that? I don’t believe you!”
“I staged the whole scene. Most of the cops were in my pocket, and those who weren’t were so stupid that they didn’t even dig deep enough to see that it was all a setup. As for your father.” He scoffs. “He saw what he expected to see. That his boy was weak. Not strong enough to handle the pressure he’d put him under.” Mark shrugs. “Frankly, it was probably true. Hell, maybe I put poor Kyle out of his misery.”
