Then stopped.
Because I knew—deep down—anything I said would fall on deaf ears.
“And secondly...” Matteo gestured lazily toward Vasquez. “Your father wants you here.”
“He wants you to satisfy his needs from time to time... and if you do so without causing problems, you’ll be well taken care of.”
The words hit like ice water.
“Satisfy his needs?” My voice cracked on the last syllable.
Matteo’s smile widened.
“Your father—Vasquez—likes them young.”
“After staging his death in that plane crash everyone believed killed him, he came here—to Italy—to disappear. To make sure the people back in California truly believed he was gone.”
“And while he was here...”
A pause.
“He had his needs met. Many times. With many ladies.”
His gaze hardened slightly.
“But Vincenzo’s sister... she was his favorite.”
Silence stretched.
“Ever since Vincenzo rescued her, there’s been a void.”
His eyes settled on me.
“And now... you’ll fill it, Elena.”
My stomach lurched violently.
What the hell—
Vincenzo had been right.
My father had truly violated his sister.
“You’re saying...” I forced the words past the lump in my throat, my voice trembling. “My father would... violate me? From time to time?”
Matteo gave a lazy shrug, the corner of his mouth twitching.
“Crude way to say it, but yes. Nothing new under the sun, Elena. Fathers have been violating their own blood for centuries.”
He took two deliberate steps back.
“Take this woman to the black square,” he commanded.
Four men surged forward.
They seized my arms and hauled me upright.
My knees buckled instantly; pain exploded white-hot through my legs.
