Hewas gonna flip and make a mistake. That was the only wayhewould be found even ifhedidn’t want to.
The only way to havehimpunished likehepunished me.
“I haven’t tortured you yet, my sweet Angel. The spanking is for your lies only. I’ll make you pay later for your other mistakes.”
The sting ofhisswats on my butt reminded me of how stupid I’d been. I trustedhewouldn’t hurt me for fuck’s sake. I lethimkiss me, and I kissedhimback. My first kiss ever I’d given to a killer who was about to rape me.
I so fucking hated him.
“I don’t like to be lied to. When you tell me to let you go while all you want is for me to stay isn’t lying? When you ask me not to touch you while you’re dripping wet for me isn’t lying? When you say you hate me while you clearly don’t isn’t lying?”
I cringed, my tears falling.
“Hey.” Nicky rubbed my arms. “Lina, it’s okay. He’s never gonna touch you again.”
What if that was what terrified me the most? The wayhesaid I washissent a chill up my spine, but there was so much need inhisvoice. Possession. It was likehecouldn’t live without me, and I didn’t know what to do with that except feeling the same way, too.
Like I was two people all at once. One that cringed at the thought ofhimand the thingshehad done, the thingshewanted to do to me. The other couldn’t help but feeling cherished and loved underhisextreme passion, couldn’t help but wanthimback.
“I need therapy, Nicky. Heavy therapy, not the casual thing they give us at school.”
“Anything you need, sweetie.”
“I know we can’t afford it. Do you think Abel Magwitch will chip in?”
She chuckled, getting the reference instantly. “I don’t know about that, but I can ask him.”
“How did you know it was him when he came to our place? I didn’t know who he was until Leo introduced us. You seemed to have already known how he looked like when we went to that restaurant on my birthday.”
“I’ve seen his picture in the newspaper before. There was this article about a huge funeral in San Francisco. They claimed it was Mafia related, and all the other Dons were at the funeral, including the Bellomos, Sebastiano and Leo. The woman who died was the mother of the Mafia boss there. Her name was Mary or Marta… Oh my God, her last name was Lanza.”
“Like Leo’s fiancé Lanza? Jeez. He once told me he and his dad went to live in San Francisco for a while, probably with that family. Looks like they’re good friends. I can’t imagine why Leo would be so stupid to ruin their relationship when it’s so strong, get us in the crosshairs of these people.”
Nicky’s lips pursed. “I don’t know how to feel about that.”
“What?”
“I mean this whole living under the protection of the Mob when they themselves are a threat.”
“It’s so confusing.” Like every other thing in my life.
“It so doesn’t help when they look like that.” She chuckled. “You know that movie when that tall, man candy Mafia boss kidnapped that girl and gave her a year to love him or whatever?”
“You mean the soft porno you’ve rubbed one off to like a million times instead of dating any of the hot college guys you meet every day, yeah, I know it,” I sneered.
She made a face. “That’s beside the point. I mean if he was a troll, she wouldn’t have fallen for him, you know? It’s the same with the Bellomos. The way they look makes you, I don’t know, wanna trust them even if you know you shouldn’t.”
Probably true. But in my case, I hadn’t even seen my psycho, and I was... “Do you thinkheis a troll?”
“Who cares about that creep right now? Please.” Her brows hitched. Then her face lightened when she saw my grimace. “Let’s keep our villain interest domestic, shall we?”
She meant it as a joke, but WTF? “Jesus Christ. Don’t say you have a crush on Abel Magwitch.” I’d be over the moon if she finally decided to give boys a try. Normal, mundane, boring nerds or hot athletes from college or the cute redhead barista with the freckles she worked with, not the dangerous Mafioso with the stalker son and murdered wife.
One fucked up Baldi sister was enough.
“Abel Magwitch was a troll. Tino Bellomo isn’t,” she countered.
“Tino?”
