Alessandro huffs. “I am not sorry, Emma. You are a stranger to me. And I couldn’t let these men use you against me. You had to die for that to happen.”
She blinks, backing away. Stunned.
“I know this is hard to hear,” I say. “But you needed to hear it. Your father and mother are not good people. You’re safe here with me now, Emma. I promise you that. But your father needs to die. I will torture him. Get the information I need. I suggest you don’t see this.”
With a gasp, she runs from the basement and I turn back to Alessandro, not giving Emma another thought. Right now, I need to find out what Alessandro knows.
I place the knife to his arm and begin cutting. I smile when Alessandro screams.
Emma
I remain near the cage, listening to Leo torture my own father. And I feel… relieved.
When my father burst into my room, he grabbed me. He hurt me. I could see in his eyes that he wanted me dead. How could a father want his own daughter dead?
To my mother’s credit, she tried protecting me even if she went about it all wrong. But Alessandro meant nothing to me and now he means even less.
But hearing him scream and knowing Leo is responsible frightens me. Leo is capable of such a horrific act. So why, when my father came to take me, did I only want to be near Leo’s side?
None of it makes any sense.
Alessandro’s screaming suddenly stops and Leo appears in the doorway. “Emma. I was coming to get you. Come in here.”
Slowly, I move into the torture room. Alessandro is covered in small cuts everywhere on his body.
“He’s not going to give me what I want,” Leo explains. “I need to kill him. There’s no other option. He’ll keep coming for you.”
“Are you asking my permission?”
“No. I am asking if you want to be the one to kill him yourself.”
Leo’s question startles me to my core. “Do I want to kill my own father? How can you ask me that?”
“You’re a good girl. I like that about you. Your innocence to my darkness. I am giving you this chance. Your father was going to kill you once he kidnapped you. He wanted to punish you for your mother’s actions. He was not there for you. He did not save you from your mother. Don’t you want him dead?”
“I… I’ve never considered wanting someone dead before.”
“Not even me?” Leo’s lips quirk into a charming smile.
“Not even you,” I admit. “I can’t kill him. But… I won’t stop you from killing him.”
Alessandro’s eyes widen. “How can you say that? I am your father.”
“You wanted me dead,” I snap. “I just want to be safe. That’s all I’ve ever wanted. I wasn’t safe from my mother. You did not come for me. You never helped me.”
“I didn’t even know you were alive.”
“Bullshit,” Leo says. “Your brother knew about Emma. You knew your wife had a daughter. You knew.”
Alessandro averts his eyes, unable to admit that he’s in the wrong.
“Here.” Leo grabs my hand, placing the knife in it. “Just kill him. End this. You want some say in your own life, Emma? Then this is it. Take charge and kill your father.”
“Isn’t this dangerous?” I whisper. The moment I close my hand around the knife’s handle, I feel power. More power than I’ve ever felt in my entire life.
“It’s murder, yes.” Leo doesn’t sugarcoat it for me and I’m grateful. “But your father will keep coming for you. He needs to die. It’s the only way to make sure you’re safe.”
I turn to my father and look between him and the knife. Do I really have the ability to kill someone?
