Page 109 of Diary of a Mafia Princess

A full-body tremble started in my knees and worked its way through my whole body.

I hoped he thought it was fear.

But it was actually relief. This was about MacGregor? Carlos had his jealous knickers in a knot over a man who I’d barely spoken with?

This likely had nothing to do with my polite responses to the Scottish man, and everything to do with the fact that Carlos felt disrespected by him.

It wasn’t me who needed punishing. It was MacGregor. But Carlos couldn’t do anything about that, at least not immediately, and so he was punishing me instead.

“Your princess,” I whispered, covering my breasts with my arms and giving him the only answer he wanted to hear.

He pushed my arms away, not letting me have any privacy. “That’s right. You’re mine, Nyah. But clearly others don’t respect that.”

I didn’t know what I was supposed to say. That I was sorry MacGregor hadn’t fallen to his knees and kissed his feet like he’d wanted him to?

“Get in the cage, Nyah.”

I looked at him sharply. “What? What for?”

His eyes darkened. “Because I told you to.”

I stared at him for the longest moment. I wanted to give him a mouthful of attitude. To ask if he was fucking serious or to tell him he could go to hell.

But the silent screams in the room got louder, until they were a cacophony of noise that warned of the danger I’d face if I didn’t do what Carlos said.

I got in a cage, barely tall enough for me to stand straight, barely long enough for me to take a couple of steps.

Carlos locked the cage behind me, the deadbolt sliding into place with what would have been a satisfying clunk if I hadn’t been on the wrong side of the metal bars.

I clutched them and pleaded with my eyes and with words. “Please, Mr. Guerra. I’m sorry for speaking to MacGregor. I was out of line. I know that now. Next time I will be completely silent.”

“Good. You’re learning already. Your mouth is only good wrapped around my cock. Do you understand me? You only speak if I say you can. And you never speak to one of my enemies.”

I nodded obediently, knowing full well that any other reaction would only result in this punishment taking longer. Even though I wanted to say what the fuck? How was I supposed to know he was psychotic enough to invite an enemy into his home? I’d assumed they were friends.

Apparently, I’d been wrong. Business contacts perhaps. But clearly not friends.

“Put your hands through the bars, Nyah.”

I did, just wanting whatever this was to be over. I let the tremble in my bones be visible and hoped it satisfied him that I now knew his rules. “Yes, sir.”

He grunted his approval and pulled off his tie, wrapping it around my wrists. “Silk,” he murmured, binding my arms in the soft material. Then he whispered, “Still bites when tightened.”

He pulled both ends of the tie, tightening the knot he’d made so viciously it cut into my skin.

I cried out, pain radiating up my arms, but he only smiled.

The door to the room opened, and Enzo walked in, an object in his hand my terrified mind didn’t want to comprehend.

But it did. It did so instantly I didn’t even care that I was standing in front of two men I didn’t know in nothing but my birthday suit. I didn’t even wonder if the tattoo Dax had put on my pussy was visible, even though I’d let hair grow over it since Luca had seen me naked in his bed and pointed it out.

Enzo held a branding iron and a blowtorch.

He handed the iron to his brother, and Carlos looked at me.

I shook my head desperately. “No. Please.”

Carlos smiled at my fear. “You know what this is then? I’m surprised, a city girl like you. We use these to mark what’s ours. What belongs to the Guerras.” He held the branding iron up so I could see the end of it. It was the Guerra name, written in a font that curled the ends of each letter just enough to make them fancy.