Iwoke up on the dirty floor of an oversized office. A migraine drilled into my skull, making it hard to keep my eyes open. Thankfully, the room was dark, lit by a lamp, which cast a soft glow.
I scanned the room, my heart thundering in my chest. The desk in front of me had phonebooks stacked almost to the ceiling. There were metal shelves to my right, overflowing with boxes of women's heels and lingerie. Various pieces of junk littered most of the room.
I heard noises on the other side of the door.
People shouting.
Loud music.
A bass beat somewhere in the distance, thumping through the walls and sending vibrations down my back and legs.
I pushed my palm to the wall and tried to stand, but I was still groggy from the drugs and off balance. My shoulder crashed into the wall. I sank back to the floor with a groan.
Fuck.
Bile pricked the back of my throat, rising from my stomach. The room spun when I tried to focus on anything for too long. So I closed my eyes and tried to regain my bearings.
I had faith in Nico. He would return to Dante's hospital room and realize someone had taken me. I wondered how many of their men had turned on them.
Could they trust anyone?
Fear slid down my spine like spiders crawling over my skin. If Vinnie was helping Paulie, then my men could be in danger at the hospital.
I started to doze off when the door creaked open. A soft yellow light filtered into the dark room.
Vinnie stepped inside with a wicked grin on his lips. He tugged at the cufflink on his left sleeve and stalked toward me.
"Where am I?" I slid my back along the wall to get away from him. "Why are you doing this?"
He shook his head, amused. A deep cackle escaped his lips as he lifted a black thong and bra from a shelf and tossed it onto the tiled floor in front of me. "Change into this. It's almost showtime."
"I'm not wearing that. Or taking off my clothes for you."
"Not like it matters." He laughed. "You'll be taking your clothes off in front of a much larger audience."
"Like fucking hell I am." I used every ounce of my strength to push myself up from the floor. "Where are we?"
"A strip club," he said with a bored expression. "The best in the city."
We weren't at Lucky's. So that left one of Johnny Zabatino's clubs. He owned more strip clubs and bars than the other crime families. Most of the places were local watering holes full of criminals and drunks. They weren't upscale like the businesses owned by the Lucianos.
I peeked up at the man towering over me. "Do you expect me to dance for you?"
Vinnie licked his lips and nodded. "You can start with me. Let me get a good look at the pussy that has the Luciano brothers so whipped."
I balled my hands into fists at my sides. "You're disgusting."
"And you're a dirty whore about to get auctioned off to the highest bidder." He bent down and lifted the bra and thong from the floor, dangling them on his index finger. "Get dressed. I won't tell you again."
I crossed my arms under my breasts and rolled my eyes. "Go fuck yourself!"
"Take off your clothes. Now!"
I shook my head. "You're a real piece of shit. Stefan trusted you, treated you like family. And you turn your back on him."
"Don't act like you understand me or my reasons," he fired back with venom in his tone, nostrils flaring. “You have three seconds to take off your clothes and get fucking ready.” He flung the lingerie at me and produced a knife from the inner pocket of his suit jacket, a long one with a beveled handle. "Before I cut the fabric off your body."
He said the last part with a sly grin. Vinnie "The Knife" Corallo didn't get that name because he liked to play with knives. If the rumors in Atlantic City were true, he gutted his enemies like a fish and sent scraps of their skin to their families. Sick and twisted, he was probably even worse than Dante.
