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But I’m alive. Freezing but alive.
And alone.
I ease one eyelid open enough to identify that much, and the absence of breathing when I hold mine is a pretty good indicator. The only sound is something dripping somewhere, like a leaky pipe. The steady plink-plink is unnerving, much like this entire situation.
Inventory time. I can move everything. There doesn’t seem to be any broken bones to worry about. Pressing my hands against the surface I’m lying on tells me there’s a mattress under me. Old, by the smell of it, sort of musty and dank.
Someone could be watching me, which is all that keeps me from trying to sit up and examine the space. I have to keep every possibility in mind, like playing chess with an invisible partner.
There’s not a doubt in my mind who is behind this. I’m sure of that much, not that the certainty brings me any comfort. Alessandro Vitali is vicious on a level the Santoros haven’t approached.
A bare bulb hanging in one corner provides the only light in the room, giving me just enough to see by once I’ve eased my eyes open to take in what’s probably a basement somewhere, with a small window positioned high up on the wall. It’s narrow enough that there’d be no hope of squeezing through and probably painted shut from the looks of it. A windowless door is embedded in one cinder block wall, positioned a few feet from the foot of my bed. It’s still dark outside, so unless I slept an entire day away, it’s only been a matter of hours since I ended up here.
Luca must be going crazy. Out of everything going through my head as I lie on this old mattress, that’s the worst. Knowing he’s suffering. He probably thinks I’m dead already, and my throat closes up before I can help it. I can’t afford to lose myself to panic or worry. I have to conserve my energy, both physical and emotional. Nothing has ever mattered more.
The door might look heavy and solid, but it doesn’t do much to block out the sound of heavy footsteps on the other side. My heart seizes, and I go still, listening hard, ready to fight again if it comes to it. I doubt I would get very far, but I’ll be damned if I will make it easy for them.
“Boss says she’s awake,” somebody mutters close to the door.
“I’ll have to thank her for this black eye,” another voice grumbles. My fist curls on its own when I remember driving my elbow into somebody’s eye. Good. I hope he can’t see out of it for a week.
“You remember what he said,” his friend insists. “Not yet.” I don’t have time to reflect on what that might mean, not that it requires much reflection.
My eyes are closed, but I can still see the light now streaming into the room. It must be pretty bright out there. Something hits the floor that sounds metallic and maybe hollow from how the sound rings out. Fresh, icy fear leaves me grinding my teeth to hold it back, even as I feel the attention of these two thugs as they study me.
“Hey. Hey, you. Knock it off.” One of them kicks the bed frame hard enough to rock it violently. It startles me into opening my eyes. “See?” he asks his friend. “I told you. Boss said she’s awake.”
Which means there’s a camera in here somewhere. They’re watching me, which comes as no surprise.
“Not feeling so tough now, are you?” The thug who growls has an epic shiner, and the sight of the bruise and the swelling stirs my lips into a vindictive smile.
His hand tightens into a fist, but his buddy stops him. “You know the rules,” he grunts out, and the bitterness in his voice tells me he’s not a big fan of the rules. I’d bet he’s also not fond of the gash running in a diagonal line down his right cheek. I have no doubt he would like a little payback.
“Don’t worry,” he adds, flashing a nasty smile to his pal before turning his bitter gaze my way. “It’s coming soon. We just have to be patient.”
“This is the part where you’re supposed to be intimidating me?” I ask, looking back and forth between them. “Let me know so I can pretend to be intimidated.”
“Keep it up,” the man with the black eye growls out, curling his lip in a snarl that has nothing on Luca. That’s because Luca isn’t merely a bully. This bully has to throw his weight around, literally, because he has no actual power.
Thinking about that widens my smile. “You know, he’s going to kill you for this,” I murmur smoothly, smiling up at them like we’re old friends. Like I’m only trying to clue them in for their own sake.
The guy with the shiner snickers. “Save your breath.” With his working eye, he looks me over, and only now am I keenly aware of my dress and how much of me it reveals. This was supposed to be for Luca, dammit. All I’ve managed to do is make it easier for me to freeze to death in this cold, dark place. “He can try to kill us or do whatever he wants. I guess that means we have to have all the fun we can before he does, right?”
The two share a nasty little laugh that twists my insides, but I won’t show it. I’ll be damned if I give them a hint of how terrified I am. Luca will find me. I know he will. There’s not a doubt in my mind. He would never leave me here. He will not let them get away with it, no matter what happens to me.
How much will they be able to do in the meantime? That’s the question ringing out loudest in my mind as the men ogle my nearly bare legs and breasts. And all I can do is take it and pretend not to care when I would gladly peel my skin off rather than let them look at me a second longer.
“For now…” the slashed man sneers, “… you’ve got your bucket there.” He grins at his friend. “At least we get a little entertainment.”
My entire body flushes with shame, a flush that only intensifies when they share a nasty laugh, leaving the room and slamming the door, locking it behind them.
Is Alessandro Vitali watching at this very minute? Waiting for me to break down the moment I’m alone?
I won’t. If he thinks this is enough to break me into some blubbering, weepy mess, he’s got another thing coming. I remind myself as I rest my head on my bent arm and shiver involuntarily that he doesn’t know me at all, and everybody has their limits.
I can only pray Luca gets here before Vitali pushes me to mine.
18
