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"Just some mild training to start. My men know the mission here and won't touch them. They are just going to knock them down a peg or two and scare them a bit."
"How?" I crossed my arms and glared at Luca.
"Making them strip, kneel, crawl—"
"Luca," I scolded.
"I researched this and picked the only things that wouldn't actually hurt them. Most training includes beatings, and worse."
"And what happens when one of the girls acts up?"
"Then she'll be punished."
"How? Are you going to hit her? Worse?"
Luca’s head jolted back in shock as if I’d struck him and his face scrunched in disgust. "Of course not. You act like you don't know me at all."
"I'm not sure I do. I never thought you'd be capable of this."
"I'm not trafficking girls,” he hissed. “This is a lesson they needed to learn after what they did to you."
"Luca, you can't..."
Luca lunged, pinning me against the wall, his face a mere inch from mine as he seethed with anger. "They fucking drugged you and left you with a group of guys who were actually going to take advantage of you.” He glanced bitterly at the door and pointed at it violently as if he could see the girls somewhere beyond it. “They knew what was going to happen and they didn't care."
"And what about me? Are you going to do the same to me, because if you don’t then they are going to suspect something."
"You're going to have to fake it."
"And you think you're going to spend all day training me?"
"Of course not." He pulled off his mask, looking hurt by the implications. "Mira, you know me." His voice softened. "We have six hours before we reconvene in the main room. I had my guys grab you some food if you're hungry and there's a cot over there if you want to rest. I know you couldn't have gotten much sleep on that floor all night."
"No kidding. My shoulder is killing me."
"Come. Sit and eat something while I rub your shoulders."
I raised my eyebrow skeptically at him.
"I'm serious. Part of your training can be learning massage techniques. We don't have to mention that it was by having me massage you. Now, come sit."
Chapter 17
Mira
On our fifth day as captives, Luca came to get me from my cell before the others had been retrieved. The keys rattled as he unlatched the padlock and opened the cell door. Before I had a chance to decide whether I should leave the cell willingly or put up a fight, he reached in and grabbed me by my hair. My hands defensively lifted to grip his hands, but he didn’t actually pull. He was putting on a show. He led me out of the cell as I pretended to struggle. I felt bad for the other girls, and I hated lying to them but even if my guilt was too much, I couldn’t risk letting them find out that it was my family that had taken us. It would have a rippling effect that would be catastrophic for our diplomacy between the other families.
Luca hurried me into the private room, shut and locked the door, before turning around to reveal a delicious assortment of pastries and juice.
He smiled and motioned for me to have a seat, but I hesitated as a pang of guilt struck me. Luca must have seen it in my expression because his smile dropped, and he took a step closer.
“What’s wrong?”
“This isn’t right.”
“What? The breakfast? I can get you something else if you don’t think you can eat this.”
“Not the breakfast. It looks great.”
