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Marino is going to be sorry he didn’t walk away! I’m going to kill the fuckface when I’m free.
That first blow was followed by a crushing strike to the back of her skull with a leather sap. The brutal hits were meant to quickly debilitate her... like she had done many times with her own victims. Now she knew how badly it hurt. Aria’s head pounded and spun, with bile rising in her throat. She wanted to vomit but fought the urge.
Keep your wits, Aria. Just don’t pass out again.
Gnashing her teeth, she strained to move, but it felt like she was trying to walk through waist-deep mud. Her body felt lethargic and heavy, not fully reacting to her commands. The nausea increased, and the pain was agonizing as she struggled to remember details through the cloudy turmoil.
The burlap sack rendered her blind as she reeled from the head trauma. Fractured memories flashed through Aria’s overwhelmed mind.
Basta and Bette! Did Marino shoot them? Concern for her dogs tormented her. They had been very close when she had passed out.
Squeezing her eyes shut, she bit back a tormented groan threatening to crawl from her chest. It would be better if they didn’t realize she had come to. Fanculo! How did I allow this to happen? I fucking know better! She cursed herself for the mistake that had facilitated her kidnapping. With fortitude, she forced herself her mind to calm. It was imperative that her mind was sharp and aware for whatever awaited her. Anger flooded her mind. She didn’t suppress it but rather allowed it to start boiling over. By the time they reached their destination, she would be in a rage, ready for whatever her mother had in store for her. She wasn’t giving in without a fight. Now that Salvitore Sanchigo was dead, no one would ever make decisions on her behalf, and no one took her against her will without suffering the consequences.
No one. Not even Fiorella Sanchigo!
The next day, Salvitore Sanchigo’s mansion, La Malbaie, Quebec, Canada...
“Time to wake up, darling.”
Her mother’s familiar voice cut through the fog in Aria’s brain. She blinked against the bright sunlight streaming through the bay windows of the luxurious bedroom. For a moment, she didn’t move, allowing her eyes time to adjust after the heavy darkness of her abduction.
Marino’s debt had built up substantially. Knocking her out a second time when she kicked him in the nuts when he carried her to the airplane had put her to sleep for much longer than the first time. Her head was pounding, and she wouldn’t be surprised if she had a shiner where his club had connected with the back of her skull.
“Marino is a fucking dead man,” she gritted out and winced as a bolt of pain shot through her skull when she struggled to sit up.
“It would’ve been much easier if you had come willingly, dear,” her mother said smoothly.
Aria ignored her, slowly shuffling to the en suite bathroom on unsteady feet. She splashed cold water on her face, anger rising in her gut. She had once respected her mother, but being kidnapped by her own flesh and blood placed Fiorella in a depraved category even Aria’s father hadn’t sunk to.
“Kidnapping your own child, Mother? When the fuck did you become so depraved?” Aria snapped, glaring at her mother’s reflection in the ornate mirror. “You wasted your time, by the way. I’m not staying.”
Fiorella clicked her tongue. “Don’t be difficult, darling. As the new Comare, I need my underboss by my side.”
Aria whirled to face her. “You actually think I have any interest to stay and be part of whatever you’re doing?” She flung her arm out, gesturing around the opulent mansion that represented everything she had turned her back on. “I went to Louisiana for a reason, and I’m not leaving until I have completed my mission.”
“It’s not your place to avenge your father’s death,” Fiorella sneered acerbically. “He was my husband. I’m taking care of it.”
“You will do no such thing,” Aria’s heart skipped a beat at the thought of someone already in place to kill off the Frazer brothers... Kevin and Keith... her Daddies. No one got to touch them, except her... even to kill!
“I am the Comare, Aria. I will do as I please.”
“Go for it, but if any of your goons get in my way, I will shoot them. Don’t say you weren’t warned.”
“Enough of this squabble. Your place is by my side, especially now, as my underboss.”
“Underboss? Forget it.” Aria’s voice was brittle. “I’m supposed to be Papá’s successor. You never showed any interest in the business. Why all of a sudden this?”
“I was in the shadows for long enough. It’s my time to shine. You’re still young. Your turn will come. For now, it’s my turn.”
“Have at it, Mamà. Full throttle for all I care, but I’m done. I am no longer anyone’s chattel. I’m out. For good.”
Her mother raised one perfectly groomed eyebrow. “You’re abandoning la famiglia? I expected more loyalty from a Sanchigo.”
With eyes blazing, Aria stepped forward. “You lost any loyalty from me when you had me kidnapped and stuffed in a sack like garbage!” Her fists clenched at her sides. “What’s next? You’ll chain me in the dungeon like one of Papá’s victims and torture me until I agree to bow to your command?”
“Oh no, darling. I would never hurt one of my daughters.” Her eyes turned glacial. “But I have no problem gutting Kevin and Keith Frazer for the vermin that they are.” She sat back with a satisfied purr as Aria went pale.
“Yes, I know you’ve been sleeping with the enemy, my dear. Not that I blame you. They are strapping young men.” Her voice darkened. “But it ends here and now. You have a duty to me, and you will do as I say.”
