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“Don’t they bring more money?” I muttered.
“Of course. Most fuckers would pay a fortune to pop a girl’s cherry, but we don’t allow that kind of thing in our territory.”
“Why not? You allow sex slavery, don’t you? You have Romancers who seduce women, make them believe they are being loved and then turn them into whores.”
Remo sneered. Sometimes I wondered how a single person could harbor so much violence and hatred. “These women start working as whores because they want to please a man they should kill instead. If a woman allows a man to treat her like that, it’s as much her fault as it is his. They agree to sell their bodies because they think they are in love. That’s stupid, and they pay for their stupidity.”
“They want to help someone they love,” I said indignantly. “Your Romancers make them believe they are indebted to the Camorra, and then the women take over the debt and have to work it off as whores. That’s horrible.”
Remo took another step closer to me, but I still didn’t back off. “If women act as the weaker sex, they will be treated that way. Why don’t these idiotic women tell my Romancers to go fuck themselves?”
“You will never understand because you’ve never loved someone.”
Remo smiled wryly. “Loving someone who doesn’t love you back is the biggest kind of stupidity I can imagine.”
I flinched, because this hit too close to home, and because I knew he was right. Realization filled Remo’s face and my insides twisted. Now he knew I loved Nino. I turned to leave, but he grasped my wrist.
“Let me go.”
For once, he didn’t. Instead, he drew me back so I had to face him. I glared up at his cruel, dark eyes. He shook his head, and I waited for him to taunt me. “He can’t feel.”
“I know,” I muttered, tugging at his hold, but his fingers tightened around my wrist. Finally, my anger and despair bubbled over. “Do you think I don’t know that? But I can’t change how I feel! Don’t you think I would change it if I could? But love doesn’t work that way. You will never understand.”
“You are right,” he said in a low voice. “I can’t and I won’t. Why would I want to be a fucking fool?”
“I hope one day you will find someone you want so much it burns you up inside, and then we’ll talk when she doesn’t return your feelings.”
Remo backed me against the wall, his expression hard and cruel. “That will never happen. And I’ve burned before, Kiara. I can brave flames and torture. I’m not weak like you.”
“I’m not weak.” I wrenched my wrist out of his grip and shoved him hard. He took a deliberate step back, staring down at my hands still pressed against his chest. I dropped them quickly, shock filling me.
Remo raised his gaze, and I tensed, worried about his anger, but he was smirking. “Finally, you didn’t let your fucking fear win.”
I blinked at him, but he stepped back and turned around, heading toward the door, but before he reached it, he stopped and looked at me over his shoulder, his eyes hard. “Oh and, Kiara, you will never speak to me like that again. I am your Capo. Understood?”
I gave stunned nod and watched as he left.
NINO
Fabiano aimed a kick at my head. I dodged it a bit too late, and he lightly grazed my chin.
Surprise crossed over his face, which I used to land two hard punches against his lower back. He gasped but quickly recovered and got in a hit of his own.
He tilted his head. “What’s up with you?”
“What do you mean?” I asked carefully, grabbing the towel I’d thrown over the rope. I wiped my face and chest.
“You have been … less focused today. And it was the same during your fight.”
I leaned against the post in the corner. My current state wasn’t something I wanted to discuss until I had a better handle on things and had a chance to thoroughly analyze my predicament. “You don’t like the idea with Cavallaro’s niece.”
Fabiano narrowed his eyes, obviously dissatisfied with the topic change. “Do you really think Remo’s plan is good?”
Remo’s plan was emotional, fueled by revenge and hate. It was dangerous but it could prove to be effective. I regarded Fabiano. “You know the girl. You feel pity for her?”
He grimaced. “You know me, Nino. I will follow Remo through hellfire, but unlike you, I still have a couple of emotions.”
“Before Leona, you convinced everyone that wasn’t the case.”
“Before Leona, I had convinced myself that I wasn’t capable of emotions,” he said, then narrowed his eyes as if catching himself.
“Remo’s plan will create upheaval in the Outfit. Cavallaro’s sister will be devastated that her daughter got caught by us, and Dante will feel responsible for his niece. His wife will be worried as well because of their own daughter. This might be one of the times Dante forgoes logic and acts. If that happens, we can beat him.”
