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I stifled a smile and regarded her closely, her elegantly curved mouth, her immaculate skin. My eyes lowered to her forearm. She held her arm at an awkward angle so it wasn’t pressed up against her leg. I held out the Tylenol. “For the pain.”
Her gaze fell to my palm. Then she looked up. I could tell she considered refusing, but again she surprised me by taking the pills, her fingertips brushing the scars on my palm. Her blond brows furrowed.
“Those are burn marks, aren’t they?”
I withdrew my hand and curled it into a fist at my side. “Eat. I have plans for you tomorrow.” I turned on my heel before I walked out and locked her door.
CHAPTER 8
SERAFINA
The next morning I took a quick shower, holding my arm out of the stall so it wouldn’t get wet. The painkillers had helped with the sting. I hadn’t expected that kind of consideration from Remo, and I suspected he had ulterior motives for the gesture, but it had given me another piece of the puzzle. The scars on his palms held a special meaning. I had a feeling they were connected to the scars his tattoo covered.
The sound of the lock startled me, and I quickly put another one of Kiara’s long summer dresses on before I stepped out of the bathroom, my hair still damp and barefoot.
Remo stood with his arms crossed in front of the window, tall and dark and brooding like the love interest in romance movies. He turned and scanned my body. It was unsettling how physical his gaze felt on my skin.
“I’m taking you outside for a walk in the gardens.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Why?”
“Would you prefer to spend your captivity holed up in here?”
“No, but I’m wary of your motives.”
Remo smiled darkly. “I want to keep you sound of mind and body. It would be a shame if these four walls broke you before I can.”
I glared at him, glad he couldn’t hear my thundering pulse.
“Now come,” he ordered with a nod toward the door, his eyes lingering on my body.
I followed after him and almost bumped into him when he paused in the hallway, glancing down at my feet. “Won’t you put on shoes?”
“I would if I had any that fit me. Kiara is a six and I’m a seven and a half.”
Remo regarded me a moment before touching my lower back, and I lurched forward in surprise. He indicated I walk ahead, the corners of his mouth tipping up, those dark eyes assessing me.
My body tingled from his touch, and my heart throbbed in my chest. Remo’s closeness terrified me, and he could tell. I made sure to keep my distance, but Remo trailed after me, his gaze burning my neck, his tall frame a shadow over my back.
I managed to relax when we stepped outside into the bright sunshine. Remo led me through the sprawling gardens that had different pools, shooting targets set up, and perfectly manicured greenery. The warm grass felt wondrous under my bare feet, but I didn’t let it distract me from my main objective: scouting my surroundings.
Remo was oddly quiet, which was unsettling because it meant something was going on behind those dark cruel eyes.
“You can try to run, but you can’t escape,” Remo said firmly when I scanned the property boundary. The high walls around the premises were topped with barbed wire, and when we walked close enough I could hear the hum of electricity.
“Are you looking for a weakness in our safety measures?” he asked with a hint of dark amusement. “You won’t find any.”
“Everything, everyone, has a weakness. It’s only a matter of finding it,” I said quietly, stopping.
Remo stepped in front of me, his dark eyes triumphant as they slowly traced the length of me. “And you are Dante’s weakness, Serafina.”
“I’m only his niece. Dante has condemned so many men to death in his life, do you really think he cares about the life of one girl?”
Remo cupped the back of my head, holding me in place as he brought our faces closer. I let him, softened in his hold, knowing it wasn’t the reaction he wanted. His dark eyes searched mine, and I had to fight not to look away.
“I wonder if you really believe it or if you hope I believe it,” he said in a low voice.
“It’s the truth.”
His lips widened in a harsh smile. “The truth is that you are a woman, something precious, something they must protect. It’s engrained in them, burned into them irrevocably from the day of their birth. Their honor dictates they keep you safe, and every second you are in my hands, they are failing you, failing themselves. With every second that passes the shame of their failure eats away at their honor. As Made Men we live on honor and pride. They are the pillars of our world, of our fucking self, and I’m going to tear them down pillar by pillar until every fucking member of the Outfit is crushed beneath the weight of their fucking guilt.”
