Bile rose in my throat.
A wave of nausea surged through me. The revulsion was overwhelming, a visceral reaction to the twisted intimacy he was forcing upon me. Every instinct screamed at me to push him away, to fight back with everything I had.
And I did.
Without a second thought, I brought my knee up hard, aiming for the most vulnerable spot I could reach. His pathetic penis. The impact was solid, and I felt a grim satisfaction as Vito’s body jerked in response. “Fuck!”
He let out a pained groan. His grip on me loosened for just a moment.
But that moment was fleeting.
Before I could step away, before I could make a move to escape, Vito’s eyes flashed with a dark fury. “You fucking bitch.”
His hand moved like lightning, and the next thing I knew, a sharp, stinging pain exploded across my cheek.
Ah!
The force of the slap sent my head snapping to the side.
My vision blurred.
My eyes watered.
The dressing room spun, and I tasted blood on my lips, but I refused to give in, refused to let him see just how much he had hurt me.
I blinked a few times and glared at him. “You’re. . .quite. . .a gentleman. Mother would have been proud.”
“I don’t give a fuck what she thinks about me in hell or in heaven. She left me here, so she can shut the fuck up!”
My cheek throbbed. The skin already began to swell, but I forced myself to stand tall, to keep my gaze locked on his.
I wouldn’t let him break me.
I couldn’t.
No matter how terrified I was, no matter how much my body screamed in pain and fear, I had to stay strong. For myself. For the small, desperate hope that there was still a way out of this nightmare.
I sneered at him. “It wasn’t our mother’s fault thatyourfather’s enemies killed her.”
“Shut up.” Vito’s breath grew ragged.
He took a step back. His hand was still clenched into a fist as if he were fighting the urge to strike again.
My heart pounded in my chest.
“If you try this bullshit with Gianni, he’ll carve you up.”
I did my best to not let that scare me.
“Do you know what he did to the shooter that ended his father?”
“I don’t want to hear it. Just leave my dressing room so I can change.”
Soon as he left, I would climb out that damn window and run as fast as I could.
“Gianni tied the man up, stripped him naked, and left him in a cold, damp cellar for days—starving, delirious. But that was just the beginning.” Vito beamed for the first time as if this crazy man that he was talking about was his hero. “And he carved into his flesh, inch by inch, with adullknife, savoring every scream.”
I shuddered.
