Page 119 of Storm and Sea

Leo did, and tears spilled from the corners of his eyes in a steady stream of misery. His tormentor considered him for a moment, head tilted to the side.

“Better. You’re learning. I like my pets to be trainable. Even though you’ll never be the most brilliant gem in my collection, you will kneel and obey, as is expected of all my possessions. Still, your scum-of-the-earth upbringing might prove advantageous for me. I’m sure I’ll find other uses for you besides cladding you in my silks.”

Alvise paced in a wide circle around Leo, his footsteps deliberate and slow.

“I always had an eye for beauty, even as a child. But as I quickly learned, it was as much a gift as it was a curse.”

He slapped the whip in his palm with a loud ‘smack,’ and Leo flinched. Alvise either didn’t notice or enjoyed Leo’s display of fear as he continued his predatory circling.

“Fine things, expensive things, bored me by age twelve. What was the point of jewels and silks if a mere snap of my fingers brought them to me on a silver platter? Where was the pursuit? The joy in the chase? The thrill of discovery? The satisfaction in laying claim. No. I set my eyes on something far more difficult to acquire.”

Alvise paused somewhere behind Leo’s back. Sweat beaded down his temple. He felt like a rabbit waiting for the mountain cat to pounce. Tied in a snare of his own making.

“People, my dear pet, are the most beautiful things in all creation. But finding examples of this perfection was akin to searching for a diamond amongst polished quartz. I found there were a lot of fake beauties in the world. Of course, as in all things I endeavor to do, I perfected the art and brought my diamonds home. As you can see, my collection has grown nicely. But where to keep my precious possessions? Surely they had to exist in a place as divine as themselves.”

Alvise rounded on him, crouching so they were eye level, his arctic gaze burning into Leo like dry ice.

“Do you know a place like that? A place with white beaches and crystal waters? Where the land is lush, and the hills are painted with white clover in the spring?”

He leaned even closer, and Leo caught the hint of something sour on his breath.

“Tell me, pet, where might I find a place like that?”

“H-here. Signore Vincenzo.”

Alvise nodded. “You’re absolutely right. After years of searching, I’ve found the paradise my beautiful things deserve. But can you guess what happened as soon as I found this place?” His voice rose dangerously. “I found it overrun with vermin!”

The whip cracked on Leo’s arm in the exact same place it landed before. He whimpered but didn’t dare move. Alvise resumed his pacing, this time faster.

“And, of course, as my luck would have it, the good times of overpowering my enemies with sheer force are behind us. Now, we have to do things with a certain amount of raffinatezza—finesse, as my grandmother says. It seems the Bracaleone line is reforming their image.”

He grumbled as he said it, as though the idea of simply overthrowing Baia Vita with guns and violence was his preferred method.

“No matter. As the Bracaleone heir, I will bide my time. I’ll wait for Ginerva and Assura to meet their maker, then restore the Vincenzo name. I am nothing if not adaptable.”

He hummed to himself, pondering his own genius.

“So what do I do in the meantime? I bring my family’s fishing empire to your shores. I starve your bay, crumble your shops, and undercut your prices with stores of my own. And once the locally owned businesses are gone, I raise my prices—choking the last of the local filth. Warfare is waged just as effectively with coin as it is with bullets. Baia Vita will be mine soon enough.”

Leo was going to be sick. He couldn’t listen to this.

Alvise’s voice suddenly doubled in volume as though he were announcing his plans to an audience.

“And what do I find among the dirt? Not one, but two diamonds.”

He stopped in front of Leo again, squeezing the whip in both hands.

“One was easy enough to acquire but dulled from lack of care,” he gestured to Leo. “And the other…” Alvise twisted and squeezed the leather until his knuckles turned white. “The other continues to refuse me. My usual bait doesn’t tempt the red fox; no, she’s too smart for that.” He smiled as though the challenge excited him. “If only her face matched those beautiful tresses. How that color robs me of sleep.”

Alvise considered Leo now, slapping the whip once again into his palm.

“But if she were here, on her knees, poised and obedient — maybe. Maybe I can break her into something more palatable. Chip away at that infuriating pride to find my diamond.”

Leo ground his teeth together, crushing the words he wanted to shout. Marina would never bow to this man. She was strong.

Stronger than me.

Leo only hoped she could escape this monster before he found a way to break her.