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“And I have plans for you,” Lorenzo gritted out. At the sound of his voice, I slowly lifted my head, gasping as the skin on my back stretched and expanded. I blinked, trying to stop the room from spinning, but it was no use. My body couldn’t take it. It couldn’t handle the pain.
The smell of burning skin wafted over to me, and I willed my head to stay upright, for my eyes to make sense of what was happening in front of me. I counted to ten in my head
, determined to get a clear picture, but I hadn’t even made it to five when my world went black once again.
AIDA
“Aida.” Shuffling, a whoosh of air, and then. “Aida.” I hauled in a deep breath as the sound of a chair scraping across the ground echoed around me. “Baby, wake up. Wake up.” My body swayed to the side, my instincts to right myself kicking in.
And I howled.
Screamed.
Cried out.
I’d never been in so much pain in my life. The agony was too much to bear. It was all too much to bear.
“Just keep breathing, baby.” His voice drifted toward me, offering solace when I needed it the most. “Hang in there. I’ll get us out.” Footsteps neared. “I promise. I’ll get us out of here.”
AIDA
“Motherfucker!”
My eyes snapped open, each of my senses trying to take everything in. A pained groan came from in front of me, the scent of burned skin mixing in with…was that bleach? I frowned, not trusting myself as I turned my shoulders, testing out the pain in my back. It stung like someone had pressed a white-hot poker against my skin. I tried to move as little as possible, only raising my head so that I could see what was happening around me.
Paolo stood to the side of Lorenzo, a sadistic grin on his face as he held a rod. “Hold still,” he warned Lorenzo, but I knew it wasn’t out of kindness and worry. He was saying it for his own amusement.
He smashed the bright orange tip of the rod against Lorenzo’s stomach. I winced as the sizzling of his skin got louder. Every part of Lorenzo’s body was tense, his jaw twitching as he clenched it, trying not to make a sound. My heart sped up, pounding in my chest so fast I was sure it would jump from my body.
I narrowed my eyes on them, willing Lorenzo to look my way. The warehouse had darkened, a signal that we’d been here at least an entire day. The hope of someone finding us was starting to dissipate. Surely Mateo would have—
I gasped, so loud it caused Paolo to pause inches from Lorenzo’s stomach. And it was then that I realized they’d changed his binds. He wasn’t tied up like I was anymore. His hands were behind his back, his legs still tied to the chair, but he was shirtless now, his bare skin on full display for Paolo to do whatever he wanted to.
“Ahhh, sleeping beauty is finally awake.”
My breaths turned to pants as I darted my gaze over Lorenzo’s chest and abs. His perfectly tanned skin had been painted with burns, some round, some lines, thin and thick. A few looked fresh, but a few looked like they were trying to heal.
Paolo took one step away from Lorenzo, his gaze meeting mine, and I hoped he’d come for me again because Lorenzo was barely holding his head up now. What had they done to him while I was passed out? And how long had it been? I’d assumed it had only been a day, but from the way the bruises on Lorenzo’s face were changing colors, I was starting to realize we’d been here longer. All sense of time was lost.
“Watch this,” Paolo said, his sweaty face grinning over at me a second before he whipped his arm out and slammed the metal pole into Lorenzo’s stomach. It wasn’t hot enough to burn the skin now, but whatever he’d hit had Lorenzo growling. “Fun, no?” Paolo dropped the pole to the ground, the pinging ringing in my ears, then took two steps away from Lorenzo. He crossed his arms over his chest, smiling in appreciation as he glanced at the both of us, proud of the work he’d done.
“Bastard,” Lorenzo croaked out, not giving up his fight. I smiled at him, a warmth spreading through me at the sight of him trying to hold on to his strength. Paolo was trying to break him, trying to cause him as much pain as possible using both his and my body, but he wasn’t successful. He’d never be successful.
“Name-calling isn’t nice.” Paolo tutted, a yawn breaking free as he did. “Rest is in order, I think.” He nodded to himself. “Yes. Tiresome work this game is.” I wasn’t sure whether he was purposefully trying to sound weird or whether that was just the way he spoke. Either way, with him gone, it meant a reprieve for Lorenzo.
Paolo took slow steps toward Lorenzo, walking around him in a circle, then moved over to me, doing the same but halting behind me. “Wow.” His finger trailed over my shoulder. I jumped from the impact of the soft touch, then yelled as he jammed his fingertip into one of the lashes. Wetness poured out of it, trickling down my back, the healing skin crying out. “It’s even better than a great work of art.” He whistled, then chuckled. “Now, all that’s left is the front.”
I felt his body come closer, his front smashing into my back. The burn intensified to such a point where the warehouse spun again, my body threatening to give up. But I couldn’t. Not now. Not now that he was about to leave to rest. It was our only opportunity to get out. The only way I could talk to Lorenzo without him around.
Lorenzo tried to lift his head, his dark gaze meeting mine and then Paolo’s. He’d heard what he’d said too, but unlike earlier when he barked threats at him, he stayed silent.
Paolo’s hands landed on my shoulders, his fingers digging into my collarbone. I tried to move away from him, but the bindings and burning of my skin stopped me. “What do you think, nephew?” He waited for Lorenzo to answer him, but when he didn’t, he continued, “Should I make her front match her back?”
He pushed into my back harder as he flattened his palm and shunted downward, grabbing my breast and squeezing. I wasn’t sure what was worse, being whipped from behind or him touching a part of me that was reserved only for Lorenzo. Fear built the longer his hand stayed there. Fear that it wouldn’t end there. I could take the physical punishment, but I wasn’t sure I’d be able to take anything else.
Lorenzo’s eyes fired to life, his body jerking forward. “Death,” he growled out. “Death is coming for you, old man.”
Paolo laughed, his whole body moving with the force and scraping against my back. “Promises, promises.” He ripped his front from my back, purposely causing even more pain. I squealed, sobs bubbling up inside that I had no way to hold back. My ears rang as he said something else, but I couldn’t make it out. I was falling again, falling into a darkness I couldn’t afford to be consumed by. But there was nothing I could do to stop it.
