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Rossi rolls his eyes, but this time, he obeys. Either he doesn’t want to disobey Pavone again or this order doesn’t bother him as much. He gets the hose and returns. “Move away from the house,” he directs me.
I walk out into the open, only to be hit with a blast of cold water. I yelp, but I’m honestly so relieved to have the piss rinsed off of me that I can’t even bring myself to be ashamed of the fact that I’m being hosed down like an animal. I should care, but it’s just too much of an improvement.
He sprays me down thoroughly while the men watch, then sprays down the patio where all the piss had accumulated around the dresses.
“Get her a towel, Angelo,” Pavone orders. “We don’t need her dripping piss and water everywhere when she goes inside.”
Angelo grunts in assent and heads inside.
“Now, I think you’ve learned your lesson about wasting my money,” Pavone says almost pleasantly. “Haven’t you, babe?”
“Yes… Yes, sir,” I manage to get out through chattering teeth.
“Good! Next time, you’ll be more careful not to fuck up.”
I nod mutely.
God, and this is what he’s doing because he’s annoyed I spent money on a dress he hated. I can’t even imagine what he’d do if he knew Victor had had me only hours earlier. I can be certain any murder he plans won’t be simple or quick.
I shudder, pushing that thought out of my head. He can’t know.
He can never know.
16
ANGELO
Fuck. I know Victor, Saint, and I did some fucked up shit to Lucia, but watching the scene unfolding in front of me still churned my stomach. It took every ounce of willpower not to punch Pavone and gut him in front of everybody. I’d rather Lucia be covered in Pavone’s blood than his piss.
She barely reacted when I toweled her off, and she disappeared to her bedroom without a single word to me. This is worse than how she’d been after her stint in the closet or the trunk.
I know she’s strong, I know she’ll pull through, but I have all this angry energy without an outlet. The Bellini home gym is a joke compared to what Victor has in his mansion, and while I could invite some of Pavone’s men to spar with me, there’s no guarantee I won’t kill them in the process.
After an hour of jogging around the neighborhood and still feeling like the only solution is murder, I give up and decide to check on Lucia. She’ll hopefully be alone in her bedroom by this point.
Unfortunately, just as I reach the second-floor landing, Rossi comes out of the bedroom he’s claimed as his own. He seems surprised to see me.
“I thought you’d left for the evening,” he says, giving me a wary once over. “Emilio thought you’d gone to wash off Lucia’s… ah, ‘stink,’ as he put it.”
It grates on my nerves, and I want to punch Rossi in the face for reminding me of what had happened. He’s in the way of me getting to Lucia, and I’m not pleased about it. “I washed my hands,” I say as nonchalantly as I can manage. I should’ve left and gone back to the apartment that sat empty for years while I worked with Victor, but I couldn’t bring myself to go far.
I don’t like the way Rossi is looking at me. I’ve noticed that although he’s generally quiet, he’s got a keen eye and he often points out things Pavone would have missed. He also hasn’t yet taken issue with anything I’ve said or done, including violently murdering one of Pavone’s underlings. Even a seasoned mafia man can get queasy.
“Why are you here?” Rossi asks. “Lucia’s already in bed, and you aren’t needed for the night.” Then he looks down the hall toward Lucia’s bedroom. “Unless you’re worried?”
“Why would I be worried?” I ask, but I can’t help the rising sense of danger.
Rossi makes a noncommittal noise. “You’re… gay, not inhuman. It’s possible you’ve grown to like Lucia as a person while guarding her. I’ve heard friendships are a thing.”
I scoff at him. “There’s no place for friendships in the mob,” I tell him.
He shrugs. “That doesn’t mean they don’t happen. You’re pretty safe being friends with her as long as Emilio doesn’t get too paranoid.”
“You mean he thinks Lucia’s got such a sweet pussy that it’ll turn even a gay guy straight?” I ask snidely.
He smirks. “Maybe.”
“Well, he has nothing to worry about.” I hesitate, then take a chance I wouldn’t have taken if he hadn’t outright refused Pavone’s orders in front of six of his men. “Yeah, I’m a little worried about her. Thought I’d check in and make sure she’s all right. You got a problem with that?”
