AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Trusted?” She stares at me, wide-eyed. “He murdered our father! In front of our eyes! Didn’t that affect you at all? I had to vomit for hours after that. But now you want totrusthim?”
I know she wants me to be as upset as she is about our father’s death, but I can’t even muster up the energy to pretend to care. I barely keep myself from snapping that he’d deserved it, too, after all the things he’d done, and he’d gone and sold me to Pavone after everything. He’d only seen me as a game piece, and that hadn’t exactly built up affection between us. I’d called him Daddy because it was expected, not because I was fond of him.
“Calm down,” I tell her. “You’re going to draw attention. Yes, I know what he did, and yes, I still trust him.” I want to tell her that he’s going to help, but she’s so offended about my apparent lack of empathy that I’m not sure she can keep her mouth shut.
She frowns at me, but at least she whispers her next accusation. “You said Victor didn’t actually keep you locked up, so did you already know him? Is Angelo actually gay? Did you sleep with him? Is that why you’re so… blasé about everything?”
“I’m not being blasé about anything,” I protest, keeping my voice hushed. “I’m just not freaking out because I don’t have the time and energy to freak out.”
Did that help my case, or did that make it sound worse?
“Like me,” she snaps. “You don’t have the time and energy to freak outlike me, right? I’ve been agonizing over how much you’re suffering, but maybe I shouldn’t have been? Since sex means nothing to you, none of this affects you?”
Thatmakes me recoil, and I stare at her. “You think none of this is affecting me?” I ask, incredulous. “What do you want from me? For me to be curled up in a little ball sobbing all the time? Pavone would kill us if I wasn’t going through this whole charade.”
“I want my sister!” Vanessa gives me the most pitiful expression. “You don’t have to do all this for my sake! You don’t have to pretend everything is fine for me! But I barely recognize you lately. You're acting as callous as Dad would. What’s another dead body! Just add it to the pile! Oh, you want to fuck me in front of my sister? Sure, why not!”
My expression starts to harden as she speaks, though hurt strikes me when she compares us to our father. I’m nothing like him.
Am I?
“Shut up. I’d rather take my chances with Victor and Angelo. They’re far better men than Pavone. And their organization doesn’t deal in human trafficking, and I don’t have to fake my orgasms with them,” I demand, my voice rising even though I’m desperately trying to keep the volume down.
Her eyes widen. “Seriously? You’re defending them now? This is… this is that Stockholm Syndrome thing, isn’t it? You’re only remembering the good parts.”
“No!” I hiss. “I’m being practical. I know how they are, what they are. I can use them. We can all get out of this, together, and…”
Vanessa scoots a few inches away from me. “What shitty excuses. You’re just being your usual self, I guess, throwing your body at every problem—”
For a second, I’m stunned. “Are you… are you calling me a slut?”
“No, I didn’t mean…” she trails off, but I’m too angry now to wait for her to finish.
“You don’t know what I’ve been through. You don’t know what I do, every day, foryou. Like how I just came back from Pavone, his cum still dripping down my thighs, and all I want is a fucking shower but now I need to comfortyoubecause you can’t handle any of the hard stuff.”
Vanessa flinches and lets out a loud sob. Part of me feels sorry for her, but I’m so fucking done with this evening.
She gets up, avoiding my gaze, and heads toward the connecting bathroom. I almost groan in disappointment when she stops before she actually leaves my room.
“You don’t have to do anything formysake. You can leave me and Mom behind. That was your plan all along, anyway.”
Then she does exit, slamming the door behind her.
23
LUCIA
We’re about half an hour early for this “date” Pavone arranged. What a farce. I don’t know why he’s going through these stupid rituals, when we both know he doesn’t love me, doesn’t even care about me.
The restaurant is five stars, on the first floor of a hotel. I recognize it as the same place we stayed while the house was undergoing some renovations. If it’s good enough for Daddy, I guess it’s good enough for Pavone.
I hope he doesn’t intend to book a room for after dinner. It won’t be anywhere near as relaxing as the other night with the three of them.
Vanessa’s accusations are still churning inside me. I’d done that because of the plan. Not because I wanted…
“Why’d we come so early?” I complain to Angelo, simply to distract myself.
He sips on the whiskey he’d ordered from the bar. “Because I wanted to get out of the house, and the drinks here are good. You sure you don’t want anything?”
