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Luca Di Bello steps into the shack, and the smile leaves my face.
“Not who you expected?” His lips twitch. “I should have warned you that Henri has a tendency of letting people down. Just ask the Brain.”
“Where is he?”
“Hmm. Right about now he’s being taken back to his house to sleep off the tranquillizer I gave him.” He clicks his tongue. “Poor Henri went down like a horse.”
My stomach heaves, but I don’t have time to process the news as Luca stalks toward me.
“Time to give up, little bird. Fighting me at this point will only make things worse.”
I shake my head. “No. This isn’t over yet.”
“Have it your way. The Brain will be here with the hounds soon. I’m sure they’d love to give chase. I’ve been neglectful of them recently, so they would see this as a reward.”
“You’re sick.”
“And you’re mine. Do the smart thing, Dove. Come with me and we can end this now.” His gaze goes to my wrist that I’m still cradling. “The terrain only gets worse from here. You might have made it with Henri at your side, but that ship has sailed.”
Defeat courses through me, though I try to fight it. There has to be a way to beat him. Dogs bark, and the sound is so close that I hear them panting, too. No! Luca stares at me, waiting for me to make my choice.
With a nod, I say, “I’ll go with you.”
“Wise choice, Dove. Come.”
He leads me out of the cabin. I expect to see the Brain, but no one is there. Luca laughs at the look on my face.
“One thing you should know about me is that I will do anything to win.” He gestures to a nearby tree. “There’s a speaker mounted at the base. That’s where the sound of the dogs was coming from.”
“They were never out here?”
He shrugs. “Not yet. As I said, I’ve been neglectful. If I had let them out, there’s a good chance they would have hurt you.”
“As if you care.”
“Oh, I do care, little bird. I’m the only one who gets to hurt you.”
The seriousness with which he says those words has me stopping in my tracks.
“Don’t even think about running. You’ll only piss me off.”
Over his shoulder, I see the red blinking light. We’re closer to it than I thought. If I make it, then that means I win. His rules be damned. Pretending to be meek, I walk toward him. When I’m at his side, I shove him and then run as fast as I can. He curses once, but it’s his laugher that propels me to run faster. Somehow, I manage to navigate over the terrain. The need to live overrules the pain that I feel. Instead, I push myself harder than I thought possible. And it works!
The light is close enough that I see it hangs atop a wooden pole. There’s a rope hanging from it. That must be what I have to pull to show that I’ve arrived at the pole first. My sides burn and I know I’m running out of energy. If I don’t do this, then I’m dead. Chip and Belle will grow up under the thumb of the Di Bello Family. While they’ll be safe from my father, that doesn’t mean they’ll be safe from Luca. What if he makes them do the same thing I’m doing? I should have asked more questions and demanded that they be raised away from the Di Bello Family. A frustrated cry leaves my lips.
I’m so close that I see the Brain standing next to the pole. He pulls his mask off, his face showing his surprise that I’m about to beat Luca. Victory courses through me. I’m going to do this! I’m going to win! The Brain’s mouth moves, but I can’t hear what he’s saying until it’s too late.
“Look out!”
The words register at the same time something slams into me from the side. I scream as I hit the ground. Rock cut into my skin and I try in vain to cradle my already injured wrist. I’m rolled onto my stomach and something heavy mounts on my back. Hot breath hits the shell of my ear right before teeth scrape down, nipping my earlobe.
“I told you I always win, little bird.”
I thrash, trying to get him off me. It doesn’t work. He shifts, moving lower. And, god help me, I get wet between the legs as he presses my pubic bone into the dirt. It’s not just that, though. All my senses feel like they’re in overdrive. I hear the Brain laughing nearby. Rain falls on us. But what I really notice is the scent of sweat and leather that teases my nose. Luca shifts again, and his cock presses into my bottom. A soft moan works its way past my lips as he grabs my arms, pulling them behind my back. Belatedly, I realize he’s cuffing my wrists together. Hot tears fill my eyes as he moves off me.
“Up.”
He helps me to my feet, and I refuse to meet his gaze. Instead, I take the time to look over the Brain. There’s a resemblance between him and Henri, except he’s bald. He stares at me with sympathy, as if he knows the hell that I’m about to go through.
