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Good. It’s time to end this shit and get my woman back. I promised her she could be present when Marco is killed, and I plan on keeping it. She’s coming home to me.
THIRTY-ONE
PORTIA
A moan escapes my lips as pain radiates from my arm. Opening my eyes, I’m surprised to see I’m not in the parking lot like I remember, but instead, in a darkened room. Where the hell am I? I wiggle my fingers and whimper as the pain hits me. God, Robert… What a dick. He pulled my arm from its socket. The pain is a constant sharpness. Every time I move, even just the slightest bit, a sharp, shooting pain makes its way up my arm. I wiggle my hand and feel the bindings eating against my flesh. Fuck, I’m tied up.
“Ah, you’re awake,” I hear a voice say. It’s very monotone, dreary even, but it’s familiar.
My back straightens, and I blink in the darkness, trying to see where the voice came from. “I see you’re still hiding, Marco. You always were a coward.”
A light flicks on, and I pull in a ragged breath when I see my mama sitting opposite me, tied to a chair, her mouth covered with tape. She’s lost so much weight since the last time I saw her. Her once luscious brown hair is dull and turning gray. It’s hard to recognize her as she’s got bruising on her face, heavy bruising, but I know those soft, powder blue eyes. I know they’re hers. I’m so relieved that she’s alive. I just hate that she’s here and still being hurt by that animal.
“Coward?” Marco sneers as he steps closer to me, a gun in his hand. “I’m not the one who pissed the bed, am I, Portia?”
He’s an asshole. That’s never changed and it never will.
“You’re the man who has beaten and raped a woman. You are a coward, Marco. What’s wrong with you? Hmm? No woman wants you, so you have to beat Mama and make her compliant? Is that the only way a woman will allow you to touch her? By beating her into submission?”
His lips twist into a snarl, and he pulls his hand back and viciously backhands me. My head flies to the left from the force, but I don’t cry. I don’t allow him to see just how much he hurt me. No, I’ll be damned if I show this animal any fear.
“Good to see you haven’t changed, Marco,” I sneer.
“You always were a stuck-up bitch, Portia. You never did know when to mind your damn business.”
I grin at him. “Like father, like son, eh? I mean, your son was killed because he was a rapist. I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”
“You fucking bitch,” he snarls. “You’re a fucking bitch.”
I widen my smile. “Yeah, I guess I am. But you aren’t a man. No man would hurt a woman the way you do.”
His eyes are wide, and the anger etched on his face would have made sixteen-year-old me shiver in fear, but not today. No. I’m not the same girl I was five years ago. I’m no longer going to allow this man to dictate my life, nor my mama’s life. I want us to be free of him, to be able to live our lives without fear.
I just hope that Dario realizes I’m gone and finds me. I also pray that Amadeo is okay. The thought of him dying makes my heart hurt.
Marco takes a step toward me, the gun in his hand aimed at my head. He digs the barrel against my skin and laughs. “This brings back memories, eh?”
I don’t say a word. I sit tall and hold my head high. I won’t crumble or whimper. If he pulls the trigger, I won’t show fear.
“Look at you,” he says, his words filled with praise. “You’ve grown a backbone, Portia. I like it.”
I raise a brow. “One of us had to, didn’t we?”
His chuckle grates on my skin. He’s a slimeball. “What about your mom? Hmm? She’s still a whimpering mess. The woman doesn’t know the word strength.”
I look at my mama, and the fear in her eyes is clear to see. She’s scared he’s going to kill me. She’s worried what he’ll do. But I’m not. Marco enjoys fear. He’s going to hurt me, but he won’t kill me. No, he’s going to do what he wanted all those years ago. He’s going to sell me.
“My mama is one of the strongest women I know,” I say, looking directly at her. “She survived your brutality. She’s still here, and she’ll continue to be here. She’s stronger than you’ll ever know. You think she’s weak.” I shake my head. “You are the weak one. Not her. She’s amazing.”
He pulls his finger back and the gun clicks, the sound so loud against my ears, but I don’t flinch. I despise that he’s trying to send me back to one of the darkest memories I have. He’s crazy if he truly believes I’ll go there. I’ve seen the worst he can do. He’s all about power and all about breaking people in order to get that power. Killing me won’t satisfy his needs. He wants me to be a shell of the woman I am. Good luck to him. He’s never going to do it.
“Excellent,” he says, and I’m sure there is a level of admiration there. “But don’t worry, Portia, you’re going to end up begging me, just as your mom does.” He flips the gun in his hand and brings it down against my temple. Pain bursts inside my head and colors fill my vision, but I don’t make a sound. “You’ve grown in strength. I’m impressed. It’s a shame you didn’t show this resilience when you were younger. It could have been you in your mom’s place.”
Sick fucking bastard. I was a child. Fuck him and his bullshit.
“How did you get Robert to work with you?”
His chuckle sets me on edge. I hate that he has a one-up on me.
