AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You’d better start talking,” Franco said.
He gripped my throat so tightly, that I couldn’t breathe, much less speak, and my windpipe threatened to crack under the weight. Pressure mounted in my head while the solace of unconsciousness crept into my mind. I reached for it, surrendering to it, willing it to take me, because anything was better than what he was doing to me.
Like last time, he let me go just before the sweet bliss of blackness offered me my escape.
He motioned for one of his minions to hit me. Again.
This time, a punch in the stomach with such force that what was left of my breath escaped me once more. My muscles tightened involuntarily, pressing against my diaphragm and constricting my flow of oxygen in addition to making me nauseous.
It took me a few moments to regain my breath. Through my sweaty hair, I slowly lifted my gaze to the man standing before me.
“I told you…” I said through the taste of blood in my mouth. I was panting from the pain, but I tried to hide the fact that my body was starting to break down. “Dominic didn’t tell me anything.”
Franco used a small blade to clean the filth from under his nails, standing casually, as if having his men hit me repeatedly hadn’t been enough.
Then, he walked over to me and pressed the blade against the skin of my neck, digging in just deep enough to make it sting. A shallow cut, nothing deep.
Yet.
“That’s not what Dominic said.”
“How many times do I have to tell you this? He lied.”
“He said you two knew each other. Quite well.”
“When we werekids. I hadn’t seen him for years.”
Why did Dominic have to use me as leverage against his psychopathic cousin?
My anger toward him quickly dissipated in pity, though. How desperate and alone he must’ve felt under the threat of his cousin closing in on him.
But while he might’ve felt desperate, giving my name to this violent guy was beyond negligent. He knew what his cousin was capable of, and yet he still threw me to the wolves in order to protect himself. The betrayal cut deep, and the pain of it burned the back of my eyes.
It was stupid to feel hurt. Dominic was most likely a murderer, but he was the last person in my life who hadn’t let me down.
No, that wasn’t true. My father had never let me down. And neither had Hunter.
But I had let Hunter down. I had put myself in danger by insisting on going to work, giving Franco’s men the opportunity to abduct me. And now, if I didn’t come up with something soon, I would lose my life because of it.
Sentencing my father to serve out the rest of his life in prison. And sentencing Hunter to fall into the abyss of emotional torment. Only to be killed by Franco himself.
My worry instantly halted as Franco drove the small blade into my arm forcefully, causing my muscles to feel like they were tearing in slow motion. The pain was so intense, I couldn’t help but scream.
But that wasn’t enough for Franco. No amount of my suffering was enough for him, so with the blade still in my flesh, he began to gradually twist the handle.
“Please stop,” I cried.
Dammit, Luna! Begging this man? Sobbing so hard, tears are marching down your cheeks?
I’m only human,I internally whispered to the furious side of my thoughts.
Deep down, I knew begging wouldn’t save me. Nothing would. Franco had hunted me down and then murdered my bodyguards in cold blood. Now, he took immense pleasure in torturing me, with no desire to stop.
Ironic, how afraid I was of dying in that car chase. And now I wish I could go back in time.
And unbuckle my seat belt right before the impact.
CHAPTER56
