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Laughter bursts from me, high-pitched and manic. The chances of me surviving the next year are slim, let alone having grandchildren.
Taking a deep, fortifying breath, I climb out of my car and walk toward the gate. I check in and head through security.
Everything is so cold and clinical. I narrow my eyes on the guard who runs his hands over my body, daring them to push his luck. Thankfully, for both our sakes, he remains professional.
“Follow me.” He gestures for me to step away from the line where the others are waiting, so I do, ignoring the disgruntled complaints from behind me.
The guard opens the gate in front of him before locking it once more. He leads me down an empty corridor before we reach another gate. I wait quietly for him to repeat the process of opening it and relocking it behind us before I’m shown into a large, family room with a sofa and a couple of chairs on one side. At the other end of the room is a table and some chairs with a large toybox beside it, overflowing with toys that look like they’ve seen better days. The thought of a child in here playing with those pitiful-looking toys makes my chest hurt. It is a sad reality and one I know could be in my future.
I walk to the window, ignoring the bars covering it, and close my eyes, allowing myself to think of the alternative. I could run like Alessio suggested. To just walk out of this godforsaken place and escape from this fucked-up life I was born into. I think about what it would be like to be free.
But anyone with ties to me could be used as bait to draw me out. I’m many things, but selfish isn’t one of them. God, I wish I was. It’s at times like this I’m envious of Gia.
I hear the gate open and tense, my eyes flying open, but I keep them focused on the gloomy view outside, giving myself a few extra minutes before my world changes. The time to run has come and gone.
I blow out a breath as the door to the room opens, and the sound of heavy footsteps enters. I turn, my eyes connecting with Vice’s dark, soulless ones, and I have to force myself not to react. The guard looks between us before removing the cuffs from around Vice’s wrists, then leaves, locking the door behind him.
Vice stands where the guard left him. His eyes move over my body, starting at my feet and gliding up my denim-covered legs to my flannel shirt before resting on the Archangel Michael pendant around my neck. A slight frown is the only reaction he offers as he lifts his gaze to look at my face.
I take a page from his book and let my eyes rove over him. I pulled a photo up online from the day he was arrested, so I had a rough idea of what he looked like. But the man in front of me is not the same person he was ten years ago.
At over six feet tall, he would have already been imposing, but he’s easily fifty pounds heavier than before, and all of it pure muscle. Add in the tattoos that cover each arm and circle his neck, and the man the personification of the wordsfuck you.
I was prepared for him to be cold and dangerous. I expected to feel fear and trepidation, but not once did I factor in the effect he’d have on my body.
He finally speaks, his deep voice making my gaze jump to his face. “Do I know you?” His eyes look almost black from here, like thick tar threatening to swallow me whole.
“My name is Nova.”
He takes a step toward me, a smirk on his face when I unconsciously take a step back. Silently, I berate myself, instinctively knowing that the last thing I want to do is present myself as prey to this man.
“Why are you here?”
“To tell you a story.”
He steps closer. This time, I stand my ground, holding my head high.
“If it’s the one about a wolf, I already know how it ends,” he murmurs as he closes the distance between us.
My heart beats so hard that my chest hurts, his close proximity making my fight-or-flight reflex kick in.
“How does it end?” I can’t resist asking as he lifts his arms above my head and uses his large body to pin me against the wall.
He dips his head until his lips skim my ear. “He eats the little girl who failed to see the danger in front of her.”
“Lucky for me, I know exactly the kind of monster I’m facing.”
My words come out a little quieter than I hoped, but when he pauses, I know he heard them. He pulls back just enough so he canstare into my eyes. The coldness emanating from them has me fighting the urge to shiver.
“So brave, but I can smell your fear.”
“I’m not scared of you,” I bluster.
“Hmm…such a pretty little liar." His head dips to the hollow of my neck, where he takes a deep breath and groans. “Tell your story, little girl. I’m all ears.”
I half expect him to sink his teeth into my skin and rip my throat out. I feel his dick harden between us as I fight down the panic I feel creeping in. I needed Vice to be safer than Aldo, and now I realize how utterly ridiculous that notion is.
“You’re not gay,” I blurt out, feeling my plans unravel. He looks at me and grins.
