AllFreeNovel
Share Us
A belt buckle unlatches, and I look over to see my father licking his lips.
Not for the first time, I want to kill him where he stands. His bodyguards are my size, or bigger. But him? I could snap the old man’s neck with one hand. Then who would the bodyguards protect? I’d be the head of the family.
Gio takes a step forward and my leg twitches.
Sal pretends like it’s funny, but there’s uneasiness in his expression too.
Ellie kicks up to the head of the bed. Tears stream from her eyes as my father stalks forward like the leader of a sex cult.
My Jaw clenches as she screams so loud my ears ring.
Gio grabs the bulge in his pants… she sobs louder.
I can’t watch this. I’m going to lose it. I might actually kill him.
My heart is pulsing in my ears, meanwhile, his two bodyguards are like statues. How many times have they watched him act like this?
She kicks at him as he approaches her vicinity. He presses his hand over the bedsheet, teasing the room.
“I want your father to feel this from the corner of his cell,” Gio’s voice turns deadly serious.
My fists curl until my knuckles are white.
“I always told him not to laugh us Valentinos out of the room, Ellie. I warned your father…” Gio unzips his pants.
“No. No!” Ellie shakes her head violently, gasping in her panic, straining against the ropes binding her hands, the covers getting caught up in her right foot.
“He should’ve played his cards a little smarter, sweetheart.” He cackles as he catches her left leg mid-kick.
My teeth will crack if I clench any harder.
“Hey!” I call out my rage, and the room goes silent.
My father pauses in place – his bodyguards turn on me. He looks over his shoulder, and his narrowed eyes hurl daggers at mine.
“What’s the matter, Donny boy? Going soft?” He flashes a cruel smile as his bodyguard’s loom.
With one nod, he could have me restrained and force me to watch. My entire crew would never respect me again. I might’ve made a critical mistake by not slicing open his throat.
Gio scoffs and finds his humor again. “Just messing around, Ellie.” He playfully slaps her leg and turns away, fixing his pants. “Soon the Russians will have their way with you. That’ll be enough for me.” He snaps his fingers and leads the line out of the room.
I’m last, lingering at the door. I look at the distraught woman still struggling to catch her breath, and no longer feel joy in comparing her conceited high school self to the broken version of her in my bed.
I shut the door behind me and find my hardened self again. I’ll have to deal with my father now. We all bunch up on the steps as he takes his time descending.
The sadistic playfulness has left him entirely.
Gathered around the island once more, whatever lightheartedness Sal started with, has melted into fear.
“The reason why I’m not in a rush to test the snow, is because Vlad ran into a little issue.”
My ears perk up, and for a moment, I forget the behavior that disgraces our family’s name, and think of the business I’m here to run.
“Igor backed out,” I say. My gut’s been saying he’d pull since the start of the plan.
“He feels unsafe traveling to the states, yes.” Gio scans me, likely wondering how ‘weak’ I’ve become. “He requested more time to get his logistics in order and will only agree if three locations are presented day of. He’ll be the deciding factor hours before.”
Sal plays with his pinky ring. “Slippery bastard. That’s going to make popping him a bit more difficult.”
