And he did, not that I’d ever let him know it.
Finally, Alek answers.
All is fine here.
I let out a relieved breath, and just as I’m about to reply, he beats me to it.
But I need you guys on a plane to Rome. Tonight. With the burner.
Chapter Five
Julia
“That was really amazing,” I say in a soft voice to the little girl holding a violin that’s almost as big as she is. “I can tell how much you’ve been practicing. And we’re going to do this every week, okay? We’ll have so much fun together!”
“Thank you,” she responds in a whisper, walking into the waiting room next to me in her well-worn ballet flats, twisting one of her dark ringlets around her chubby finger. The woman sitting in one of the chairs, Bella’s mother, leaps up and rushes over to us. She is wearing a tattered coat and faded navy blue dress, but she carries herself like she is wearing a ball gown, her bright smile lighting up the room. Her hair is neatly twisted into a bun and her eyes sparkle as she gazes at Bella and then me.
“Thank you so much for your time, Miss Loren,” the woman says to me. “Bella has been looking forward to this for weeks, ever since your foundation made a visit to her school. She loves to play, but we just can’t afford lessons for her. At school, she can only play for half an hour a week.” She nods at the instrument clutched in Bella’s hand. “My husband found that at a secondhand store, but the strings need to be replaced.” Her cheeks redden. “We just can’t afford it,” she whispers.
I swallow past the growing lump in my throat.
This is why we started the foundation, to find young talent and give them a chance that nobody else will. Over the next few months while I am on break from touring, I will work with kids like Bella who have little means but big dreams.
I want to turn those dreams into a reality.
I remember what a struggle it was for my parents to help me grow into the musician I am today. It’s time for me to give back, to help the kids I once was.
Mama leans down to Bella with a big smile on her face. “I remember when Julia was your age,” she says. “We couldn’t get her out of her room for dinner because she loved playing so much!”
Bella nods excitedly. “I love to play, too! Sometimes I don’t even have an after-school snack because I want to play so badly!”
Mama grins at her. “I knew it! You’re just like my Julia!”
Bella giggles and her mother gives her a quick hug. She looks at us, her eyes shining with tears. “You’ve made my daughter so happy and given her hope. Without you…” Her voice cracks a bit. “We never would have been able to give her this opportunity. Thank you so much!”
Bella’s mother grabs me and pulls me into a bear hug. She smells sweet, like vanilla frosting. I breathe her in and suddenly, I feel like I am exactly where I’m supposed to be, doing the very thing I was meant to do.
All because of the encouragement I received and the love and support of my parents.
My parents.
Mama…
My eyes open a crack, heavy with sleep, the foggy snippets of a dream fading away to the corners of my mind. A warmth spreads throughout my body, like a heated blanket, and I take in a deep breath, inhaling the woodsy scent wafting under my nose. I squeeze my eyes shut, struggling to lift my head, but it feels like a cement block sitting on my shoulders. I slowly roll it from left to right to make sure my neck still works.
It does, but my legs are so rubbery, they might as well be limp spaghetti noodles for all the good they’ll do me.
I try again to raise myself from the fluffy pillow under my head, sitting up on my elbows until the effort is too great and I collapse back onto the mattress.
It’s too exhausting to move.
A thought jolts me.
My hands…
I wiggle my fingers and they respond. Slower than I’d like, but still, they move.
Thank God.
My fingers are my life.
Life.
Ha.
That’s rich.
I thought it was all but over during that nightmare attack at my parents’ house.
When was that?
It feels like years have passed, and the clarity of the night is eclipsed by a weighty fog that’s consumed my conscious, quelling my fears and blunting my grief.
Without warning, the horrific memories rush forth again, wallpapering my mind as they always do when I’m lucid enough to remember. A strangled whimper escapes my very dry mouth.
And then I remember.
Mama is gone.
Dead, because of me.
But Papa…?
A choked sob escapes my mouth, and I clap a hand over it. The tears flow, streaking my cheeks as my heart shatters all over again.
Oh, Mama. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry!
And then the image of the man with the tattoo flashes in front of my eyes, the man who took me away from everyone I love.
The man I want to destroy the same way he destroyed me!
Drained, I finally fall back onto the mattress. My body is so weak, my head so heavy.
My puffy eyes flicker around the darkened and empty room. I swipe at the tears and sniffle.
Where am I?
I should feel waves of panic rippling through me, anger coursing through my veins, but instead, my body is numb.
My mind, on the other hand, is trying like hell to restore some normal sense of order and balance.
What the hell is happening? Why can’t I remember how I got here?
I blink fast, my eyes adjusting to the lack of light. The room is warm, courtesy of bright orange flames dancing in the fireplace a few feet away. Instead of lifting myself up by my arms, I try a different set of limbs for support. I slowly swing my legs over the side of the bed, my bare feet hitting the floor. I steady myself, my hands firmly gripping the sides of the mattress.
A coolness whispers against my skin as the bedsheet falls around my waist. I look down with a gasp.
No clothes.
I’m naked.
“Help,” I croak, licking my cracked lips.
I grab onto the bedpost, putting my weight forward. I furrow my brow, taking in my surroundings as I clutch the sheet around me. I creep around the perimeter toward the door, my hand sliding across the smooth, dark-wood-paneled walls. I pass by a corner that houses a tall bookcase opposite a large cordovan leather sofa. There are a few table lamps set up around the space, all on but none giving off much light.
My knees wobble with each step as I stagger closer and closer to the closed door.
“Help!” I say a bit louder this time, although a sinking feeling in my chest tells me that ship has long-since sailed. I limp across the room, scanning the floor and the furniture for any sign of my clothes.
How far do I really expect to get wrapped in a sheet like a mummy?
A harsh pounding between my temples intensifies the longer I am upright, and my body craves sleep to escape the throbbing pain. I grit my teeth and flex my fingers, my arm shooting out and grabbing the brass doorknob.
I take a deep breath and twist it.
But nothing happens.
I twist again, left and right, but still, the door remains shut.
Locked.
My shoulders sag, tears springing to my eyes.
I’m trapped.
A sob rises in my throat but I swallow it down. I raise a hand to my forehead, woozy from all of the walking. I slide down the side of the wall, my head falling into my hands.
I need to get out of here, I need to get help!
But my body is too weak, too tired.
“Please help me,” I weep, struggling to my feet once again. With my last sliver of energy, I bring my clenched fist to the door, hammering it against the wood. “Let me out of here!” I yell, my voice cracking. The sound assaults my ears like clanging cymbals smashing together over and over and over. I cover my ears to mute the noise caused by my own voice, tears st
reaming down my face.
A clicking sound makes my eyes widen and I back away from the door, wrapping myself tight in the sheet. My pulse thrums against my neck as the door creaks open and a tall shadow falls across the floor. I raise my head, my fingertips numb from the pressure of fisting the material.
“You’re awake.”
A chill slithers over my skin.
I know that voice before I can even see his lips utter the words.
“Julia, you’re a very beautiful woman.”
My throat tightens, my breaths morphing into short, sharp gasps.
“You disappoint me, Julia. Didn’t I warn you what would happen if you disobeyed me?”
He walks into the room, dwarfing me with his massive size.
He’s no longer wearing the black shirt and jeans from the last time I saw him in our basement, but I see the ink winding up the side of his neck.
I blink fast, praying my eyes are deceiving me. Oh, Jesus…
He’s not wearing anything.
A strangled noise catches in the back of my throat, and I creep back farther and farther until my back slams into a wall next to the bed.
Opposite the open door.
Away from any possibility of escape.
Dammit!
My mind screams like a banshee, but my body is still in a semi-conscious state courtesy of whatever the hell drug he must have given me because there’s no fucking way in my right mind I’d be here otherwise.
“Don’t try to escape, Julia.” The corners of his full lips curl into an evil grin. “You tried that once. Do you remember how that turned out or do you need a reminder?” He moves closer, pinning me to the spot with his piercing black stare. The warmth that filled my insides only moments earlier now snakes through me, icing everything in its path.
Horror. Dread. Fear.
My brain registers it all, although I seemingly have zero control over my body to battle any of it. I need my lips to move, my mouth to open, my body to fight!
“Besides,” he murmurs, stepping closer. “I’ve waited far too long for you to be in my bed. I can’t lose you now that I’ve worked so hard to bring you here.”
I recoil as much as possible, which isn’t saying much since my body is pretty much flush with the wall, and as he inches closer, I have no hope for a quick exit.
Unless…
My eyes drop to the thick erection between his legs, panic rising in my chest.
Oh, God, no…
I really need my body to wake the hell up now! If I can just lift my knee…if I can position myself close enough and find the strength to hurt him, to take him down, then maybe—
I grit my teeth, trying to raise my leg with every ounce of might in me, but it’s too heavy. My equilibrium shifts and I slip, falling right into his strong arms.
Not the fucking place I want to be!
My head rolls backward as his hulking body pins me against the wall.
Hard.
His large fingertips stroke the side of my tear-streaked cheek. “You’re so beautiful. I’ve watched you for such a long time, Julia. I’ve wondered how you’d taste, how your pussy would feel wrapped tight around my cock as I’m fucking it. But I knew I had to be patient, and that in time, I’d get what I wanted.”
He waves a hand around the room at cameras mounted on the walls. “All of my faithful fans have been patient, too. They’ve been watching and waiting with breathless anticipation, Julia. They want to be part of our story, to witness how we will take over my family’s empire, ending my father’s reign. Together.”
His hand moves down the side of my face. My chest heaves as it inches closer to the top of the sheet, tugging it away from me. I can’t even begin to make sense of the crap spewing from his lips, nor do I want to acknowledge that there are people actually watching us right now.
That flimsy fabric is the only protection I have from this sick fuck, so I grip it tight. Beads of sweat pop up along the back of my neck, tiny hairs springing to attention along my bare arms.
“You killed my mother,” I choke as he strokes my hair and tips my head toward his.
“You disobeyed me,” he responds in a matter-of-fact tone. “I warned you what would happen and you disregarded my words.”
“Who the fuck are you?” I hiss. “Why am I here? And what have you done to my father?”
With one swift motion, he tears the sheet from my quivering body, his half-hooded gaze eyeing every inch of me like a predator sizing up his prey.
“So many questions,” he says in a low, gravelly voice. “And all will be answered in time. But right now, I need something from you.”
“Fuck you!” I shriek. “You already took everything from me!” I struggle against him, but he has me locked between him and the wall. I have zero leverage right now and nothing to grab, nothing to stab him with, nothing to hurl at him.
I’m still very much trapped.
“I want to know why I’m here!” I shout, my body trembling violently as if I was standing outside in the frigid air, as opposed to a room blanketed in warmth courtesy of the fireplace.
The sinister smirk I remember from the concert venue stretches across his stubble-peppered face. “You shouldn’t be here, Julia, but I violated the rules. I claimed my prize.”
“What the hell are you talking about? Prize for what? And what does this have to do with my parents?”
“Your parents.” He snickers. “Well, everything, actually. Their missteps led me straight to you.”
My temples throb even harder as I desperately try to process the empty words and half-sentences that tell me absolutely nothing that I need to know. “What missteps? They haven’t done anything wrong!”
He lets out a low chuckle that makes my gut twist in the worst way possible. “So naïve. While you’ve been galivanting all over the world, charming people with your talent, they’ve been here doing things that require severe punishment.” He drags a finger down the side of my face. “Of the harshest kind. The loss of their only daughter.”
A loud sob erupts from my chest and he grazes the tip of my nose with his lips. Bile rises in my throat and if I open my mouth right now, I might actually have a shot at escape.
“But I decided to go in a different direction, Julia. I did what I was told. I found you, and I took you.” His smile widens. “But the man who commissioned me to break into your parents’ home wanted you for himself as leverage.” His expression darkens. “I didn’t like that plan, so I opted to keep you instead of giving you up. You see, I’ve been watching you for quite some time now and I’m not planning to let you go now that I’ve finally got you right where I want you. By my side. Forever.” He grazes my cheek with his fingertips. “You were sent to me by an angel. My guardian angel. And I fell in love with you the second I saw you on stage. I don’t care about what your family did to mine. I only care about you. About us. And about all we will command together.”
He dips his head lower, grazing my mouth with his. I don’t think, I barely breathe.
But I lock my teeth on his lower lip with everything in me, the taste of metal hitting my tongue. He yelps and pulls away, blood drizzling down his chin. And then, like the maniac he is, he laughs. It’s evil and chills me to my very core.
“You shouldn’t have done that. And make no mistake, you will pay for that stunt.”
Dread?
Yeah, it’s my new reality.
With one hand, he slides open the drawer in the bedside table and pulls out a small pouch. My eyes drop to the table, widening when I see what it is he grabbed. I push against him with as much energy as I can muster, my nails slashing the one arm that holds me captive against him.
He doesn’t even wince.
He presses one of my arms against the wall as the other flails, the needle sliding cleanly into my vein.
“Don’t worry.” He leers at me with black eyes, threats of death and devastation lurking in the depths. “This is only a small dose to relax you. I can’t give myself t
o you until you stop fighting me. I need you to want me, the way I want you.” He rubs his chest against my breast, lightly grazing it. But he never touches it with his fingers. “Even though you made me so mad the other night, I’m addicted to you. I’ve fantasized about having you by my side for months, Julia. You need to stop fighting what’s meant to be. And you will learn to love me just as I love you.”
Within seconds, the familiar warmth from earlier floods my body and my limbs turn to Jell-O. A feeling of relaxation washes over me as his strong hands lift me onto the bed. He hovers over me, his legs straddling mine. A thick fog settles into my brain and calms me instantly, despite this lunatic’s stiff cock hanging over me. My head sways back and forth, the panic and fear immediately dissipating as my body melts into the thick comforter. All of the anger fizzles, the guilt fading away to the corners of my cloudy head.
“I want you to remember the first time I slide into your wet pussy. I want you to have the memory forever, the first time I made love to you,” he murmurs, smoothing back my hair. But it feels as if he’s speaking to me through a wall, his voice is so muffled and thick.
He murmurs a few more words, his lips so close to mine. My arms lie immobile at my sides as I take in a deep breath, expelling it through my nose. I no longer feel the mattress under me. Instead, I’m lying in the middle of a cloud, floating in the air and out of my body as my eyes droop closed.
All of the toxic memories that looped through my mind just minutes earlier flicker like dying embers in the fire until they finally disappear and blackness consumes me once again.
I don’t hurt anymore.
I don’t feel anything anymore.
Chapter Six
Elia
“If I ever catch you doing that again, I will take a fucking machete to that cock of yours!” My father Nic’s eyes blaze, his teeth gritted. I watch him flex his biceps and roll up his sleeves like he’s going to punch me.
Coveted: Men of Mayhem: Book Two Page 7