by Fawn Bailey
I sat on his desk, and after a moment's thought, Ryker made me spread my legs, grinning lewdly at me on display.
"Such a little slut," he said approvingly. "I fucking love it."
He turned around to a painting on the wall, and my eyes widened when he pressed a button and the painting slid aside. Ryker used his key card and then a key to open the safe it revealed.
He took a small velvet pouch from the safe and approached me.
"Hold out your hands," he said, and I cupped my palms like he wanted me to.
He shook the bag and diamonds started falling out. Tiny, beautiful, glittering stones that took my breath away. And then came the pièce de résistance: an enormous midnight blue stone.
"It's incredible! It's the biggest sapphire I've ever seen."
"Glorious, isn't it?" Ryker asked with a grin. "It's actually a blue diamond. You like it?"
I nodded.
"Want to know what it's called?"
"What?" I giggled.
"La Bellezza Maledetta. It has belonged to my family for generations. My father sold it when I was a kid, and I tracked it down again. My ancestors believed the stone was cursed."
"This one?" I picked the diamond up, weighing it between my fingertips. "Doesn't look dangerous to me."
He smiled at me, as if I'd passed some sort of test.
"I don't believe in curses," he told me. "They can only hurt you if you give them the power to do it."
"What do you believe in, then?"
His eyes turned to mine. I was curious, genuinely interested in his answer, though I wasn't going to pry.
He took a step toward me, his hands going to my cheeks. "This."
He kissed me again, a kiss filled with more emotion than he'd ever shown me. It told me everything I needed to know, and at that moment, it was clear that I really was going to stay in Italy.
I would uproot my life for him.
Move to a different continent for him.
Belong to him.
It was all both of us wanted.
We migrated to his office chair and I sat on his lap while he kissed me, whispering sweet nothings in my ear. I was giddy with excitement and high on the thrill of being with him after all that time.
The sun rose outside the window and yet we wouldn't stop, kissing and kissing until there was a knock on the door.
Everything that had happened crashed into my mind at the same time.
My sister was at the forefront. Soon we'd have to deal with the real world.
Ryker seemed to have the same realization, groaning when reality literally came knocking again.
"Coming," he called out, gently placing me on the armchair before slipping on the boxers and shirt he'd discarded there earlier.
I followed suit, blushing lightly as I put on my outfit from the previous night. It made me feel really dirty, but at the same time it was exciting as hell.
"Scusi, Signore," the maid who'd brought me snacks the night before said apologetically, peeking into the room over Ryker's shoulder.
Her eyes met mine, and I could see her smiling.
I wasn't even self-conscious about my impromptu adult sleepover. I belonged by Ryker's side. I knew that now, relished in it.
"A package arrive," she said. "Box for you."
She handed him something, and after Ryker told her to go, she left us alone in the office and he softly closed the door. I knew what she'd given him before he turned around, but at the sight of one of Astor's signature "gifts," I groaned.
"What's this?" he asked. "Looks like one of the company's boxes."
"Astor's been sending me creepy notes in those. It's how I find you."
I walked over, showing him the embossed company name in the cardboard.
"I'm opening it," he told me.
"Let me."
"No." His voice was stern. "I don't want anything to happen to you. Let me do it."
Carefully, he opened the box, and I gave him a know-it-all look when he opened it.
Once again, there was a tarot card inside, the Emperor, along with a scribbled note. I glanced at Ryker before pulling out the piece of paper.
Looks like you found my secret weapon, sister dearest. Soon you'll pay the price for your betrayal.
I let out a little gasp, and Ryker came up behind me, wrapping his arms around me.
"Look at that," I murmured, my voice shaking. "Look at those fucking hearts above the i's."
"What about them?" he asked gently.
"Allegra used to write them like that," I admitted miserably. "She's playing with my head. She's fucking trying to hurt me."
"I'm not going to let her hurt you. This place is guarded like a fortress, and I'm not letting you out of my sight."
"I know."
"So why are you shaking, tesoro? I'll take care of you, I swear."
"I know," I repeated. "I'm just afraid of seeing her again. Of facing her after what I did."
"Ginger," he said patiently. "You didn't do anything wrong. She burned down the house. You did what you had to do."
"But I really thought she was innocent," I whispered. "I really thought she was until that last day before the trial."
"What happened?" His voice soft, caring, he kissed my cheek and made me sit next to him on the cognac leather sofa in the office.
"I just… I had to testify the way I did."
"Why? Did somebody force you?"
"No, but…." I swallowed thickly. "They told me if I didn't say she was mentally unstable, she would be sent to prison."
"Prison?" he asked with raised eyebrows. "But she was only a kid when it happened, wasn't she? She couldn't have been over twelve."
"She wasn't," I admitted, my voice breaking over the words. "And I know now that they'd lied to me. I could've said she was perfectly normal, like any other kid, until that night. But they made me say she was crazy, made me believe I had to or she'd rot in some prison."
"Oh, Ginger," he muttered. "You were just a kid as well. You didn't know any better."
"Well, I ruined her life. She ended up in an asylum because of me."
"And it could've been worse," Ryker reminded me. "They could've put her in juvie or transferred her to jail when she turned eighteen."
I stayed stubbornly quiet, and he smoothed my hair down.
"I think you need to talk it through," he told me gently. "Just you and Astor, talk things though."
"Maybe," I muttered.
"You aren't really afraid of her, are you?"
I shrugged. "I don't know anymore. The memories, they're all warped, twisted by now. I don't know what's true anymore."
"Have you ever talked about it?" Ryker asked, and I shook my head. "Well, tesoro, maybe you should. It might help you to work through these emotions, you know?"
I just nodded in response.
"Come on," he encouraged me. "Why don't you tell me about your childhood? I want to know everything."
"Until that night, it seemed normal to me," I said, trying hard to remember something out of the ordinary and coming up completely empty. "I suppose every childhood has tragic moments, I was lucky that our parents were kind and loving, and I got along with my sisters."
"Why would Astor hurt them, then?"
"That's what's been bothering me this whole time. Why would she try to hurt our parents when they'd been nothing but good to us?"
15
Ginger
Thirteen years ago
Hollyhock was my favorite place in the whole wide world.
The only bad thing about it was there weren't a lot of kids our age in town.
That's what sucked about my twelfth birthday party. There were only three people invited, and two of them were my seven-year-old twin sisters. Who had little kids at a party? I was nearly a teenager. It was embarrassing.
Then again, the only other kid in the room was the baker's boy, Cash, who was thick as thieves with my sister Allegra. But he was the twins' age, not mine.
It was lonely in
Hollyhock, I couldn't deny that. I was homeschooled, and I never got the chance to hang around kids my age.
But it wasn't all bad. I loved my parents, and that day, because they'd gotten me the exact doll I'd wanted, I was the happiest girl in the world. Even happier because they'd given me the gift in the morning, which meant I didn't have to be embarrassed about still having a doll when I was a whopping twelve years old.
I could barely hold back my yawns as I sat through the festivities. Mom and Dad took some pictures, and after that, we were finally free to go.
As expected, Allegra and Cash ran straight outside. Allegra was such a tomboy, nothing like her twin, Astor. She was always covered in mud, her knees scraped from playing outside.
Astor was the good girl, Little Miss Princess who was kind and gentle and loved everything frilly and pink.
I was the oldest. The serious, responsible one who never really pursued any hobbies and just focused on being a good daughter. I thought it made me a little boring, but I was young enough to ignore it for a while.
My parents had an obvious favorite, and it definitely wasn't me. Astor had always been the special one, the one they loved the most. They had high hopes for her, and both Allegra and I knew she was the shining star of the family. Still, I didn't feel like it hurt me in the long run. I was loved, and I had everything a little girl could wish for.
When Cash and Allegra left, it was just Astor, me and our parents. We sat in the living room having my birthday cake, and I sighed loudly at the thought of a different life.
"What's wrong, darling?" Mom asked.
She always made a fuss out of everything, but I suppose that's what moms did.
"Nothing," I admitted. "I just wish we could go to school like other kids."
"How come?" Dad piped up.
"I like homeschooling with Mommy," Astor added, and I fought the urge to sigh again.
Of course she loved it. She always got off easy, but Mom was stricter with Allegra and me.
"I don't really have any friends," I said. "All those other kids have as many friends as they want. A classroom full of people they can hang out with. But I don't really have anyone."
"You have your sisters." Mom smiled. "And you have us, darling. Isn't that enough?"
It should've been, but it wasn't.
I was growing up, and always being around little kids or my parents just didn't cut it anymore.
"It's okay," I said, getting up from the table. "I'll just go to my room for a while."
"Don't forget your present," Mom called out, and I nodded before taking the doll with me.
But even the toy had lost its charm. I wanted to be a big girl like the ones my age on TV. Instead, I was stuck playing with kid toys and doing kid things.
I pulled out the flyer Mom had thrown away the previous week and stared at it with longing. It advertised a band playing in a club in the nearest bigger city, and I wanted to go so badly. I'd listened to their songs on TV. We didn't have internet—barely anyone in Hollyhock did. It was just so remote. Sometimes it felt like we were the only people in the world.
I smoothed the flyer out with my fingers for the thousandth time.
Maybe I should go to the city.
A frisson of excitement made me shiver.
Could I really do that?
Mom had taken me to a doctor when I had pneumonia last year, and I knew how to get into the city. I'd have to take the train by myself, but I could handle that.
My parents would never let me go though.
A plan started forming in my head as time passed. I could go to the city, maybe sneak into the club and watch the band play. My mom had dismissed the concert when she saw the flyer, saying it was for heathens, but I wanted to go. It would be a little birthday treat. Nobody had to know.
I pulled my piggy bank out from under the bed and jiggled it, listening to the coins inside. There were some notes too, mostly from birthdays and Christmas, and the previous summer when I'd watched the neighbor's baby for a while.
I looked at myself in the mirror that hung above my desk. I looked even younger than twelve. But maybe if I put some of Mom's makeup on and acted older, I could get away with it.
I started to get excited, the thought of sneaking out for the first time making me feel on top of the world.
Waiting until everybody went to bed, I snuck some makeup from Mom's toiletry bag and painted my face. My hands weren't very steady, and I'd never done it before, so my lipstick was a bit smudged and my mascara was all over my eyes, but I told myself I looked good enough.
The next thing I had to do was get to the tiny train station. I could buy the ticket on the train, which was great, because it meant I didn't have to face any of the locals at the station.
I snuck out a quarter past ten after breaking my piggy bank. I was already exhausted, not used to being up so late, but I was also excited.
I could really get away with this.
I made sure to avoid the busy streets of our tiny town, but I needn't have worried. There was nobody outside; it was too late.
I reached the train station on shaky legs, wearing a big grin and carrying my money in a pocket inside my jacket.
Everything went fine. I boarded the train and bought my ticket from the conductor, who didn't question anything, then settled into my seat with a big grin. Just when the train was about to pull from the station, I looked outside to find my mother standing there with a furious expression on her face.
In a second, my heart sank.
I'd been found out.
Mom and Dad rushed on the train, and I started hyperventilating when they reached my seat.
"Get up," Mom barked at me.
"Now," Dad added.
I was too afraid not to obey.
I followed them off the train with my heart beating at a staggering speed. I watched the train pull away from the station, knowing I was in really, really big trouble.
My parents took me home, making me walk between them. Neither of them said a word to me, which only made me feel worse.
Cash's mom was watching my sisters at our house. They were both wide-eyed and scared, and for the first time, I regretted what I'd done. I didn't want to upset them. Even though they were younger and silly sometimes, we got along.
"To your room," Mom ordered, and I looked away from the twins, slowly climbing the stairs that led to my bedroom.
My parents followed suit, not stopping until we were all in the small room. I knew I was going to be punished, had accepted that a while ago, but why couldn't I be like the other kids? Why wasn't I allowed to go to school? Would I ever have a normal life, or would I be forced to stay in Hollyhock and do as my parents said?
"I didn't expect this of you, Ginger," my father told me coldly, and I looked away, shame weighing on my shoulders. "Allegra maybe, but you've always been such a good girl."
Mom knelt next to me, placing her pointer finger under my chin and making me look into her eyes.
"You know we have to punish you, don't you, Ginger?" she asked, a sad note to her voice.
I couldn't do anything other than nod.
"Good," she replied, seemingly satisfied with my answer. "Arnold, get your belt."
My skin crawled. What's he going to do with his belt?
"Mommy, I really didn't mean anything bad. I'm just so lonely here. I just wanted to see some other people, not the ones who live here. I see them every day."
"That's no excuse. I was surprised by the sharpness of her tone. "And you'll take your punishment without complaint, Ginger. Do you understand?"
I nodded just as Dad reappeared with his thick brown leather belt that he only wore on Sundays when we went to church.
"Mommy, I'm really sorry," I whispered when she took the belt from him.
She paid me no mind.
Instead, she pulled my dress up and told Dad to leave the room. His eyes looked regretful, but he didn't tell her to stop.
I heard the familiar click of the lock as he
left us.
Mom put me over her lap and I started sobbing, a part of me already knowing what she was going to do next.
But nothing could have prepared me for the sharp bite of the leather striking my ass, and I shrieked loudly when she hit me.
She said I'd get ten lashes, and she kept her promise. By the end, my butt was sore, and I was screaming for mercy. I could hear my sisters wailing in the distance, probably worried because of my screams, but I couldn't stop myself. It hurt so bad.
When Mom was done, she told me to tidy up, then come downstairs to show my sisters what she'd done. She wanted them to be taught a lesson.
Right before she left the room, she leaned down next to my sobbing face and made me look at her.
"Stop crying," she said. "If you don't, I'm going to punish your sisters for what you did as well. You don't want that, do you, Ginger?"
"N-no," I stuttered helplessly.
"Then you'd better stop, or you'll all have bruised butts tomorrow."
In a second, the frightful expression on her face was gone, replaced once again by the smile she always wore. The transformation was sudden and made me even more afraid.
"Of course, you won't be getting food tomorrow," she told me. "And I'd advise you to tell your sisters not to misbehave like you did, or they'll be going to bed hungry too."
I thought of my little sisters and managed a nod with my mouth set in a thin line.
Mom smiled and tugged on my pigtails before knocking on the door. Dad unlocked it, and I realized he'd been standing there the whole time.
Did they really think I was going to run again? I was too afraid to do so much as move an inch.
"Oh, and Ginger?" Mom said sweetly.
"Y-yes?" I managed.
The mask slipped away for another second. "Clean up your fucking face. You look like a goddamn mess."
16
The Emperor
I'd promised Ginger I'd try to find Astor.
We knew she had a suite booked at the Palazzo—one I'd paid for—but she'd disappeared from the hotel without a trace. The employees swore up and down they hadn't seen her in days. Just in case, I also paid Alberti to keep watching the hotel on the off chance Astor reappeared.