I glowered at him. I wasn’t going to correct him. He had no right to any of my secrets, especially not my deepest one. “Which man are you referring to then?”
“Me,” he said, grinning like he knew it was true. Which it definitely wasn’t. “I bet you’ve dreamed about me night after night, pressing you down beneath me in that car.”
“While you tried to strangle me?” I scoffed in disgust as he guided me along a hall past a series of doors.
“Some women like that.”
Acid rose in my blood and slid into every corner of my body. “You tried to kill me. The only dreams I’ve ever had about you involve me pulling that trigger.”
“That’s a strange thing to touch yourself over,” he mused, that permanent smirk still stamped to his face.
“I do not-”
He cut over me, “No need to be ashamed, principessa. I have that effect on women.”
“The only effect you have on me is making my skin crawl.”
“Crawl with desire,” he taunted and I rolled my eyes.
Asshole.
Rocco released a dark laugh as we arrived outside a room and he pushed me inside, still keeping those heavenly pizza slices from me.
He kicked the door shut behind us and my heart stalled as I was suddenly in a bedroom alone with him. A soft white rug was spread at the base of the double bed. A large window was framed by heavy red curtains with a balcony beyond it and antique furniture sat around the edges of the room. A door at the far end of the space gave a glimpse of an en-suite bathroom which meant Rocco wouldn’t need to leave me alone at any point in the night.
A large picture of a deer hung at the head of the bed in a woodland scene, its expression wary as if a hunter with a gun sat out of shot. I know the feeling.
My gaze fell to the thick blanket folded on the end of the bed and my gut lurched as I spotted a pair of handcuffs there.
A click sounded as Rocco locked the door then moved past me, placing the plate down on the bed and taking up the cuffs.
I backed away, fear licking up my spine as I retreated against the door.
“If you behave, you can eat without the cuffs on.”
I suddenly didn’t feel so hungry but I knew I needed my energy if I ever got a chance to run from this place again.
I moved forward cautiously, his penetrating eyes following me as I swiped up the plate and headed over to a table across the room to eat the pizza in relative peace. I turned my back on him, dropping into the plush armchair there and swallowing a slice down in a few bites.
When I looked back at Rocco, he was pulling his shirt off and my gaze snagged on the cut muscles of his torso, firming and flexing. My eyes dragged across an old bullet wound scar on his right shoulder and the tattoos sprawling across his chest. Two pistols crossed at the centre of his sternum, the artwork spreading out around them in a network of wilting roses. Amongst the flowers were the names Enzo, Frankie and Angelo. I frowned, unsure who that last one was. I didn’t know any Romeros by that name.
Rocco reached for his belt buckle, his gaze slamming into mine as he dropped his shirt and despite myself, a line of heat channelled into my cheeks.
I looked away and finished my pizza, my knee bouncing anxiously as I thought about being in that bed with him. I didn’t trust him one bit. What if he touched me against my will? Forced himself on me?
My throat was thick and for a second I thought the pizza might make a reappearance.
A shadow fell over me and I glanced up at Rocco in nothing but his boxers, his eyes gleaming as he held the handcuffs in his hands.
“I don’t need to be tied up. I won’t run.” Lies. As soon as I felt strong enough to try and escape again, I would.
He ignored me, grabbing my hand and yanking me to my feet. He pulled me toward the bed and I pushed back into him in alarm, his huge body penning me in.
“Wait – just wait a second!” I cried, but he didn’t listen. He knocked me onto the bed, lashing a cuff around my right wrist and locking the other one to the bedpost. I tugged immediately, but it was tight as hell, biting into my skin.
He leaned right over me, so close I couldn’t breathe, the scent of pine and freshly brewed coffee snaring my senses. It wasn’t the worst scent in the world, but because it belonged to him, it was now my least favourite.
He crawled over me, dropping into the space beside me and yanking the covers out from beneath me. He tossed half of them in my vague direction before rolling over, placing his back to me and dropping his iPhone onto the nightstand then switching the light off.
My breathing was heavy, filling my ears alongside the sound of him shuffling around to get comfortable.
My heart hammered a wild tune as I tugged at the cuffs and they clinked loudly.
“Quiet or I’ll tie your other hand too,” he muttered and my jaw clenched.
I lay down fully and the blood soon drained from my arm as it hung at the awkward angle over my shoulder. As the minutes ticked by and Rocco’s breathing became softer, I started to relax. He clearly wasn’t planning on forcing himself on me and I was more than happy for him to remain disgusted with me and my heritage for that reason alone.
A notification lit up Rocco’s phone screen and I eyed it hopefully across the bed. I didn’t have a huge amount of chain to work with on the cuffs, but I was flexible and if Rocco was a deep sleeper…maybe I could get my hands on it.
I remained quiet for at least an hour before I made my first move. I rolled slowly towards him as far as my cuffed arm would allow, dreaming of sending a message to my father. Giving him a clue of where I was. There couldn’t be too many places like this, surely he could narrow it down?
The idea drove me on and I carefully pushed myself up onto my knees, reaching over Rocco’s head and making sure I kept my body from touching his. My fingers grazed the nightstand, but I couldn’t get any further and nearly bumped Rocco as I reached as far as I could. My heart juddered and I took a slow breath, staying still to make sure he didn’t wake.
I cursed internally as I stared at the phone, wondering if I could use my foot to scoop it closer.
I brought my arm back over him, bracing myself on my pillow then slowly raising my leg and swinging my hips around to reach for the cellphone. My toes grazed it and excitement filled me as I drew it right to the edge of the nightstand. I pulled my leg back, reaching over his head again with my hand and grabbing hold of it.
A huge palm locked around my wrist and I lost my grip on the phone with a gasp. It tumbled onto the sheets beside him and all of my hope crashed away with it.
“Passcode, principessa. It’s like the safety catch on that gun all over again.” He snorted, shoving my hand away before tucking the phone right into his boxers. “Feel free to try and get it, but don’t be tempted to give me a hand job while you’re in there. I think my cock would fall off if a Calabresi touched it.”
“Asshole,” I hissed as I fell back onto my pillows with a breath of frustration. “I wouldn’t touch it if it was the doorbell to heaven and Satan was running up behind me.”
I swear a laugh escaped him and I rolled my eyes, turning over so I didn’t have to face him and shuffling as close to the edge of the bed as I could manage.
I closed my eyes, tired as hell but not sure how I’d be able to drift off. It was going to be another difficult night, but I had to admit I was happy not to be in that cellar anymore.
I rolled onto my back as I woke, yawning as I stretched my arms above my head and worked out the kinks in my spine.
My arm brushed against a warm body as I laid it down beside me again and I turned to look at Sloan in surprise. She’d rolled towards me in her sleep, laying on her back with her dark hair spilling over her forehead and her long eyelashes kissing her cheeks.
The light of dawn illuminated the pale colouring of her skin and the natural pinkness of her full lips.
When she wasn’t talking, she really was something to look at. If she hadn’t been a Calabresi,
I was fairly sure I’d have been planning to do more than just toy with her emotions. But it wasn’t possible for me to forget who or what she was. This wasn’t going to be some Romeo and Juliet story, two lovers from warring families trying to build a great romance against the odds. They both died in the end anyway. Silly fuckers.
I got out of bed and crossed to the window to look out at the new frost, taking a deep breath as the utter peace of this spot filled me, calming all the rage in my soul and leaving me with a void in its place. Everything felt so damn still up here, like no matter what we did or where we went, this little slice of wilderness would never change. I was looking at the same view my mother had loved so much twenty years ago. The same view that had been here long before this house or even the Romeros had even existed. And nothing made me feel better than reminding myself of my own irrelevance. My time on this planet would come and go and the world would keep on spinning, the snow would thaw and fall again. And again. Forever didn’t care about what I loved or what I hated. It hardly had time for me at all.
I turned away from the view with a wrench in my heart as it slowly began to fill with all the mundane pressures that filled my life.
My eyes fell on the girl in my bed, her right hand above her head and twisted at an awkward angle where the handcuffs secured it in place.
I moved closer to her, pursing my lips as I looked upon the spawn of my enemy.
I reached out and shook her shoulder lightly, seeing if she might wake, but her only response was a slight tightening of her brow and a pout of those lips which kept drawing my gaze.
I sighed. She probably hadn’t slept down in that cellar and no doubt her body needed time to recover from almost freezing to death too.
I had to head back to Sinners Bay today. Nicoli and Giuseppe needed to receive a little message from the Romeros and I planned on delivering it in person. Minus the finger that Enzo was still determined should accompany it.
I took a step back, meaning to head for the shower just as Sloan shifted in her sleep, tugging fruitlessly at her chained arm before relaxing back into sleep again as she gave up.
I eyed the awkward position of her arm and headed across the room to fetch the handcuff key. I carefully unlocked the cuff attached to the bed and locked it again on a lower piece of the headboard before pushing a pillow beneath her arm to support it.
My gaze caught on the sparkling diamond engagement ring on her finger and a smile tugged at my lips as I reached out to relieve her of it. No doubt Nicoli would like it back when I spoke to him.
Her skin was cold to touch and I hooked the duvet up around her without thinking about it. I pursed my lips as I realised what I’d done, but I wasn’t quite enough of an asshole to yank them back off of her again. At least not while she was asleep and had no idea about it anyway.
I turned away from my irritatingly tempting prisoner and headed into the en-suite for a shower, stepping out of my boxers as I set the waterfall flow running.
I left the door open so that I could keep my eyes on her as I washed, half laughing to myself as I wondered what she’d think if she woke up now and found me butt naked and staring at her. At least I wasn’t jerking off. That would definitely scare the fuck out of her.
I kept my shower brief and dressed in a perfectly tailored Italian suit which cost more than some of my cars. I buttoned the charcoal grey waistcoat over my white shirt and left the jacket off, straightening my tie in the mirror beside the bed. Our Papa always said that when you faced your enemies head on, they should see that you’re the superior man in every way. From the look in your eye to the set of your jaw and the cut of your suit. Every movement, every word and every look should be carefully selected to show them exactly who they were dealing with. And if I was going to walk into the Calabresi stronghold armed with nothing but my balls and a threat, then I was damn sure they were going to see exactly who the fuck I was on first glance.
My black hair curled enough to fall into my eyes when it wasn’t styled but I swept it back, fixing it in place with product and making myself look harsher in the process as the sleek style accentuated the hard lines of my face.
I took one more look at Sloan, focusing on her heavy breathing for a moment to reassure myself that she was still fast asleep before I stepped out of the room. I strode along the corridor to the next door and knocked once before pushing it open.
“Whosit?” Enzo mumbled, snatching a revolver from his nightstand and vaguely aiming it my way. The bullets still lay next to an untouched glass of water beside his bed so I wasn’t overly concerned about him shooting me.
“Get up. You’ve gotta watch Sloan while I go deliver a message to her family.”
“Get Frankie,” Enzo complained, pulling a pillow over his head and tossing the revolver back towards his nightstand. It hit the wood, bounced off and fell to the grey rug beside him.
I growled at him as I flicked the lights on and stalked across the room to rip his duvet off.
“Get up,” I snapped again, more forcefully this time so he’d know I was willing to kick his ass if that was what it took to make him.
“For fuck’s sake.” Enzo got out of bed and grabbed a pair of sweatpants before stalking past me and into my bedroom. “Did you at least fuck her yet so that I can win my money?”
“Shut the fuck up,” I snapped as I followed him to the doorway and he slumped onto the couch at the foot of my bed. “If she hears you saying that shit, the only one winning will be Frankie.”
Enzo sighed dramatically. “Okay. I’m here now so why don’t you get going? And maybe you should pick up some baby monitors while you’re out, so that the next time you do this I won’t have to get out of bed to watch over her?”
I opened my mouth to argue with him about that, but it actually wasn’t a terrible idea so I agreed instead. “Fine. Just make sure you keep a close fucking eye on her while I’m gone.” I tossed him the handcuff key and turned to leave.
“Last chance to bring a finger with you!” Enzo called cheerily and I rolled my eyes as I walked away.
It was a three hour drive back to Sinners Bay, plenty of time for me to think up exactly what I wanted to say to Giuseppe Calabresi when I saw him. So by the time I pulled up outside The Hall of Dreams, the Calabresi run Casino that they used as a front for their illegal activities, I was more than ready to get out and deliver my message.
An eager little valet with a pencil thin moustache leapt forward, reaching out for the keys to my Ferrari, but I didn’t relinquish them.
“Someone might wanna run on in to your boss and tell him Rocco Romero is here to talk about his little girl,” I said, leaning back against the hood of my car and crossing my ankles. “I’ll give him five minutes to grant me an audience or my brothers will start cutting off her fingers.”
The valet stared at me like I was a complete fucking psycho, and if he was smart he’d probably realise that that was exactly what I was.
His lips parted, his gaze dropped to my car key as I span it around my finger then he turned and scurried inside like someone had lit a fire up his ass.
I checked the time on my Rolex, then folded my arms as I set myself up for a wait.
One stronzo had the great idea to pull his car up behind mine and start honking the horn. But as I casually rolled my shirt sleeves back and approached his car with a look in my eye that promised him a quick death, his balls promptly shot right up inside him and he sped away instead.
“Mr Romero?” a voice came from behind me and I turned to see Royce fucking Belmonte glaring at me as if he’d like nothing better than to snap my neck with his bare hands. I didn’t know how that fucker had survived a shot to the chest, but he shouldn’t have. He’d been there the night Giuseppe had my mother and brother killed. He could have been the one to light the fucking fire for all I knew. And for that I’d take his life one day. The only reason he still drew breath now was because he’d been too hard to get to while he was in Italy with Sloan while she studied. But now he
was back, I had him marked.
Not that I could do a damn thing about it at that particular moment. I was unarmed and walking into the viper’s pit.
I smirked at him tauntingly as I strode towards him and if looks could kill I would have gone up in flames like Satan’s ass-fucked bride right then and there. As it was, my smile only grew and his hatred only deepened.
One day soon I’ll give you the fight you want with me, stronzo. And we’ll see which one of us is bathing in the other’s blood by the end of it.
“How’s Sloan?” Royce demanded, his eyes glimmering with enough emotion to show just how much he cared about her. Which suited me even better. Every time I hurt her, I now knew I’d be hurting him too and this stronzo deserved a lifetime of suffering for what he’d stolen from my family.
“Surprisingly willing for a virgin,” I taunted. “She doesn’t even seem to blame us for what we’re doing to her either. She just keeps asking where her bodyguards were when she needed them.”
Royce lunged forward a step and I grinned as he forced himself to stop again.
“I swear on everything I am that if you’ve hurt one hair on her head, I’ll-”
“Can you quit wasting my time, monkey? I’m here to talk to the organ grinder. And if my brothers get bored of waiting to hear from me, they’ll start coming up with ways to entertain themselves with your principessa.”
“This way,” Royce growled and I was flanked by eight more bastardos, each of them armed to the teeth, though none of them had drawn a weapon. Yet.
They led me through the lavish casino where gamblers were losing their money and convincing themselves to place just one more bet before we headed into a brightly lit room through a door in the back.
“Spread your legs,” Royce growled, moving forward to search me.
“Aren’t you gonna buy me dinner first, bella? I don’t usually give it up on a first date,” I mocked.
Royce didn’t laugh surprisingly enough and he was none too gentle as he frisked me either. The only things he found on me were a roll of hundred dollar bills, my car key and my cellphone because that was all I had.
Beautiful Carnage: A Dark Mafia Bully Romance (The Boys of Sinners Bay Book 1) Page 8