“Bring him back,” I demanded and Frankie nodded, cursing as Coco sank his teeth into his hand.
“I will, bella.” He shut the door and the lock clicked again.
I sighed, rubbing my arms as the chill of this place drove into me. I rested my head back against the wall, hugging my arms around myself as I waited for Frankie to return.
My heart rate rocketed as footsteps pounded down the stairs. I immediately jumped to my feet, taking hold of the door handle in case Guido decided to try and come in here.
A few seconds ticked by, but he didn’t come.
The front door opened and banged shut again, making me frown. I didn’t want Guido near my dog almost as much as I didn’t want him near me.
Coco started barking somewhere in the distance and my pulse thundered in my ears. I pressed against the door, trying to listen for voices, but I couldn’t hear anything beyond the faraway yapping.
You touch him and I’ll kill you, you creep.
The front door opened again and footsteps thumped straight toward me. A sharp lump pressed against my throat and I clutched the door handle again, holding it as tight as I could as someone unlocked the door.
The handle turned sharply and I couldn’t hold it. It wrenched open and I stumbled back as Guido’s shadow fell over me.
“Frankie!” I screamed over his shoulder just before Guido’s weight collided with me. He threw me back against the wall and my head impacted with the bricks, making my thoughts tumble through my mind like shattered glass.
“He’s not coming,” Guido growled, his hot and sickly breath washing over me. He elbowed the door shut, crowding me in against the wall and I pushed at his arms to try and keep him back. “With the dose I gave him, he’ll be out for hours. Plenty of time for us to have our fun, eh?”
“Get off of me!” I shouted as I regained my senses.
I shoved and kicked, but he didn’t budge as he pressed his body flat against mine. He was only a couple of inches taller than me and he didn’t hold any of the muscle the Romero brothers did, but he was still strong as hell.
I felt his arousal butting into my leg and grimaced as he pushed a hand between us, cupping my breast and squeezing through the thin material of Rocco’s shirt.
“Get your fucking hands off of me,” I spat, trying to rear forward and head butt him.
He laughed giddily, jerking back to avoid the blow. He reached between us to unbuckle his belt and my breathing became frantic. I scratched and clawed at him then smashed my knuckles into his face.
He reared backwards with a shout of rage and I lunged toward the door, my fingers brushing the handle before he snatched hold of my hair and dragged me back a step.
“Frankie!” I screamed so loud it rubbed my throat raw.
Coco was still barking somewhere and though I knew Guido had drugged Frankie, I was too desperate not to call for him, praying he might be conscious enough to come to my aid.
Guido dragged me down the stairs, forcing me along as he held my hair and I stumbled after him, shoving and scratching him in a desperate bid to get free.
At the bottom, Guido threw me against the wall face first then slammed against me from behind, grinding his crotch into my ass. I threw my elbow back, catching him hard in the ribs and hearing something crack. He wheezed, releasing me in an instant and staggering back a step.
I turned with a gasp and fled up the stairs, powering toward the unlocked door. If I could get outside, I could lock him in. I could get to Frankie.
The thump of heavy footsteps pounded after me and fear scored through my chest as I ran as fast as I humanely could.
I was two steps from the door. One-
I reached for the handle but was jerked off of my feet at the same moment by a hand locking around my ankle. I yelped as my chin hit the step and Guido’s nails tore into my flesh, dragging me backwards.
I rolled over, throwing sharp kicks at him, wriggling and writhing to try and throw him off. His teeth were bared and sweat glistened on his brow as he reeled me toward him, closer and closer.
Panic clawed at my insides as I fought as hard as I could. I kicked out with my free leg again and again, catching him in the jaw, the chest, the forehead. But I was barefooted and the demonic look in his eyes said he wasn’t going to give me up for anything. His fingernails were burying deeper into my skin and his grip was unrelenting.
He caught my free foot as I tried to kick him again, throwing it aside and falling over me. He pressed his weight down between my thighs, panting heavily as he ground his hard-on into my hip.
“If you put that thing near me, I’ll rip it off,” I snarled.
I started to thrash and kick and bite and Guido grunted in frustration as he tried to hold me down. Every time he caught one of my hands, I got the other one free. I tore at his shirt, his face, his arms, marking him everywhere with my nails and spilling his blood.
“Enough you little whore!” he spat, grabbing my face and cracking my head back against the edge of the next step up.
My vision blurred and my body fell still for too long. Far too long. I blinked away the haze, digging deep for the strength inside me and thinking over everything Royce had taught me.
“If they get you on your back, Miss Calabresi, let them think you’re beat. Then go for the balls.”
My vision sharpened and I shuddered as I found Guido pulling his fly down and shuffling his pants and boxers low on his hips. I clenched my jaw, a blind fury snaring me as I took in the hungry look in his eyes.
As much as it repulsed me, I let him drop over me once more, his gap-toothed smile glaring down at me.
Let him think you’re beat.
Victory shone in his eyes as he reached down to pull up the long shirt covering me.
“Stay still, cherub,” he purred. “Guido’s ready for you now.”
Before he could do anything more, I clutched his shoulders and slammed my knee between his legs as hard as I possibly could. He screamed like a girl and I sank my teeth straight into his throat, making him wail even louder. I tasted blood and dug my teeth deeper and deeper, ripping into his flesh like an animal.
He punched the side of my head and my ear rang from the blow as he forced my teeth from his neck. He scrambled back onto his knees, cupping his balls and whimpering like a kicked dog.
I drew both of my feet back with a shriek of defiance and threw them at the centre of his chest. My heels collided with his ribs and he yelped in alarm.
His arms flailed for half a second before he tumbled over backwards and crashed down the stairs.
A sickening crack sounded as he hit the concrete at the bottom and I drew in a heavy breath, slowly pushing myself upright. I spat his blood from my mouth, wiping my lips with the back of my hand as I gazed down at him, my body beginning to shake.
I’d killed him. I must have. He was too still. His neck was at an angle that was too awkward to be natural.
I couldn’t make myself move for a long moment, staring at Guido’s dead body with a sick satisfaction. The back of my head throbbed and bruises were blossoming across my skin where he’d held me. I was marked, but he was too. I’d fought and won. Taken on a monster and defeated him.
I felt no remorse. I felt nothing but relief.
When I finally regained my senses enough to move, I scrambled up the steps toward the door. I did not wanna stay down here with that creep’s body. Even if he was deep in hell right now and had no chance of coming back for me.
I reached for the handle, but the door was wrenched open before I could grasp it. Rocco stared in at me, his brows pinching together, fear gripping his features as he took in the wounds on my flesh. I was shaking and an eternal moment of fear held me in its arms.
Guido might have been a monster, but he was still Rocco’s cousin. His family. And I’d just killed him.
I stood at the top of the cellar stairs with my heart pounding and my lips parted as I looked down at Guido’s twisted corpse at the foot of them. He was d
ead. No question about it. Necks did not twist at that angle naturally.
Sloan stood before me, her hair loose and wild, her eyes desperate and complete panic lining every inch of her body.
Her shirt was torn, her lip bleeding and her hands were shaking.
“What did he do to you?” I demanded, stepping forward and grasping her chin so that she was forced to look up at me. Bruises marred her perfect flesh, pain flickering in her gaze as she moved.
“I…he…” Her eyes watered and her bottom lip trembled as she tried to find the words.
“Tell me, bella,” I demanded, clutching her jaw and forcing her to meet my eye.
“He was going to force himself on me,” she breathed. “I didn’t mean to kill him, I just-”
“You’re apologising for killing that stronzo?” I asked incredulously. “You think I give a shit about him? I’m asking about you, Sloan. Did he hurt you?”
Her eyes widened and the tears she’d been fighting finally spilled over as she shook her head and threw herself into my arms.
I locked her against my chest and looked down at Guido again. If she hadn’t already killed him, I’d do it a thousand times over for this.
“Don’t cry for him, bella,” I growled, pushing her back and looking into her eyes.
“But I just killed someone,” she gasped, blinking up at me through wet lashes.
“No. You just found out who you are.”
“A killer?”
“A fighter. A survivor. A fucking warrior. You already proved it once when you looked me in the eye and pulled that trigger. No man will ever break your will. No monster will ever claim you.”
“No monster but you, you mean?” she asked, gazing steadily into my eyes as her tears fell still.
“Yeah. No monster but me.” I leaned forward and licked the tears from her cheeks one at a time, kissing her eyelashes as the salt of her sorrow coated my tongue.
“I am yours, Rocco,” she breathed. “Some part of me belongs to you now.”
“Good. Because I plan on keeping that part forever. No matter where you end up, I’ll own it and you’ll never fully escape me. Because my soul is bound to yours, Sloan. And you’re my monster too.”
Her hands fisted in my hair and she dragged me down so that her mouth could capture mine. She kissed me hard, her lips bruising, her tongue captivating, everything about her demanding I submit for once and I wasn’t strong enough to resist her.
She finally pulled back and the fear which had lived in her eyes had been replaced by a fire of strength.
“What now?” she demanded.
“Now I’ve got a body to get rid of. Papa stayed in the city but he’ll have to be told.” I pulled my cellphone from my pocket and took a photo of Guido at the foot of the stairs. I sent it on to Papa with a brief message saying he’d tripped.
A moment later my phone pinged with his reply.
Papa:
Deal with it. I’ll tell your aunt.
Sloan’s eyes widened as she read his reply. “That’s it? He’s not going to figure out that I pushed him?”
“You didn’t push him. The stupid fucker fell,” I replied with a shrug. “Besides, who’d believe an innocent little thing like you was that bloodthirsty?”
I didn’t wait for her response before tugging her out of the room. The constant yapping of her little dog came from the bathroom and I yanked the door open, freeing the little fucker so that he leapt into her arms. Sloan scooped him up and held him close as I led her to the fire in the living room and planted her before it so that she could warm up while I hunted down Enzo.
We’d arrived back to find Frankie out cold on the front porch with a fucking needle sticking out of his neck. Sloan’s screams had led me to her and I swear I’d never felt dread like I had in that moment.
I found Enzo half way up the stairs, dragging Frankie up them by his arms.
“Guido’s dead,” I announced as I moved to help him with our younger brother. “He tried to hurt Sloan and she threw him down the stairs.”
“That stronzo is lucky he’s dead or I’d kill him myself for this,” Enzo growled.
Frankie murmured something incoherent as we carried him up to his room and I ground my jaw.
“I’d have made his death slower if it had been up to me,” I snarled.
“The stronzo’s been asking for it for years,” Enzo muttered in agreement.
“Papa will accept it, but Aunt Clarissa won’t ever let it go,” I stated.
“Yeah, well maybe she should have gotten her son under control a long time ago and he wouldn’t have ended up in this fucking mess,” Enzo said with half a shrug.
“Got to help…Sloan,” Frankie murmured in his sleep and a smile pulled at my mouth. I could count on my brothers for anything, but Guido had stooped lower than I’d ever suspected he would. To actually drug one of us to get to Sloan was fucking calculated. But I guessed sick little psycho rapists would do what sick little psycho rapists had to to get their kicks.
“We need to get rid of the body,” I muttered as we dropped Frankie onto his bed.
“You want me to do it?” Enzo offered.
“Nah. You stay here with him in case he starts choking on his own vomit and I’ll go burn the asshole.”
Enzo laughed darkly and dropped into the chair beside Frankie’s bed.
“You should ask Sloan if she wants to help you,” he joked. “If that bastardo had tried to fuck me I’d wanna watch him burn.”
I snorted a laugh and headed downstairs.
That’s not a bad idea.
I still wore my coat and boots so I headed straight out the back and across the yard to the huge shed at the edge of the forest. I had to dig the snow away from the doors before I could open them. To the right of the space an old Cadillac sat with gleaming red paint and an engine that hadn’t run for about twenty years. It had been my grandfather’s pet project and no one had ever thought to get rid of it after he passed. After the Calabresis killed him.
To the left of the space we kept a huge stack of old wooden pallets and fence panels. Basically anything that we could burn when we needed to build a pyre to get rid of a dead body. Which wasn’t all that often. Although it was often enough that we also kept a can of gas ready to light the fires and industrial sized bottles of bleach to wash down the fire pit afterwards. Just in case.
I set about heaving pallets out of the stack and piling them up just far enough from the shed doors to be sure it wouldn’t catch light too. When I was done, I doused the lot in gasoline and grabbed a tarp and a roll of duct tape from the pile on a shelf at the back of the shed.
I pulled my coat off and tossed it aside as I made it back into the house then headed down to the cellar to wrap up our least favourite cousin like the world’s shittiest Christmas present.
I dropped the tarp beside him at the bottom of the stairs, laying it out flat before kicking him until he rolled on top of it.
I looked down at his ugly face which was still battered from my attack on him last week.
I pursed my lips and thought back on all the times we’d spent together growing up. He used to follow me everywhere like a lost little mutt. I remembered him asking his mother for a duplicate of every present I got and even for the same clothes as me so that he could look the same. It was kind of sad really. Pathetic. He’d always tried so hard to be one of us, skulking along behind me and my brothers like he thought he might take Angelo’s place and we’d become a group of four again.
He used to do all kinds of weird stuff to get our attention, hanging out on the edges, showing us animals he’d caught and mutilated in various gross ways or pulling up girls’ skirts like we might find the sight of panties utterly hilarious.
Once he’d started torturing people instead of animals, he’d delighted in sending us details of what he’d done to them and even photographs. I’d been eating a perfectly good burrito once and he’d ruined it by sending me a slow motion video of him shooting some guy in
the head. I still couldn’t look at Mexican food the same way.
And one time, he’d blown out all of the candles on my birthday cake. Worst birthday ever.
“Good riddance, feccia,” I spat, flipping the tarp over his face, just glad that I’d never have to look at it again.
I rolled it tight, securing it in place with the duct tape to be sure that no more of his blood would spill in the house. That would be a bitch to clean out of the hard wood if it got into the grain.
Once he looked like an awkward as fuck DHL delivery, I grabbed him by his feet and started dragging him up the stairs.
With each step, his head thumped against the wood and I started singing to the tune of Pop Goes The Weasel. “Guido came to get his load off, but Sloany is not feeble, he tried to take what wasn’t his, so chop! goes the Guido.”
Sloan poked her head out of the living room as I made it to the hallway and I grinned wolfishly as she raised an eyebrow at me.
“Do you always make jokes about murders?” she asked, frowning at the body I was dragging across the hallway.
“I mean…only when I’ve been out murdering.” I shrugged. “Besides, this wasn’t murder. It was self defence.”
“Should you really be so…cheery?” she asked.
“You want me to cry over an asshole who would have raped and murdered you?” I asked, the humour slipping from my voice as I dropped my grip on his ankles and his feet thumped to the floor.
Sloan’s gaze hardened at that. “No.”
“And are you going to cry over him again?”
“No,” she growled.
“Good. Do you wanna come watch him burn then?” I asked with a grin, holding out my hand in offering.
Sloan offered me a tentative smile in return and when mine widened, so did hers. She took my hand and I yanked her into my arms, pressing my lips to hers hard and fast.
“Never apologise for who you are, bella,” I growled. “You’re a warrior. Guerrier.”
“I like the sound of that,” she replied, her palms flat against my chest.
“It suits you,” I agreed.
Beautiful Carnage: A Dark Mafia Bully Romance (The Boys of Sinners Bay Book 1) Page 28