Dirty

by Ella Miles

  I defiantly stare into his eyes. I don’t have the strength to stand, yet he wants me to fuck him. He’s insane. But I see the hardening in his eyes, and I know it’s what he wants. I don’t know if he is on my side like Matteo is, but I can’t take a chance that he’s not.

  He’s only inches away from me, but it’s going to take all the strength I have left to undress, let alone fuck him. I grab the hem of the T-shirt and gingerly pull it over my head, trying to keep it away from my skin but feel it scrape against every wound on my body. It takes all the energy I have left to push my pants down. I begin to inch toward Arlo, clawing at his chest as I try to use my arms to pull closer to him, my legs in too much pain to move.

  Arlo watches me for a moment like he doesn’t give a shit about me, and then he grabs my hips and pulls me on top of him, my pussy coming down on his cock. His eyes sear into me as he thrusts inside me. I don’t know if the look is meant to comfort me or let me know that my life is over, but either way, it doesn’t do much to comfort me.

  My body, on the other hand, responds automatically to his cock. I get wetter with each thrust, just like I do every time he fucks me. I dig my nails into his shoulders, trying to keep myself upright while he fucks me. I don’t look around at all the men who are ogling my body right now. I don’t think about how degrading it is. All I think about is, despite all the pains in my body, it still feels good to have his cock inside me, just like it felt good to give Matteo a tiny bit of pleasure.

  “Come,” Arlo says.

  We’ve barely fucked at all. Maybe it’s the situation I’m in, or maybe I need to feel something good so desperately that I can force my body to do something that I’m not ready for, but I come easily, quietly screaming his name. He thrusts once more and comes as well, pouring his cum deep inside me.

  When he’s done, he pushes me off onto the bed, gets up, tucks his cock back into his pants, and walks back to where his brother is.

  I take a deep breath as I lie on the bed, completely naked and exposed, but at least now, I’m on a comfortable bed instead of on the dirty floor. I feel a little more alive than I did before he fucked me. I don’t know how that’s possible, but it is.

  Enrico laughs. “Very good. You have both made it clear that you have control over the slave. But who cares if she lives or dies?”

  Enrico grabs my hair, pulling me toward him. But I’m tired of being hit and beaten. I let his sons touch me because I wanted them to. I won’t let him touch me as easily.

  I fight back with everything I have. But he’s stronger than me. I try going for the sensitive areas. His eyes and balls. But he grabs both of my arms, holding me down, as he climbs up on top of me. Panic rises in my eyes as I realize that I’m about to be raped by this disgusting man again while more than a dozen men watch. Only to die minutes or seconds later. I can’t handle it. I won’t let him do it.

  I keep fighting. But I can’t. I’m not strong enough.

  I glance over at the only two men who might be able to save me.

  I look at Arlo, who looks just as cold as he has from the second he walked into the room. I turn to Matteo, begging him to stop this. Kill me if he has to, but don’t let me get raped again. He stands cold as well, but when he sees my eyes, he closes his, trying to block out the pain I’m feeling.

  Enrico laughs and looks in their direction, too. “Which of my sons will save you?” He shakes his head. “I’m not sure that either of them will save you, but one sure does care more than he is letting on.”

  Panic rises in my chest. I don’t know what game within the game Arlo and Matteo are playing. I don’t know whom they want to win or if they are both actively trying to beat each other. I know they are competitive. But I don’t know if they would turn on the other in order to win. I should know what their game plan is, but I don’t. I never asked, and now, I have no idea how to help them defeat their father, if that is even the plan.

  I look into Enrico’s eyes, and I see the anger he has toward his sons. I’m just not sure if they see it. I’m not sure if he ever intended on choosing a successor tonight or if he’s just teaching them both a lesson.

  I might already be dead, but I won’t let him kill either of them. I glance one last time at the two men I’ve grown to care about more than I would ever like to admit, and then I find the strength to kick Enrico as hard as I can in the balls. I strike just the right spot with enough force to make him loosen his grasp on my wrists.

  I pull one free and reach for the back of his pants, the spot where I know all the Carini men carry their guns. I grab it, aim straight at Enrico’s heart, and pull the trigger.

  Enrico steps back, laughing, as no bullet exits the gun.

  I try again.

  Nothing.

  I quickly examine the gun and realize there are no bullets in the gun.

  Enrico takes a step back, still laughing. And then, a second later, he has me pinned to the bed again with more rage than I ever imagined possible.

  “You bitch. You think I don’t know what games you have been playing? You think I don’t know that you messed with my sons’ minds? That you made them weak by making them fall for a bitch like you? That’s why I hate you more than all the rest of the women we played with before. I hoped your fire would make them hate you more, but instead, you made them fall for you. The other women got to end their debt early but not you. You will pay the full seven years before I release you. By the time I’m through with you, you will be begging for death.”

  “Her debt has already been paid,” Arlo says suddenly.

  Shut up, I want to scream. It doesn’t matter if I’ve already paid my debt or not. He’s not making anything better.

  “What did you say?” Enrico glares at Arlo while still holding me down.

  “Her debt has already been paid. She finished paying her debt two weeks ago,” Matteo finishes for Arlo.

  Enrico searches his son’s eyes. “How?”

  “The contract said the terms of seven years started the first day we forced her to do anything against her will,” Arlo says.

  “That was the day you kidnapped her,” Enrico says.

  “No, it wasn’t,” Arlo says.

  “It was the first day I raped her against her will. The same day she signed the contract,” Matteo finishes.

  I knew it. I knew he had fucked me that night in the dungeon. They were trying to protect me this whole time. Not that it matters. We are all going to die anyway.

  Enrico turns from them to me. His nostrils are flared, his face is raging red, and veins are about to pop out of his body. But it’s his eyes that tell me this is the moment it all ends.

  “She’s free to go. If you have taught us anything, it’s that we honor our contracts,” Arlo says, staring at me with the tiniest drop of hope in his eyes.

  But I don’t return his hope when I look back at him. He might think his father is an honorable person who cares about things like contracts. But I’ve seen the real monster inside of Enrico. He doesn’t give a shit about anything, except what he wants.

  Enrico grabs my hair and rips me off the bed, throwing me onto the floor.

  I don’t even think about the pain anymore because I know this is all over.

  “You’re right. She’s free to go as soon as she fulfills one final contractual obligation.”

  Arlo and Matteo each raise an eyebrow.

  Enrico laughs. “Oh, you didn’t read the contract very well then, boys. I thought I taught you better than that, as you say.” He shakes his head. “I hoped for stronger sons than what you have turned out to be. You shouldn’t give a shit about her; she’s nothing to you. You might love her, but she doesn’t love you in return! She has just said or done anything that she could to survive. To get you to love her. So that you would save her in the end.”

  He walks over to one of his guards who has remained completely silent this whole time, watching this ridiculous scene unfold, trying to figure out who their new boss will be. Enrico holds out his hand, an
d the man hands him a gun.

  He walks back to me, and I know this is when my life ends. He’s going to shoot me. He’s going to kill me.

  He grabs me by the hair again, and I close my eyes, waiting for death to quickly take me.

  Enrico shakes me, and my eyes open automatically as I try to figure out what the hell he’s doing.

  “My sons are right. I have a contractual obligation to release you. Carinis keep their promises. Ask any of my men, and they will tell you as much. Ask any person in town. That is why we are given so much respect. You might have just won, Nina. You played us all well.”

  He looks at his sons, who are both standing there far too smugly.

  “You get to choose if you walk free or if you die.”

  My heart beats fast in my chest, but I settle it quickly.

  He’s lying. These are all lies. Don’t let your guard down. He’s still going to try to kill you.

  “You get to pick which of my sons will replace me as heir and which of my sons will die,” Enrico says, pointing his gun in the general direction of his sons.

  Both men freeze. Both men stare at the gun and then their father. Neither seems that shocked that their father is currently aiming a gun at them.

  “No.”

  Enrico glares at me. “No is not an answer. You don’t get to tell me no. You must choose.”

  “No.”

  “Then, you die.” He aims the gun at my head, and the brothers take a step forward. “Take another step, and she dies.”

  They both stop.

  “I’m giving you all the power, Nina. Isn’t that what you wanted? That’s what you’ve been saying you wanted this whole fucking time. Now’s your chance. Save yourself by choosing which of my sons lives and which dies. Or I’ll kill you.”

  My body trembles. One of us isn’t going to survive this. One is going to die. Because of me.

  I look at both of the men I love. Love is such a strange word and an even stranger feeling. It’s not something I’ve admitted to either of them. Or even to myself. But, right now, when our lives are truly on the line, it makes it easier to admit it. I love them both. I don’t know how it’s possible to truly love more than one person at a time, but it’s how I feel. I won’t question it.

  “Time is ticking, Nina, and I’m not a very patient man. Who is worthy of becoming my next heir?” He pauses, smiling. “Or, better yet, whom do you love? Whom can’t you live without?” He laughs to himself. “Maybe you aren’t about to leave so quickly after all. If you truly didn’t care about my sons, you would have already chosen. You would have killed one of them without a second thought if it meant your freedom. So, which of my sons has won by stealing your heart?”

  I look at both men standing in front of me. Neither of them deserves to die. I can’t choose.

  But I don’t deserve to die either.

  I feel the tears in my own eyes as I look to both of them like one of them will have the answer. Matteo smiles with his eyes. He loves me; I can see it in his eyes. He tells me with his whole body how much he loves me. But he doesn’t tell me not to shoot him.

  I look into Arlo’s eyes. He doesn’t tell me anything. In fact, he barely looks at me, seeming indifferent, even though I know, deep down, he cares about me.

  The way they look at me is the same way they are toward me. Both men are so different, yet I love both of them.

  They both tried to save me. They both deserve to live.

  I close my eyes. I deserve to live, too. Words pop into my head. Save yourself, like you promised.

  More tears pour down my cheeks as I know what I have to do. My eyes dart back and forth between the two men. I bite my lip, and then I let the words start pouring out of me.

  “I promised I would save myself.” I take a deep breath as I look at Arlo. “And I keep my promises.”

  Arlo takes a deep breath as I stare at him. I made a promise to him that I would save myself. And the only way I can live with myself after tonight is to honor that promise.

  I swallow hard, and then I say, “I choose to save Matteo.”

  26

  Matteo

  Nina says my name, and I rejoice and about die at the same time.

  She is saving me.

  But she’s just killed my brother.

  I don’t know whether to love her or kill her.

  But I don’t have time to think about that. I look at Enrico, who has a shocked expression on his face. He was expecting her to choose death rather than choose one of us to kill. But, now that she’s chosen, it’s only a matter of seconds before he follows through.

  He turns, aiming the gun at Arlo.

  Arlo takes a deep breath.

  “No!” I scream, trying to stop him, running toward Arlo.

  I hear the pop of the gun and watch as Arlo moves, trying to avoid the bullet, but he doesn’t move far enough. It hits him square in the chest. I continue running to him as he falls to the ground.

  Nina screams, sobbing behind me, but I don’t turn to look at her. I’ll deal with her later. Right now, all I can think about is Arlo.

  I get to him in seconds, immediately applying pressure to his wound to try to stop the bleeding.

  “Just hold on, Arlo. You’re going to be okay,” I say, not really believing my own words. Of all the times Arlo has been shot, this is the least safe I have felt when saying those words. Not just because his wound is in one of the worst places for it to be, but also because, at any second, Enrico could shoot him again.

  Arlo winces as he tries to move.

  “Relax. Just stay still, and let me take care of you.”

  He closes his eyes and then opens them. “You…”

  “Shh, just rest.”

  “You have power now,” Arlo barely gets out.

  It takes me a second to realize what Arlo is saying. But he’s right. I have power now. Nina gave it to me the second she saved me.

  “Move aside, Matteo. If he’s not dead already, I need to finish the job,” Enrico says as he walks toward me.

  I stand slowly, putting my body between Enrico and Arlo. “No.”

  “You don’t get to tell me no. Now, move,” Enrico says.

  “No, you don’t have any power anymore. I have all the power. Nina chose me. Now, back off.”

  Enrico glares at me while holding the gun, aiming it at my heart.

  Instantly, the men in the room all aim their guns at Enrico. They are my men now, and they will protect me without me having to say a word. Even from their old master.

  Enrico lowers the gun and takes a step back. I exhale. I have power. Now, I just have to get Arlo to a hospital, and he’ll survive.

  But, before I can give the order for my men to transport him to a hospital as fast as they can, shots ring out.

  They stop almost as fast as they started. But, when the smoke clears, it’s easy to determine what happened. Enrico shot Nina, and my men shot Enrico. My heart drops when I see them both lying on the floor. Both possibly dead in a second.

  I walk past Enrico. I will deal with whatever is left of him later. It hurts to walk past him. He was, after all, my father. But I have two more important people that I need to ensure stay alive.

  I run to Nina. He shot her in her already damaged leg, but it was enough to knock her unconscious and make her breathing weak. She won’t survive much longer without immediate help.

  “Get Nina and Arlo to the hospital. Now,” I give the command and watch as the men immediately break into two groups, one group going to each of them.

  I walk back to Arlo, mainly because he’s awake and I’m not sure how I feel about Nina at the moment. I still love her, but right now, she’s pissed me off for making such a stupid decision.

  “No…” Arlo croaks.

  “Shh, I don’t know what your deal is with going to the hospital, but you are going whether you like it or not. You need to be in surgery. I can’t save you.”

  Arlo shakes his head. “Nina. Make sure she’s safe.”


  I smile at my brother. Always the martyr. “I’ll protect her to the ends of the earth. She’s safe. Always,” I say, keeping the same promise I made to Arlo when he came to me almost seven years ago.

  “You are the worst patient ever, you know that?” I say to Arlo as he tries to climb out of bed for the hundredth time this week.

  “I don’t give a shit. I need to see her,” he says as he stumbles out of bed, probably popping his stitches in the process.

  I grab hold of him to keep him from falling. “Fine. I’ll take you to her if you let me push you in a wheelchair.”

  He grumbles.

  “It’s not like you have a choice, not in your state, and even if you were healthy, I have the power now. I have dozens of men who will keep you in this bed forever if I told them to,” I joke.

  He glares at me, not appreciating my joke.

  I sigh and go get the wheelchair. I help him into it before wheeling him down the hallway toward Nina’s room. I’m not sure why he wants to see her so badly anyway. She’s not awake yet.

  That was a stupid thought. I know exactly why he wants to see her. The same reason I’ve spent all of my time split between both of their rooms. Because he loves her as much as I do.

  I open her door and wheel him over to her bedside while I go around and sit on the other side of her bed. We each hold on to her hand, both willing her to wake up. To survive. We didn’t go through all of this mess, only for her to die.

  We sit like this as the minutes tick on. Neither of us speaks out loud, silently begging her to wake up.

  Her eyes open. And she smiles, squeezing both of our hands.

  Arlo and I exhale, relieved that she is awake.

  “How do you feel?” I ask.

  “Like I just got hit by a car, a train, and an airplane, all at the same time,” she says.

  “I will have the nurse increase your pain medications.”

  She nods.

  But that’s all any of us says as more minutes pass. None of us can find the right words for this situation. There are no right words. Only wrong ones.