by Leah Holt
“Nothing.” Resting my head on my arm, I tickled her shoulder in slow strokes.
“I can't read with you staring at me like that.”
“It bothers you?”
“It distracts me, I keep thinking you're about to mount me again.”
“Round two already?” Smiling, Ivy shook her head no. “Fine, I'll watch T.V. then. It won't be as much fun, but it'll do.” Grabbing the remote, I turned it on and started to surf through the channels.
It was the same old boring shit as always. Reality show after reality show after reality show. Until I hit the last station.
Shooting up in the bed, I scooted to the end and watched the screen with disbelief.
The man's voice came through in that low baritone you only get with a news anchor. “Our top story tonight is one of sadness and justice. A little less crime might infiltrate the streets of Hoboken, but a man's life has been brutally cut short. The prominent business man, Vincent Pisani, also known as Bane, was found dead earlier this evening. His body washed up on the southern bank of the Hudson river, and the police report that his death was not accidental or natural.”
My father is dead. He's dead.
As he kept speaking, I knew I was listening to what he was saying, but my mind had started to shut down. Every muscle in my body tensed up, my breathing grew shallow, and the room seemed to tunnel so that all I could see was the television.
“Dante . . . Dante, are you alright?” Ivy crept up beside me, rubbing my back. “Did they say what I think they said?”
Nodding yes, my fingers pinched the sides of my lips and tugged down. The news anchor kept talking about the 'Top Story,' the media frenzy was probably through the roof.
“They're not releasing all the details as of yet, but they are looking to speak with his son, Dante Pisani. Vincent, whose oldest son, Sesto, was incarcerated last December for charges of money laundering, piracy, and robbery, is also being looked at for any connection to his father's death. Right now, they have no leads or understanding as to why this heinous crime took place, but they have all the right men on the job and they assure us they will have more answers soon.”
I watched in shock. I knew who had done this, I was well aware of who decided to be the judge on my father's life.
My fingers curled into my palms, knuckles growing tight and thin as I kept the pressure firmly embedded in my skin. “That fucking asshole. That fucking piece of shit, scumbag, motherfucker.” Growling through gritted teeth, I stood in a sudden burst, leaning forward and slamming my fist into the wall. “Remo's going to die, Ivy. He was already on my list, but now, he drew blood.”
“Dante, how do you know that? Your father was involved with some really bad people, maybe it was someone else.”
The anchor cleared his throat, tapping his stack of papers on the table. “The police have released one detail about this death, one that they are hoping is going to point them in the right direction. There was a note left with the body, a name of someone who they are hoping to speak with. They are reaching out to the community for help. If any of you know a woman named Celia, please call the Hoboken police, any information would help them.”
“Do you doubt it now?”
Ivy's face drained to white, her eyes static on the screen as it flicked to a commercial. “What do we do, Dante? What's he going to do?”
“I'm going to kill him.”
Snapping her head in my direction, she wasn't telling me no. There was no debate in her mind either. He had gone too far, he took the life of a man he had no right to.
Bane was my father and he deserved justice for this.
I had stolen Ivy.
I had taken her virginity.
I refused to give her back.
It was me who had taken what he claimed as his and now running wasn't an option anymore.
Remo had to die.
Dirty Behavior
Book 2
One
Ivy
The Rebirth
Rebirth: After death, the soul begins a new cycle of existence in another human body.
Reincarnation, nascence, resurgence. . . There are so many different words to describe someone being reborn.
But is there a word that fits what I went through?
What would you call me?
I had been reborn, but it wasn't the hand of death that took my breath away. I wasn't resurrected, I wasn't given the choice to come back. For me, I was forced to transform from one person into another.
My body was the same, but my eyes held a dullness that didn't reflect the person I used to know. To survive, I had to change, and to change meant leaving behind who I was.
Being reborn into someone you don't recognize and don't sync up with is the hardest thing to overcome. It was a revival of learning and culture, leading me into a new world.
I thought that life was built from dreams and goals. That family was the root of who you were and would always be there to lift you up and carry you along when life hit you hard.
I was alone. I was sold. I was forgotten.
That wasn't living. And because of that. . .
I had to change.
I was reborn.
My story didn't end. But the man who changed it, changed me.
This was the day I took my last breath; but it would also show me what I harbored inside.
Strength.
Reality can be a nightmare that even sleeping couldn't transform into a brisk dance with happiness.
How do you handle a dream that doesn't even end when you shut your eyes?
My advice; Don't close your eyes, don't turn your back, don't trust the wicked.
—Ivy
Opening my eyes, the air was starchy and filled with a strong cinnamon aroma. My nose burned as I took in a long and sleepy breath. Blinking rapidly, I felt the warm blankets under my fingertips and the thick pillow that cradled my head.
Where the hell am I?
Lifting up on my elbows, I twisted to look around the room. The walls were a deep mahogany with large tapestries hanging as an eyesore in the center. The windows spanned the length of floor to ceiling, with thin, sheer curtains riding long silver rods across the top.
They were wrapped and weaving around the metal, each one meticulously perfect from every angle. The long arms of the drapes were even to the very millimeter, hanging dangerously close to the floor.
The room felt old and aged, like I had been dropped into an ancient castle hidden behind a fortress. Everything looked so clean and perfectly set into this home as if the creator had deemed the object's place before it was ever touched.
I didn't like it. I didn't enjoy waking in a place I had never seen before. But I couldn't figure out how or why I was here. So I stayed still, frozen in the cocoon that trapped me in place.
“It's about time you woke up.” The voice crept in from a dark corner, a figure emerging to glow under the faux candle lights dangling above. “I was starting to worry.”
My chest tightened instantly as his face slinked up into that devilish grin I had seen right before everything went black.
As if my head was suddenly struck by a million closed fists, everything came flooding back.
The meeting in my living room at home, my father and his sad, lifeless eyes. . .
And him, the devil in the room, Remo.
His feet danced closer to the bed, sweeping over the glossy wood with ease. “Welcome home, Ivy, I think you're going to grow to love it here.” Playing with his lower lip, his eyes licked my body. “I know I'm going to love having you.”
“Where am I? Where's my father?” Grabbing the blankets, I yanked them up to my chin. I wanted to hide and fade away, melt into water and dissolve into air.
What the hell is going on? This isn't right, this isn't happening.
This isn't home.
This is a dream... A bad nightmare that I'm going to wake up from any second.
Closing my eyes tight, I took in a few small gulps of air, sl
owly opening my lids again just to peek. But nothing had changed.
I was still there. Right there.
This wasn't a dream. It was a living fucking nightmare.
“You can forget that man right now. In this world, he no longer exists. You're mine, Ivy, and from now on you need to remember that.” Remo's teeth glinted from behind his crooked smile, palming his chest, he fanned his face. “I'm going to have so much fun with you.”
Curling my knees, I hugged the blanket tighter. “What's happening? Why am I here?”
Titling his head, his fingers bounced in the air like he was playing a piano. “Do you remember anything from last night?”
I didn't speak. His question was laced with a contorted and fake concern. Shaking my head no, I watched him cautiously as he kept his slow pace towards the bed.
The sheen off his shoes shined with each step, the hard sole leaving light clicks in his wake that echoed like thunder around me. “Ivy, when I say you're mine, I mean—You. Are. Mine.” Remo glanced around the room, looking at every detail and design. “All this, everything in here, I picked especially for you. But don't get me wrong, Love, none of it is yours.”
My lips thinned, head whirling in thought. This wasn't making sense. I remembered most of what happened, but I wasn't going to let him know that. I wanted to see what he said, see what answers he would give me.
If he stumbled his words or tried to feed me lies, I would catch it.
“That doesn't answer my question.”
Remo's brows snapped down, furrowing into the thin bridge of his nose. “Rule one—Don't talk back.” Holding up a single digit, he lunged towards me, nostrils flaring. “There are rules here and you're going to follow them.”
Curling my lip, I felt my heart speed up as adrenaline purged my veins. I wasn't sure who the hell this guy thought he was, but he didn't have any right to riddle my head with rules. I wasn't a possession, I wasn't an animal; I was a woman.
“Excuse me? Don't talk to me like—”
The last word was slapped down from my mouth as his hand whipped across my face. His eyes lit with black fire, mouth pulling taut. “Rule one. Remember it.”
Coddling my jaw, I sat in shock. He had just hit me, he open-palm smacked my face. No man had ever laid a finger on me like that. Ever.
“You're my virgin, Ivy. The purest form of flesh I have ever laid eyes on. It hurts me that I can't just take you right now, but I did promise your father I would give you a little time. It was the least I could do. And I'm a man of my word.” Bowing his head, he wrapped one arm over his stomach, and the other around the small of his back.
My body went up in a torrent of flames. My stomach spun with battery acid, the burning rose up my throat and singed the back of my tongue.
I didn't believe him. He was wrong, lying to me as if I would believe his manipulation and not see him for the true evil he was.
“My father would never give me away.” Veering my stare, I shot up in the bed. Digging my nails into the blanket, I balled it into my palms.
Chuckling, Remo's hand waved in the air. “Give you away? Is that what you think?” Glaring down at me, his eyes swirled like the deep blackness of an endless ocean. There was nothing inside. “No, no, no, Love, he didn't just give you away. I bought you, I paid good money to take you're sweet little innocence.” Dragging a finger over the blanket, he walked around the bed. “Money talks, and trust me, your father was more than willing to listen.”
I sat quiet, taking it all in. My brain was spinning, my lungs were straining. I wanted to burst into tears and break down with all the feelings running through my body.
But I wouldn't.
The tears could wait till I was alone, I was stronger than that. He wasn't going to see me cry, I refused to let him think he was taking hold of me in any way.
“You're father's a good man, Ivy, he made the right choice. But let me warn you now. . .” Pausing, he inhaled a deep breath, taking the time to lick his lips slowly. “If you try to run, if you so much as even think about it. . .” Leaning over me, his mouth hovered just above my ear. “I will kill them all. Your little sister, your mother, I'll do them first, and I'll let your father watch as they take their last breaths and their eyes glaze over like a frozen lake. Then I'll kill him too.”
A gasp hit my lips, my heart stopping inside my chest. Laying one finger on my thigh, Remo drew long and slow circles. “Either way, you'll still be mine.”
“Fuck you.” Slapping his hand off my leg, I pounced to my feet. The floor was ice cold, the light fingers of the wood tickled my toes with tiny talons of frost. “You're lying! You stole me! My father wouldn't sell me, he would never give me to a piece of shit like you!”
Puffing my chest, my lungs were strangled by rage. I couldn't breathe, my eyes were engorged and popping from my head. Balling my fists, I stepped into him.
He could try and convince me all he wanted to. But I knew deep down that my father would never willingly leave me with this man.
My father loves me.
The smile that plagued his face sucked the world out from beneath my feet. His tongue slicked his lips, glazing them in sin. “You, Love, have just broken rule one again. I can't let this go, you need to learn a lesson. Obviously you don't respect the rules. . .” His hand came in fast and snagged my wrist. “Which means you don't respect me, but you will, you'll learn quick.”
“Let me go!” Trying to break free, Remo pulled me towards a door to the side. “Let me go!” I screamed, dropping to the floor as my feet slipped and my knees buckled with his strength.
I tried like hell to stop him. My toes angrily scratched the wood looking for even the slightest piece to cling to. Clawing at his arm, I screamed at the top of my lungs, hoping someone would hear me.
But nothing. No one came for me, no one burst through the door to help me.
Stalking to the door, he tore it open. “This is your punishment, this is your fault, Ivy, not mine.” Throwing me into the small room, he slammed the door shut and locked it before I even had the time to get back up. Speaking through the wood, Remo said, “I'm going easy on you because I can see that this is hard for you to swallow. But eat it you will, Love.”
Jumping to my feet, I pounded my fists against the wood. “Let me go! Fuck you! Let me go!” But I was met with silence. Remo didn't answer.
Flopping to my knees, my hands fell lifelessly into my lap.
What the fuck is going on?
What do I do?
The room was pitch black except for the faint glow slipping in from the crack under the door. My mind was in a state of shock. This couldn't be happening.
But it was.
Another surge of adrenaline coursed through my body as I thought about how horrible my family must feel. They were probably out looking for me, searching for me. This couldn't last long, Remo wouldn't be able to hold me here forever.
I was getting out.
Standing, I started to feel around the walls inside the small space. The room was no bigger than a closet, a closet that he turned into a holding chamber.
There were no switches, no shelves, just drywall.
Fuck!
There wasn't even a handle on the inside of the door. I had no way out, I was caught in a seamless world. But when he came for me, I would be ready.
I wasn't weak.
I was a girl raised on a farm, I had gotten my hands dirty on more then one occasion. I'd shoveled shit, baled hay; Fuck, I had even been kicked by one of our cows, I wasn't breakable.
I could take Remo.
Standing against the back wall, I waited. And I didn't care how long I had to stand there, I wasn't going to let down my guard. Remo would come for me, and he would get my fucking foot in his face.
Time seemed to tick by inside my head. My internal clock dinging every sixty seconds to alert me that another minute had passed, another hour had slipped away. By my clock, I was on hour three.
Counting the numbers inside my head, I
finally heard a rustle from outside the door. Leaping forward, I pressed my ear to the wood and listened.
The sound of feet patted around the room, the whoosh of the blanket whipped through the air, followed by the heavy plumping of pillows.
What the hell is he doing?
Cleaning up?
Watching the light that seeped in from under the door, dark shadows passed by like an eclipse. The glow would fade and burst, pop and flick in my dark prison. Then it stopped.
My chest firmed, muscles sparking with nerves.
“Ivy, are you ready to be a good girl?”
His voice sliced my ears and made me sick. Be a good girl? Like I had done something wrong and was in some twisted version of a timeout.
Remo was the one who had crossed the line, Remo was the one who had hit me and locked me up. I hadn't done anything to deserve this type of treatment.
I didn't answer, he wasn't getting a fucking thing from me.
His voice came through louder and more stern. “Ivy, answer me.” I could hear him breathing through the door, the sound was thick and rattled.
Disobedience wasn't something he liked, it seemed to jostle his cage.
Good. Fuck you, asshole.
“Ivy, answer me now or you'll wish you did.” Staying quiet, I balanced on my front leg, ready to strike.
If he wanted to buy a subservient slave. . . He should have gone elsewhere.
That wasn't me.
“Fine, don't answer.” The lock clicked, the door opening slowly with a quiet thunk. “I hope you're ready—”
In one quick snap, I drove my body forward and charged him. Remo was knocked to the floor, his arms falling wildly behind him to catch his weight. “Ahh!” Yelping, a loud rush of air expelled from his lungs. “You fucking bitch!” Twisting quickly, he rolled onto his knees and stood up.
Taking off, I ran out the door and found myself in a maze. Hall after hall was trapping me like a rat in a science experiment. His feet thudded behind me at every turn, but I wasn't going to stop running.
Taking a final turn to the right, I felt his fingers wisp through my hair, latching on and tearing me down. My neck snapped back, body bending unnaturally as Remo threw me to the floor.