Broken Beauty

by Stella Andrews

  She stops and looks at me through tortured eyes. “When I saw him sitting there, it’s as if everything played out in slow motion. Luckily, Anastasia was spared and the door closed behind me. I was so afraid, Maverick. I saw the madness in his eyes and knew I was in terrible trouble.”

  I try to remain composed but inside a fury is building that is hard to control. Then she sighs. “He hit me so hard my head hit the window and I must have blacked out because the next thing I knew, I woke up tied to a wall in a steel building. I wasn’t alone.”

  She breaks off and for the first time since she started her tale, I see emotion in her face as she squeezes her eyes tightly shut and a tear escapes that she brushes angrily away. When she looks at me, I can see the torment in her expression as her breath hitches. “There was a woman tied to the wall with her arms above her head. She was almost dead, or so it seemed. She was naked and bruised and there was so much blood. It was a horror story that only got worse when I saw two children cowering on the ground in front of her, their eyes wide and frightened. They were also tied up and can only have been around 7 or 8. One was a boy and one a girl and the look they gave me will live with me to my dying day. They had so much fear in their eyes, I could taste it. I couldn’t speak because there was a filthy rag binding my mouth and the ropes cut into my skin whenever I tried to move. My head hurt so much and yet I tried to stay strong for those children’s sakes.”

  She looks at me with more strength and I know the memories are driving it because she hisses, “It turns out they were the family of the man who betrayed us. His wife and kids were held under the promise he would set them free when I was in his custody. The bastard never had any intention of it because he mocked us by telling us in graphic detail what he would do to them. The sick bastard raped the woman in front of us all and if the kids made a sound, he silenced them with a punch to the stomach. They were terrified and that poor woman was trying so hard to be strong and brave for their sakes. It seemed like hours later that he increased his perverted pleasure and turned his attention to the children. He stripped the girl and told us he was going to rape her in front of her mother and brother. She was crying and he held her down and I thought I was going to pass out I wanted to hurl so much. But the bastard just pulled out a needle and injected her with drugs. She was thrown against the wall like a rag doll and then he did the same to the boy, all the time taunting the mother and telling her how she would watch her kids die a slow painful death before he cut her up into pieces.”

  I feel sick to my stomach and I wasn’t even there. It’s no wonder Sophia is broken; anyone would be dealing with the horror she witnessed first-hand. I’ve dealt with shit in my life but never have I witnessed anything even close to this and instinctively reach out and pull her to my side.

  She begins to shake in my arms and says fearfully, “At least the kids were asleep and the woman appeared to have passed out. I really thought she was dead, but it meant the space was filled with silence for the first time since I arrived and then he turned his attention to me.”

  Her voice breaks as she re-lives the horror and says fearfully, “He enjoyed tormenting me. He told me everything he was going to do to me in a hoarse whisper. He ran a knife up my leg and under my skirt and held it there. He told me he was going to rape me first and then do the same with the knife. He was going to let me live because there was a worse fate in store for me.”

  I watch as she closes down before my eyes by pulling back and turning away, so I pull her head to face me and say with a hard edge to my voice, “Tell me.”

  She blinks and I see the fear return as she falters and then says in a whisper. “He told me what was going to happen. When my parents were slaughtered by him and his family, I thought that was the worst thing that could happen. When Tobias did the same to his, it was an eye for an eye. The rules we understand and live by. But Carlos told me of an approaching storm that involved me and my family that would make history repeat itself and I would lose everything I loved if I didn’t agree.”

  “Agree to what?”

  “To merge our family with another who was coming for us.”

  I can feel the pressure building as a white light goes off inside my head, as she whispers, “Someone was coming who was far more powerful than the Moretti’s and Toledo’s combined. They wanted it all and they were prepared to fight a dirty war. My only way of stopping it was to marry into that family and allow them to take over. Everyone knew that Tobias had never wanted to take his role at the head of the family. That was always Thomas’s job, but when he was killed, Tobias had to step up. That made us weak, which meant they could destroy us all in no time if they wanted to. Carlos told me I was to be given to the head of that family in exchange for his freedom. He would pledge his allegiance to them and I would be imprisoned in a loveless marriage in a world I hate more than life itself. I had no say in the matter and if the family wouldn’t agree to his terms, he would send me back to Tobias the same way he sent Thomas back to us.”

  Shaking her head, she pulls away and plays with her fingers nervously, before saying, “Then the Reapers stormed the building and the rest you know. The woman and children were set free and I was brought here. Carlos was handed to Tobias to dispose of and I was free to return with him. But how can I ever go there? There is a war approaching that will cost lives and tear my family apart. I’m the only one who can save us from certain death, but if I agree, I am sentencing myself to death by marriage. I just need time to work out how to play this because I can’t tell Tobias because he would overreact and go in all guns blazing. What do I do, Maverick, because I could sure use some advice right now?”

  I can feel my heart hardening with every word she speaks. Every shiver, every groan, every shaky word she says, pierces my heart. I have to know and yet fear the answer.

  “What are their names?”

  She turns away and I grab her face so hard she flinches under my hand. “I said, what are their names?”

  I feel wild and out of control and think I know the answer before she says the word I fear the most.

  “Romano.”

  19

  Sophia

  The look on Maverick’s face is scaring me. He looks so angry I should fear for my life right now. I’ve never seen fury like it and can almost taste the anger that surrounds him like a force-field. He stands and paces the room, curling and uncurling his fist, demonstrating that he is on the edge of losing control and for the first time since I met him, I feel frightened.

  I don’t speak because words are not what he needs right now. He is dealing with some serious shit and needs time. So, I sit silently, waiting for the storm to break that I brought to his door. I feel so guilty and wish I hadn’t said anything, but how was I to know it would affect him this deeply?

  He moves to the window and stares out into the darkness and my heart goes out to him. What is running through his head? It’s difficult to say, so I wait.

  Then he turns and the look he gives me makes me want to curl into a ball and hide forever. He has changed in an instant and I don’t recognize the man.

  He is cold, aloof and angry with a silent strength that warns not to approach. I think I’ve done the wrong thing and then he says in a harsh voice, “We will deal with this.”

  “But how?”

  I look at him in fear because, how can we? Can the Reapers really take on this war for us? I doubt it. Why would they?

  Then Maverick changes again and comes and kneels before me, taking my hand in his and raising it to his lips.

  His breath sears my skin and brands me his and as I look up, he growls and fists my hair and pulls me toward him. There’s a frantic energy that drives us as we crash together like a ship on rocks. He tears at my clothes and I do the same to him because the only thing we want is to be naked. This is frantic, dirty love and is built on trust because anyone looking in right now would call the cops. The lamp goes flying as we crash into the table and the rug burns my skin as I scrape against it
as he pushes me down and thrusts inside. I claw his back and fist his hair and swear I draw blood because his roar should scare me, but it drives me harder. He pushes inside me like a dirty beast and I love every minute of it. I just bared my soul to him and it wasn’t enough. He wants all of me and I’m happy to invite him in. He owns me because I have been stripped bare in every way as he takes from me what no one has ever had.

  Maverick claims me like a caveman and I love every minute of it. I scream his name as he pushes in harder, faster, deeper. He holds me down and the delicate skin on my arms puckers under his touch, but I don’t care. I want him, all of him, and this is exactly what I’m getting. Dirty, rough sex, but so much more. It’s a union of lost souls and as I clench his cock, he groans, “Come for me, baby because I can’t hold on.”

  As I cum all over his cock, I scream his name and with a roar, he pulls out and coats my breasts with every last delicious sticky drop of his release.

  Then he wraps me in his arms and holds me tight and I feel his heart beating fast as our sweat glues us together. He holds me so tenderly but with an ownership that wraps me in protection and then he says huskily, “Pack your bags.”

  I pull away and feel the fear return. He’s sending me away. How did I get this so wrong? He’s sending me home to face this because there can be no other explanation.

  Abruptly he pulls away and stands, walking around the room like an angry god in his naked glory. I feel so betrayed as he turns away and says in an emotionless voice. “I said go and pack your bags.”

  “But?”

  I want to ask so many questions but he has shut down before my eyes. I trusted him and he is turning his back on me.

  I don’t know what to say and gather my clothes, feeling used, dirty and filthy. Did he mean to make me feel like a cheap whore? Is this because he has some grudge against the mafia? I don’t do mafia, he said. Well, he just did and now I’m left out in the cold while he turns his back on me.

  With a sob, I gather my clothes and run. I want to keep on running because how can I just pack my bags and leave? He can’t make me, surely?

  So, I run to my room and lock the door behind me. This can’t be happening. What did happen? I thought we were on the same page, but the minute that name left my lips, he changed. What is he hiding?

  I scrub every inch of my body in the shower and it still won’t remove the memory of his touch. I wash my hair and scrub my nails that raked his skin not thirty minutes ago. As I dress in the clothes I came in, I stare at myself in the mirror. Sophia Moretti, bitch from hell. Maybe I need to draw on that now because Maverick has betrayed me, I thought he was different.

  A gentle knock on the door takes me by surprise and as I open it, I’m amazed to see Ashton looking at me sympathetically.

  “I’m sorry, honey.”

  “Why, what’s happening?”

  She pushes her way in and pulls me in for a hug, rubbing circles on my back and saying softly, “I’ll help you with your things.”

  “You’re really sending me back?”

  My voice is but a whisper because I can’t believe it’s come to this. She pulls back and shakes her head. “Of course, we’re not sending you back. You’re going to face your fear with a warrior beside you.”

  “What?”

  I sit on the bed in disbelief and she takes the space beside me and squeezes my hand. “Maverick told Ryder you were leaving first thing in the morning. He is setting everything in place now. I’m to help you pack and make sure you get a good night’s sleep because it’s some trip you’re heading on.”

  “Where are we going?” I almost don’t want to know and I can’t believe that Maverick is coming too.

  Shaking her head, Ashton says with pity laced through her voice, “I don’t know. They don’t tell me the details, but wherever it is, it’s resolving your situation.”

  “But Maverick, he was so angry. Why is he helping me?”

  “Only he knows the answer to that. I know Ryder told me it’s difficult for him. Whatever his problem, it’s deep rooted and concerns the mafia. Ryder told me that he never gets involved with anything concerning the mafia but wouldn’t say why. This will be hard for him, honey, so go a little easy and he’ll tell you what you need to know when he’s good and ready.”

  Now I feel even worse and she puts her arm around me and says reassuringly. “He’s a good guy under that rough exterior. Trust him and you’ll be fine. Do whatever he says because he will only have your best interests at heart.”

  “Will I come back?” I fear her answer because I’m not ready to face the outside world and this place is the only one I feel safe.

  “I’m sure you will but it will be because you want to. Who knows where your journey is going to end but if it’s right back here, then you can expect a welcome home party? If not, then I’ll miss you. We all will but none more than Cassie and Caspian. I hope you do come back because I like having you around. We could be good friends and this place is not as scary as you think it is.”

  For a moment we just sit in silence as I try to process the turn of events. Where are we going? I have my suspicions and if it’s what I fear, then god help me.

  20

  Maverick

  I haven’t slept; I haven’t eaten, and I haven’t got the guts to tell Sophia where we’re heading.

  Romano. How that name makes the blood freeze in my veins. I knew it would be them. Fate’s a bitch and has dealt me a low blow that I’m not sure what to do about. Do I tell Sophia and risk her walking away, or do I wing it and hope I can sort this without washing my dirty laundry in public?

  As soon as she told me, it sent me wild. I fell on her like a savage beast because it was instinctive. I wanted to brand her as mine in a desperate attempt to keep her but how can I? She’s right, this is bigger than both of us and I’m not sure I’ll be able to save her this time. Am I prepared to unlock my own demons, to chase hers away? Do I love her that much? We’ve just met and yet it’s as if we’ve always known we would arrive at this point. I have been running from this and thought I’d arrived at a safe place. I will never be free—of them and a past that haunts my future. Fuck me, I need a drink.

  As I dress, I distract the bitter taste in my mouth by picturing Sophia. What must she be thinking? I was so cold for a reason. She will soon discover why I must be that way, but she will be hurt and disappointed in me. Maybe she should be. Maybe she should hate me for what I’m about to do. I hate myself and I hate where I’m heading.

  As I look in the mirror, I shiver that runs deep inside. He’s back. I don’t do mafia, but that’s a joke because the person staring back at me is mafia through and through. From the pulled slicked back hair, to the dark tailored suit. A black shirt with a black tie and the darkest shades in my pocket. To face the mafia, you have to be one and I hate every part of my body that welcomes this suit like an old friend. I don’t do mafia because I am one.

  Grabbing my bag, I take one last look in the mirror and set my mood.

  As I walk to the courtyard where the car is waiting, I try not to think about what I’m leaving behind. Will I be back? I’ll do my darndest to make it but nothing is certain when you dance with the devil. It’s early for a reason. I don’t want to answer awkward questions when the Reapers wake and see me dressed this way. Some of them know already, but some don’t. The whores know nothing and that’s just how I wanted it to remain. Maverick is a Reaper, created to escape a past that leaves a bitter taste on my tongue. I know Sophia because I walk in her footsteps.

  As the driver stows my bag, I hear her approach, her heels clicking on the ground behind me. As I turn, she takes a step back as she sees me properly for the first time. She stares in disbelief at the black SUV waiting for us and I see the bitter realization that she will never be free flood her beautiful face. As she draws near, she stares at me with contempt and says in a cold voice, “You should have told me.”

  “Get in the car.”

  I’m cold and brutal bec
ause to know me she has to see me first hand. I open the door and she heads inside without a look in my direction and as the driver holds the other door open, I join her with a whole load of regret as a passenger. I can’t look at the Rubicon as it disappears from view because it’s where I’m going I need to concentrate on now.

  It doesn’t take long before Sophia asks the question I always knew was coming. “Who are you?”

  “I’m your protector, your best friend, your lover and your worst nightmare rolled into one.”

  “That doesn’t answer my question.”

  “Yes, it does.”

  She makes to speak but I place my finger over her lips and say in a cold voice.

  “You asked me what I was hiding from. Your answer sits beside you. The only way you will ever truly understand, is if you see first-hand what that means. I will show you who I am, not tell you. I will prove to you that I was right to hide and you may not like what you discover. The one thing I can assure you is that I have your best interests at heart. I am not doing this for me, it’s all for you, to set you free, at least I hope it is. What you need to understand is that there are no guarantees when you deal with the Romanos. You will see and hear things you will hate and will not pass comment on. You will do everything I tell you even if it tears at your soul and you will not question me. Do I make myself clear?”

  She pulls away and nods, looking down at her hands and I hate the wall that has built up between us. I want to tear it down and tell her everything will be alright. I want to hold her in my arms and tell her I’ll take care of her and nothing will ever harm her when she is by my side. But I can’t. I can’t make promises I can’t keep, so it has to be this way—for now. She has to believe that I am ruthless, cold and calculating and she has to witness that first hand. In order to save an angel, I need to break her first and that will be the hardest part of all.

  The jet is standing by and as we draw up to the steps, I see the trappings of filthy money. A sleek silver jet with a black interior. It’s always black. Black everything to reflect the dirt we deal with—hell, the dirt we are.