“Whatever you want me to do.” Alberto shrugged. “But you shouldn’t bother with anyone who was that foolish. You should give her to me instead. She’s the one who’s the troublemaker. I could break her for you in no time. She’s only a stupid woman.”
Luca threw back his head and laughed. “Do you hear that, Jane? Alberto doesn’t tolerate troublemakers, and he doesn’t appreciate your uniqueness. I think I need to explain you to him.” He was no longer looking at Alberto, but at Jane. “Or let you demonstrate that uniqueness. There’s no way she’s in any way stupid. She’s an artist, Alberto. She looks deeper, sees more than other people. For instance, I’d wager that she knows exactly who we all are and our capabilities just from being with us this short time. Isn’t that right, Jane?”
What game was he playing? “There’s not much to know,” she said coldly. “You’re all fairly shallow.”
“But I won’t have anyone believe I’d select anything less than quality goods.” His hand reached out and closed on her thigh. “So you’ll show Alberto and Davron how exceptional you’ll be when properly trained.”
She looked down at his hand. She could feel its warmth through the material of her slacks. She hated him touching her. Don’t fight it. Not yet. She had to explore every avenue to find what would work and what would not. She had to find the key to escaping this place. “Why would you want to impress them? They’re nothing to you.”
“You’re wrong. Every ruler must have subjects. Why else did I waste all those years and effort making Alberto and his bloodthirsty friends accept me in that capacity?” His hand tightened with bruising force on her thigh. She inhaled sharply at the pain but somehow managed to keep her face without expression. He added softly, “Now show them I chose well. I think Davron first. I do hope you won’t hurt his feelings. I told you how fascinated he was with Fiona’s portrait.”
She forced herself to look at Russell Davron. “Weak. Not particularly evil, unless not fighting against it is evil in itself. He’s afraid of you and he’d like to be you. But only because of the power you wield. He probably thinks he’s much more intelligent and has a better eye for art.” She tilted her head appraisingly. “I also think he might be a little vain and lazy, but I can’t see anything else. However, you just tolerate him, and I believe you’ve already made a decision about him. He won’t like that decision.”
Davron tried to laugh. “Ridiculous.”
Luca ignored him. “Now Alberto.”
Jane’s gaze shifted to Alberto. “He is a giant, isn’t he? He’s not afraid of you. He reminds me of one of those statues on Easter Island. Brutal, crude, primitive.” She paused. “Evil? Yes, maybe as evil as you are. You like that about him. You’re very intelligent and don’t permit yourself to give vent very often to that totally black soul of yours. But as long as you have this Alberto under control, you have the best of both worlds. He might be your alter ego.” Her glance shifted to Luca’s face. “Is he?”
“Perhaps.” His gaze was narrowed on her face. “But you’d better hope that I keep that ego firmly at bay.” He was suddenly smiling recklessly. “You’ve done very well with them. Now it’s my turn. I have to caution you to be very careful. I wouldn’t want you to hurt my feelings. I might lash out and damage you.”
“Then I’d do better not to speak at all. Everything I think about you tends to be obscene.”
“But that’s not your choice. I want my turn with that scathing tongue. Give it to me.” His fingers were digging in and out on the soft flesh of her thigh. “Who knows? I might not punish you.”
He was already punishing her. Ignore it. It appeared she wasn’t the only one who was curious and wanted to explore the boundaries. She turned to look at him. “You have every intention of punishing me. You’ve been looking forward to it. It’s just a question of what form it will take. You won’t choose something ordinary. You’ll want to prove something to me.”
“How very clever of you. I do have a few ideas that might suffice. Now tell me what you see when you look at me.”
“Blood.”
His lips tightened. “What else? That was too easy. I’ve already shown you that side of me. I won’t be cheated.”
“I suppose you’d be considered quite handsome if anyone was able to ignore the coldness. You’re well spoken and appear educated, which is amazing if you weren’t lying to me about your parentage and background.”
“I wasn’t.” His voice was suddenly reverberating with intensity. “But I didn’t look upon them as my real parents. I was only a small child when I began to groom myself to be the man I knew I was to become. From the moment I looked at that portrait of Cosimo de Medici at the museum, I realized my true destiny. I knew then I’d have to start to educate myself.”
Probe a little more. Every bit of knowledge might prove valuable. “To emulate the Medicis? You were reaching a little too high, weren’t you?”
“No, the Medicis were a banking family who started out with money, but they still had to fight to become the kingmakers and art patrons they intended to be. But they knew they’d be able to do it.” He smiled. “There’s even a family portrait of the Medicis that they commissioned that showed them not as a business banking family, but in the robes of the Magi. That’s how they saw themselves.” He gave a half shrug. “Even though they sometimes used poison and murder to accomplish their aims. That was when I realized that I might have to cheat and steal and do whatever was necessary to reach my goals, too. Ambition and drive can take you anywhere you want to go, but you must have direction. The Medicis gave me that direction.”
“It’s too bad you couldn’t channel all that drive into something more positive than thievery and murder.” Her gaze was still searching his face. “You try to keep from showing it, but there’s something…missing. You’re…unfinished. And, in spite of all your plots and ambitions, it’s frustrating you.” She shook her head. “Interesting. If I thought I could bear all the darkness inside you, I might even like to paint you. But I’m no masochist.”
“Yet you must have painted Caleb,” he said mockingly. “I’m sure he’s as dark as I am.”
She shook her head. “I’ve sketched Caleb, but I’ve never done a painting.” She paused. “And he’s nothing like you. There’s nothing missing. Sometimes there’s too much.”
“But I’m glad that you’ve never done a painting of him. I want to be the first,” he said. “It’s already on my list. You’re going to be a great artist and I should reap the benefit of being immortalized.”
“I’m not a masochist,” she repeated.
“You will do it.” He banked the helicopter. “We’re almost there. Right over the next hill, you’ll see Fiero.”
“Fiero?” Her gaze flew to his face. “That’s where you’re taking me?”
“Not at once. That would be a little obvious. Just a brief passing glimpse. You should see it, since it’s Seth Caleb’s family home. He’s never taken you there, has he?”
“No, he hasn’t lived there since he was a teenager. It doesn’t have the most pleasant memories for him.” She was staring at the huge stone castle as it came into view. “Renaissance-gloomy and ostentatious. Why did you want me to see it?”
“Because I want to tell him you’ve seen it and I was the one who showed it to you. Talk about darkness? It’s bred in Seth Caleb. He knows everything that’s ever happened here. And in the beginning of his family history, there was nothing that wasn’t dark. It will make him…uneasy that I brought you there. I like the idea of being able to do that. I told you that Caleb was very important to my plans.” He was now flying away from Fiero and over the hills, and he didn’t speak again for another thirty minutes. “Fiero fascinates me, but I can wait. I’ve waited a long time already for it. Several years ago, I had a much smaller place built in preparation for this visit. I can’t tell you how I’ve been anticipating having you here to see it. It’s very luxurious, well hidden, tucked among the lakes. And you’ll notice that I’ve arranged fo
r more than enough sentries on the property to keep you from leaving me. We should be there in another few minutes. You’ll see it soon…”
She was already seeing it.
She lost her breath, freezing.
A round stone tower.
The trees bordering either side of the walk.
The huge oak door.
No crucifix.
But there was something dark that might be blood staining that door.
Luca was smiling maliciously as he watched her face. “That’s right, I showed you that photo with the boy. How foolish of me to think that you might not recognize that door. But aren’t you happy that your Michael is safe with his father instead of here with us? You should be grateful to me.”
“Who…was that…boy?”
“Presently.” The helicopter was descending. “Tell me you’re grateful that your Michael isn’t nailed on that door.”
“Of course I’m grateful,” she said fiercely. “But to God, not you. Is that other boy alive?”
“Such a soft heart.” He turned off the rotors and jumped out of the helicopter. “Come along and see for yourself. You too, Alberto. I know you’re eager.” Luca had already reached the door of the tower. “You see, not too much blood on the door.” He opened the door for her. “But then he was a small child.”
He was moving across the foyer to a door opposite the main entrance. He threw it open. “And the boy’s name is Tomas. Go in and look him over, Alberto.”
Alberto pushed past Jane into the room and strode over to the bed against the wall where a dark-haired young woman was hovering over a little boy.
Jane knew that little boy. She had sketched him, agonized over his agony.
And the child was looking at Alberto and screaming!
The woman was crying hysterically, standing in front of the boy to protect him.
Jane instinctively started to move forward to help her.
“No!” Luca’s hand grasped her arm. “Wait.”
Alberto struck the woman and she fell to the floor. His hands grasped her throat and pulled her to her feet, firing questions at her as she struggled to answer him.
“Enough,” Luca told him. “You need her to care for the boy.”
Alberto’s face was twisted as he stared at Luca over his shoulder. “Rosa said he’ll be well enough whenever I’m ready,” Alberto said. “When can I finish it?”
“When I say,” Luca said. “Go away. I’ll call you when I need you.”
“You should have let me finish.” Alberto was glowering at him. “He belongs to me. You said I could have him.”
“Get out. You forget yourself.”
Alberto turned on his heel and strode out of the room.
“Introductions are in order.” Luca turned to Jane and gestured to the weeping boy in the bed. “Tomas.” He nodded at the woman. “And his mother, Rosa. Did you enjoy the show? It was even more dramatic than I thought it would be. Alberto really should have had more control over his wife.”
Jane tore her arm from his grasp and the next instant was helping the woman to her feet. “He was choking her, dammit. Show? Are you going to tell me what’s going on here?”
“I’ve only been waiting for you to ask.” He glanced at the boy’s mother. “Stop crying and get out of here.”
“Please don’t tell Alberto to hurt him, sir.” Her voice broke. “Not again.”
“But you told him yourself your son was well enough,” he said mockingly.
“Please…” she repeated. “I only told him what he wanted to hear. If I hadn’t told him Tomas was better, he would have killed me.”
Jane couldn’t stand it. Luca was enjoying this too much. “Your son won’t be hurt,” she told the woman. “Just go sit over there in the corner and be quiet.”
The woman hesitated and then scurried over and curled up against the far wall.
“You might not be able to keep that promise, Jane,” Luca said. “But at least she’s not wailing.”
“You didn’t answer me. What’s going on here?”
“Why, Alberto has found his true calling in the cult. I believe he must have been very bored before I came back here and helped him and his fellow cult members to release their inner demons. They only needed a Grand Master to lead them. At times I have to keep him from being overenthusiastic.” He smiled. “He even came up with the idea of offering his son as a sacrifice on his own. He thought it would give him more prestige.”
She stared at him in horror. “In your eyes?”
He shrugged. “He wanted to impress me. But he also has ambitions to take over as Grand Master if I decide to step away from the cult. Since I have no intention of staying active when I complete my final plans, I decided to let him have his day. Of course, I knew it would increase my own influence with the cult to sanction it. It takes boldness to use a child to make that kind of statement. Prestige is everything. And, if I decide to return to the cult for any reason, Alberto would be grateful enough to give me anything I wanted…as long as he could get rid of me quickly.”
She was staring at him in disbelief. “And his mother let that son of a bitch do that to her son?”
“As you saw, she had objections, but Alberto can be convincing.”
She felt dazed. “You’re all beasts.” She moved over to the bed. “How old is he? Seven? Eight?” Tomas had stopped crying but was still staring up at her with desperation. Then she was looking down at the child’s bandaged hands and wrists and felt sick. “Will he be able to use his hands again?”
“Perhaps with decent surgery. I told them to be careful with the wrist piercings and to tie his lower body securely to the cross so that his weight wouldn’t pull and cause additional trauma. I even had him given antibiotics and sewn up afterward by one of the cult members who worked at a hospital in Venice. I gave the boy every chance to survive.” He paused. “That’s providing I decide not to let Alberto finish the job. When I made him take Tomas down after only a few hours, he was very upset, as you saw.” He shrugged. “But I already had what I needed. All I wanted was to send you that photo as a message so that you’d get the comparison to your Michael I was looking for.”
She stared at him in disbelief. “You’re saying this was all for me? You put this child on a crucifix because you wanted to hurt me?”
He smiled. “I thought it might not be wise to take Michael if I decided a trade was in order. I knew I might have to treat you with a certain delicacy in the beginning. I was afraid your feeling for him might just get in the way of your lessons. So I had to have a powerful alternative for demonstration purposes.” He added softly, “Tell me, is the punishment extraordinary enough? Have I proved anything to you by it?”
She was looking down at those bloody bandages. “You’ve proved that you’re a demon from hell.” She leaned forward and gazed down into the boy’s enormous dark eyes. “Does he speak English?”
“Yes. It was helpful for me to have Alberto know it, and I had his family taught as well.”
“I’m sorry this happened to you, Tomas,” she whispered. “I promise I’ll do everything I can to make it up to you.”
“Why? You didn’t…hurt me.” His voice was shaking, but he wasn’t sobbing any longer. “It was him. It was my father. It’s always him. And I don’t know why.” Tears were running down his cheeks again. “I never know why. What did I do?”
What could she tell him? That he had been born within this hideous circle where the weak were devoured by the strong? “You did nothing,” she said hoarsely. “Your father is an evil man who should have been on that crucifix instead of you. But you mustn’t think about him, it will only make you more frightened and unhappy. Just sleep and get well.”
He shook his head. “He’ll come back.”
“No, he won’t.” She raised her eyes to meet Luca’s across the room. “I’ll find a way to keep him away from you. Now close your eyes and go to sleep. Try to dream about things that make you happy. Trust me.”
“
Dream?” His lids were already closing. “But all I see is their faces and the blood…”
Jane drew a deep breath and turned away from the boy to his mother. “Watch him,” she said curtly. “I’ll be back to take a look at those wounds.” She moved across the room to Luca. “Get me out of here. We need to talk,” she said through clenched teeth. “You’ve had your fun. Did you enjoy it?”
“Exceedingly.” He was smiling. “I’m still enjoying it. Even the drama Alberto provided added its own bit of thrill. You reacted just as I thought you would. All the pathos and sympathy, all the horror and strength. It was quite touching. I was complimenting myself that I’d called it so accurately.”
“I told you that I knew you’d punish me.” She had to keep her voice steady. “But I admit I didn’t expect this. Torturing a little boy just to stage a way to threaten and control me.”
“You should have expected it. I’ll do anything to make certain I always win.” His voice was almost gentle as he added, “Haven’t you realized yet that I’ve managed to eliminate any feelings that I find inconvenient? Actually, I regard this interview with Tomas as a complete success.” He opened the door for her. “But it’s time I showed you your apartment now. It’s just down the hall.”
“Not a dungeon?”
“Of course not. I’ll be occupying it with you whenever I choose, so that would be foolish. I always appreciate the very best.”
She could tell that by the rich furnishings and carpets of the hall. She was finding out a lot about Luca. That last exchange alone had revealed that he was more sociopath than psychopath. Though the two disorders shared many elements, Luca’s control and ability to handle the cult set him apart. It was necessary that she keep that fact in mind as well as everything else about him going forward. “And the reason you believe bringing me to Tomas is a success is that you think you can use him.”
The Persuasion Page 27