Chapter Twenty-Four
Roselyn
A nger travels through my bloodstream like a blues song. I misread things on the night he took me out on a date after Enzo’s death. I misread everything this morning when he showed me kindness. The mafia men don’t have a heart. Period. They kill, steal, and hurt. Why try to connect with him? I shouldn’t even try to. He is who he is. I saw the hurt on his face when I mentioned fucking around on him, so maybe Shelby cheated on him. Who knows and who cares? I’m going to be on the I don’t give a fuck attitude.
I laugh loudly, and a woman exits a stall, staring at me like I’m crazy. I clear my throat, turn the faucet on, and wet my hands, then dry them with a paper towel.
Max comes in and grabs my arm.
“We have to go.”
Before I can comprehend what he said, Max falls to the floor, and the woman and I scream at the top of our lungs. A guy dressed in all black stares down at us. His butler shirt squeezes his muscles, and a wicked grin spreads across his face. He’s the guy who spilled wine on my clothes.
He points to the woman. “Get your ass in the stall, and don’t come out for another thirty minutes.”
She hurries, shutting the door behind her.
The beefy guy looks at me. “Roselyn Vitali.”
Panic seizes in my lungs. He doesn’t even look like he’s part of a mob. My heart hammers in my chest, and the hairs on the back of my neck stand straight on my flesh. I take a step back.
He takes a step forward, snatching me by the arm, and I try to yank away.
“Help! Devious! Devious! Ma—”
He covers my mouth, and I bite his hand and take off running toward the door.
Another guy dressed in all black stands in my way, and I try to zigzag past him, but he removes his gun from his holster, nudging it against my forehead.
“You will shut your damn mouth and leave here with us. If you trigger anyone while we escort you out of here, I’ll make your life a living hell.”
The other guy strips down from his clothes, removes Max’s suit, and puts it on. We head outside into a black SUV. I try to kick the door open, and the guy in the back seat backhands me hard, and I cry out.
“Behave and I won’t hurt you.”
Where the hell is Devious? Has he noticed I’m gone? Maybe he’ll come for me. No, I doubt it. I’ve been a pain in his ass for so long he’s probably happy to get rid of me. Hopefully, I’ll be able to get out of this alive. Oh my God, what if someone is kidnapping me for sex trafficking? How the hell did he know my name and who I was? Tears trickle down my cheeks, and I bite my bottom lip so hard it draws blood.
An hour or so later, we arrive at a run-down warehouse that appears abandoned. Weeds surround the building, and the yellow grass is as tall as my hips.
“Who are you?” I ask, trying to keep the fear out of my tone.
The guy that took me from the bathroom stares at me. “Don’t worry about it.”
“What do you want from me?” I plead.
“Someone paid my boss to kidnap you, and they are going to sell you to a wealthy man. You go for a lot because of your last name. Devious has a lot of enemies,” he states.
What kind of enemies does Devious have? This is why he needs to tell me what goes on in the mafia. How the hell am I supposed to protect myself if he keeps me in the dark about things? I hope I survive this.
I gulp loudly.
The driver comes back and opens the door.
“Get out,” he tells me. I do, and I assess the fields of trees. The sun is starting to set, making the sky bleed orange.
“If you’re thinking about running, it’s stupid. You won’t be able to outrun us—there isn’t a house for the next sixty miles. Now move.” He pushes me forward.
The other guy pushes the door open, and three sets of eyes land on me as I shrink under their stares. They are dressed in expensive suits. I glance around the warehouse. It looks like they use this place a lot. Hardwood floors, a wet bar, a few couches, and a poker table decorate the place. It reeks of booze and sex and illegal shit.
“She’s a lot younger than I thought,” one guy says.
He has rings on each finger, and his eyes are the same color as my mama’s, black as midnight. He’s muscular and thin but has a smile that’s deadly. He’s good-looking, so why does he have to buy a woman?
“Do you not want her?” the other guy asks. He’s more on the large side, and he’s ugly. His face looks like a rat’s. His teeth are the color of gold.
“Yes,” Mr. Good-Looking says. Then he holds out a suitcase full of money. “I can train her. Young women are easy to train.”
What does he mean by train? As if I’m going to be his sex slave. My heart drops in the pit of my stomach.
Mr. Good-Looking strolls up to me and grips my chin, rubbing his fingers on my lips, and a shudder rushes through me. I feel a sense of safety with him, he doesn’t strike me as a person who would hurt women. But warning bells are going off in my head.
“Who are you?” I ask.
“Terrance. Someone put a bounty on your head.”
“Who?”
He shakes his head. “I can’t tell you.”
“What do you want with me?”
“To keep you as my pet.”
I swallow deeply.
He grabs my hand and leads me to an expensive sports car. A driver opens up the door to the back seat.
Maybe I have a chance of running. Those crazy men aren’t behind us, but I don’t know if he has a gun. He might shoot me if I try to run, so I slide in, and he slides in beside me. His driver pulls out of the lot, and we ride for what feels like hours. I fiddle with my wedding band, glancing around and looking down. There is a duffle bag on the floorboard.
He stares at my wedding ring. “Once Devious is dead, you’re not going to wear that anymore. I’ll let you mourn your husband, but do it in silence.”
Fear eats at me like a disease. I want to tell him Devious and I never got along and our marriage isn’t based on love but a debt contract, but I don’t. I’m going to figure out a way to run from him, to escape him. Like I said before, I’m not betting on Devious coming to my rescue. By the end of the month, he’ll probably be married to someone else.
We arrive at a luxury hotel. The driver parks the car outside of the building, and Terrance gets out and comes to my side to open the door, grabbing his duffle bag.
“Come, princess.” He rolls up his sleeves, pushing me toward the entrance. Once we make it to the hotel room, he unzips his bag, and pulls out a pair of handcuffs.
“Remove your clothes,” he says.
I shake my head.
He grabs me by the neck, squeezing tight, then unzips my dress, yanking it down to my ankles. He eyes my breasts and my pussy.
“Next time you tell me no, I’ll beat you.”
I know better than to talk back, so I don’t respond.
He tells me to sit on the bed and place the back of my head on the headboard. Then he places my hands above my head, cuffs me to it. He slides his fingers up my thigh, and up to my panties. I want to fight him, but I’ve learned the more you fight, the more it gives them power over you, and then they are going to do whatever they want to you. My heart thumps in my chest as I bite my lip.
“Don’t worry. Devious will be dead soon. Then you’ll be free from him and in my care. I won’t hurt you the way he did.”
How does he know how Devious treated me? Does he work for him? He looks as powerful as Devious. I want my husband more than ever. At least I know what buttons to push to get Devious upset. I know how he ticks. I know after a long day from work, he tends to be a lot nicer and needy, and he likes to hold me. And he can be kind to me. This guy, I don’t know him.
He doesn’t say anything but runs his hand through his auburn hair.
“Please, let me go. I love Devious,” I lie straight through my teeth.
He sits at the edge of the bed and cups my core, then slides his finger inside of me. “I paid fifteen million dollars for you, and I’m not letting you go, princess. Your pussy is so tight.”
Humiliation lies in the pit of my stomach. I swallow a sob, clamping my eyes shut.
Someone knocks on the door, and I peel my eyes open as two men stride inside. I sigh in relief.
They speak French to each other, and Terrance shuts the door when they leave.