9. SIENNA
9
SIENNA
I’ve almost got the damn knot figured out; I just need to keep him talking until I can get myself loose. Though he’s doing a damn good job of trying to distract me, sitting there in his stuffy suit coat, the collar of his white dress shirt unbuttoned, dark slacks, and shiny shoes. The man looks like he should be on the cover of a magazine, and it’s fucking distracting. He thinks I want him to get close to untie me, but if there was one thing I learned from all the lessons from my mother, as well as Rori, it’s that you can always escape if you have enough time and can keep a clear head. Not to mention they taught me all kinds of ways to get out of different restraints. Though, Alessio certainly knows some complicated knots.
Unlucky for him, I’m damn resourceful, and became adept at picking apart knots as a kid. I learned to get out of this one in less than five minutes. I just need to make sure he doesn’t catch on. So, talking it is.
“Fuck you, Alessio,” I hiss at him. “You’re sick in the head if you think any of that is going to fly. I’m my own person, and I belong to no one. Especially not a spoiled rich boy that relies on fear and intimidation to get what he wants. If you want a woman to simper at your feet and belong to you, as you put it, you’re barking up the wrong tree.”
“We’re all a little sick in the head, Sienna,” he replies, seemingly unfazed by my insults. “I embrace mine and live my life the way I want to. As for fear and intimidation…” He gets to his feet, making me pause. The man moves like a wolf stalking its prey, and a trickle of apprehension moves through me. The look on his face turns from easygoing to dark and predatory, and then he leans down, putting both hands on the mattress as he leans forward so his face is close to mine. I don’t pull away, though everything in me is screaming to be cautious. This isn’t the Alessio I’ve been dealing with; that easygoing facade disappears to reveal an entirely different man. His eyes are dark, hard, and alive with something sinister that has my heart pounding in my chest. This is the face of a killer, one that will slit your throat without care or question. “You haven’t known true fear, Sienna,” he says so softly that I’m almost sure I’m not hearing him properly. “Do not make the mistake of thinking that anything I have done up until now is even remotely close to what I’m capable of. I’ve allowed you far more lenience than most would give you, and while I enjoy your feisty spirit, do not mistake me for weak like those pussy-assed men you’ve been with in the past.” He eases back, and the darkness retreats behind the mask. He’s once again the same smirking Alessio as before.
If it were anyone else, I would wonder if I’d imagined the whole thing. I feel bad for the people who realize it too late that Alessio is far darker than they realize. I doubt he’ll kill me, but there are other ways he can make me hurt, or break me into pieces, which means I need to get far away from him and quickly. But first, I have to get out of this fucking knot.
“You think that’s going to endear me to wanting to marry you? You think I don’t know already that you’re a weapon in a fancy suit? I’m not stupid, Alessio. I grew up in Europe for most of my childhood, and we heard all about the mafia. My parents refused to vacation in Italy for a very long time because of it. And now you expect me to go with you into that life willingly? You’re crazy. No sane, normal person would make that choice and think life would ever be the same.”
He says nothing for a moment, watching me. I hold his stare, all while subtly working my fingers to loosen the tie. At least it is soft, or my wrists would be rubbed raw. Finally, he says, “No one is ever truly normal, Sienna. You haven’t been normal your entire life, even if you think you have. How many kids have trained the way you have? You practice various kinds of martial arts, have weapons training and survival training. A normal kid doesn’t learn that shit. They go to school, learn pointless mathematics, fall in and out of love with other stupid teenagers, and get on with their boring existences. You’re nowhere near normal, Sienna – you're far more suited to this life than you are to theirs. You just don’t want to admit it.”
“Being prepared is common sense. It doesn’t mean I want to start working with the fucking mafia,” I spit. The man is clearly insane, and the sooner I get away from him the better. “Not to mention all the other terrible shit you all are involved in. Guns, drugs, trafficking, and any other seedy business you can think of. I want no part of it. Ever.”
“All ‘seedy business’ makes the world go round in some way,” Alessio shrugs. “But just so we’re clear, Carusos don’t deal with human trafficking. Ever. Everything else is fair game, but my father long ago declared that nothing of that sort would ever pass through our territory, by us or anyone else, and we’ve kept it that way for decades. Whether you like it or not, Sienna, you are a part of it. You are the daughter of one such man, and it runs through your veins purely because of your birth. There is no escaping it, no matter how much you want to bury your head in the sand.”
“I might have to acknowledge it, but being an active participant in it is something else entirely,” I argue. Just a few more minutes and I’ll be free.
His expression turns to one of mocking amusement. “You make it sound like being my wife would mean you’ll be in the thick of things, getting to decide who lives and dies, coniglietto . You will do nothing of the sort. Being my wife means you are protected from it all. It will never touch you. Neither will any of our enemies, which includes your family.”
“But marrying you would mean I support such things, even if my hands aren’t actually getting dirty. I’m never going to condone the drug trade, not even passively. I want no part of parents abusing and neglecting their children in favor of getting high, or selling their kids to some sick fuck who would hurt them in exchange for a fix . I will not be someone who supplies weapons to groups that would actively use them against innocent people just because they can, or be the cause of someone shooting up a school. I could go on and on. You’re an idiot if you think I’m going to give up my life, my freedom, for something as dark and twisted as this.”
Alessio moves forward, his knees touching the edge of the mattress. I have to crane my head back to hold his stare. “Do you think that darkness and evil will never exist in this world, Sienna?” he asks simply. “That just because you don’t support it or agree with it, it will all stop? The only thing I’ll tell you is that we have a code we adhere to, and so do our men. If they don’t, they’ll end up as shark food. But none of your arguments are going to persuade me into letting you go, because I am not a good man, Sienna. I have never claimed to be, and that means if you’re trying to appeal to some sliver of humanity still inside me, you’re going to be very disappointed.”
“No, clearly not, because a good man doesn’t chase innocent women and declare he’s going to force her to marry and fuck him. Though now I’m wondering, what would you have done when you found me if I had a husband, or maybe a child? Would you have killed them to get to me? All because of this stupid war that doesn’t involve me in the first place?”
Alessio’s eyes go dark and stormy, and quick as a snake, his hand snaps out and grips me by the back of the neck as he leans over me, his knee sinking into the mattress. His hold isn’t painful, but there is no mistaking the power in his grip, or in his stare. The scent of him surrounds me again, and even though I try not to inhale too deeply, it affects me all the same. Desire flashes through me, and I silently curse as my clit starts to throb and my panties go damp. Why the hell does he have to be so fucking hot and dominant? It’s like the universe has decided to throw the one man at me I shouldn’t want, and expects me to handle it on my own.
Well, I can and will, because Alessio is not going to seduce me. Ever.
“You want to know what I’d do, Sienna?” he purrs silkily. “I would gladly put a bullet in his head for daring to touch you. For daring to call you his and have you wrapped up in his arms every night. For daring to hear the cries of ecstasy you make when your cum soaks his dick. Because all of that, it belongs to me. Your body is mine to touch, hold, and seduce. Your words of love and devotion, they belong to me. Your screams when I take you to the edge over and over again, they belong to me. And if you had children with the fucker, they would also belong to me. They would be my children, they would bear my name, and I would erase him from their world. He would cease to exist for you and for them. Because you’re mine, Sienna. You were mine the day you were born, only neither of us knew it. The sooner you accept that, the sooner we’ll get on with living our lives.”
“You’re insane,” I breathe out, shocked. But why the fuck is my heart pounding over his fucked up words?
His lips quirk, and his other hand comes up to cup my chin. I still, unsure of what he’s about to do or say. His thumb comes up to rub over my bottom lip and I barely manage to keep from snapping my teeth at him. “Happily. But lucky for you, none of that is your reality: no stupid bastard has to die for touching what isn’t his, and the only children you’ll be having are mine. And just so we’re clear, I want a large family. A boy with my face and your temper. A little girl with her mother’s beauty and intellect, who will keep me on my toes long after she’s grown and builds a family of her own. I want however many we can have, all of which we’ll make in our bed, in every position we can think of, as you scream my name night after night. Because every part of you belongs to me, Sienna. And even then when we are both done with this life, in heaven or hell, I’ll find you and start all over again for the rest of eternity.” His grip on my chin tightens as he leans down and presses his mouth hard to mine for a quick, punishing kiss before he pulls away and drops his hands, getting to his feet. “I’ll call Lazaro to let him know we’ll be ready to leave momentarily. We can talk more on the plane.” Then he turns away and strides out of the room.
If there was ever a moment I need to get away from this man, it’s now. Because after all of that, there is no way I can stay anywhere near him. Not because he’s crazy, though that’s certainly an issue, but because none of his claims are scaring me like they should. In fact, I’ve never had a man speak to me that way before, much less make me feel weak from his words. His insanity is clearly rubbing off on me, and that can’t happen.
I hear him talking to Lazaro on the phone, though I can’t make out the exact words, and I work at the knots faster than I ever have before. Finally, despite my wrists being sore, I manage to get untied and I quickly roll from the bed. I inch my way along the closest wall, waiting anxiously on the other side of the door. I need to time this perfectly. The last thing I want is for him to catch me again.
After another few heart-pounding seconds, I hear him end the call, and I force myself to relax. He steps back into the room, but stops the moment he sees the bed is empty. He lets out a string of curses and moves further into the room, just enough for me to sneak behind him. Unfortunately the bastard has quick instincts, because he spins around just as I slip past him and run down the hall. “Sienna,” he growls, low and dangerous as he comes after me, though not at a run. No, his steps are steady and evenly paced, which is almost more frightening. “You are trying my patience, woman.”
“Clearly you haven’t been paying attention,” I toss back, rushing for the other side of the condo where I know there’s another bedroom with a balcony – one that extends slightly over another one below it. If I can reach it, I can scale down to the condo below. I will probably have to do the whole damn building, or duck into another condo until they all leave. Either way, I’m desperate enough to do something stupid – or at least get into a condo and out to the stairs, away from the men guarding the elevator. “My entire purpose is to drive you so crazy you’ll walk away and be done with me. Now’s your chance to cut your losses. You can walk out the door, free and clear of any guilt or worry about what happens after this. But since I know you won’t, I guess it’s up to me to get the hell out of here on my own.” I run down the hallway, grabbing the doorknob, only to let out a grunt of surprise when Alessio grips me from behind.
Oh no, I’m not going down without a fight. I counter, using all my weight to transfer our momentum so he’s stumbling and falling toward the door, even as I turn myself back toward the mouth of the hallway. He curses, but he doesn’t quite let me go, his grip like a vice as he holds on to me. Unfortunately for me, that sends us both crashing to the floor. I let out a groan of pain when he falls half on top of me, his elbow hitting me in the stomach and winding me so that I can’t immediately scramble away. He curses when his body hits the marble floor, but I don’t let it stop me as I buck him off and scramble back, staggering to my feet.
I barely manage to get a couple of steps away before he’s grabbing my ankle and yanking hard, but I kick out, breaking his hold as I run for the hallway again. This time, I make it through the bedroom to the door that leads out onto the balcony, but before I can unlock it, I’m gripped by the shoulder and spun hard into the wall. I let out a grunt, and then a gasp as Alessio pins me to the wall, his hand going around my throat and his thigh between my legs.
I still when the grip on my throat tightens just a bit more, and his face looms over mine. I expect to see anger there, but instead, I see something else. Something darker, hungrier, making my heart pound in my chest. Add to it the hard-on pressed against my belly, and it’s safe to say he’s feeling something other than anger. My traitorous body responds, even as I silently curse it.
“My sweet, little rabbit,” Alessio rasps, even as his fingers flex around my throat. “You certainly are full of surprises. Hardly anyone could get out of those knots, but you’re far more clever than I could have ever expected. It makes me want to see what else you can do.”
“Let me go, and I’ll be happy to show you,” I reply, my voice tight and raspy as well.
“As much as I enjoy our little game, I’m enjoying it far more to have you here, like this, at my mercy once again.” He puts his face close to mine. “Where you’re powerless to get away, and powerless to stop me from taking what I want.”
“Bastard,” I grit out, arching against him, trying to break free but only driving myself crazier as my center rubs against his thigh, sending friction up into my core and making my arousal burn hotter. Why the fuck am I turned on? I should be fighting tooth and nail, and instead, I’m trying not to moan or let him know how he’s affecting me.
“That I am. How about I show you just how much of a bastard I can be?” he purrs, and before I can process just what he’s implying, his mouth takes mine in a brutal kiss that adds gasoline to an already blazing fire.