Chapter 3
Chapter Three
HOLLIS
My eyes pop open as I pull in a large breath, and the first thing I notice is how cold it is in this room. I’m naked laying against soft sheets, and my hands are tied to the headboard over my head. My broken fingers are swelling and I can feel how difficult it is to move them.
If John thought this would make me pliant, then he’s got another thing coming. As long as my chest rises and falls with breath, I’ll fight.
My head turns to see where I am exactly, and I notice that the window is open in the room, explaining why it’s freezing.
Snow is beginning to pile up on the thick windowsill, and I wonder if climbing down is going to be an option with broken fingers and no clothes.
The walls are green, the carpet is a pristine white, and all I can think about is how dirty it’s going to get when the blood begins to flow.
I’m a lot of things to many people. I’m a professional, a business owner, a sister, best friend, bonded mate, and daughter. I also have a wicked fucking temper. I never draw my blades without the intent to kill or maim, and that’s because there’s a blood lust inside of me.
Caleb and Lars used to tell me that I’d either become a serial killer or a great assassin if I ever fully joined the mafia.
It’s one of the many reasons I haven’t, but I’m not incapable of defending myself unless I’m wildly outmatched the way I was in the gardens when Emilia’s goons curb stomped me into the ground.
Breathe, pay attention, Hollis.
I can’t allow myself to drift or dissociate. It’s just so difficult not to panic when my body is laid out like a damn buffet. I can see that my skin is shiny from some kind of oil as I lift my head, and my legs are pulled apart and tied to the foot posts of the bed.
This fucking sucks.
I can hear someone speaking outside the door, making me feel like a spider caught in a web. I force myself to find focus points to try to center myself, while still appearing scared. It’s not that hard when I actually am the spider.
I don’t want to be raped and killed, and that’s exactly what I’ve been signed up for.
The rope is harsh against my soft skin, the air is cold, and I know that the rope will make a wonderful killing implement. That’s the best I’m going to be able to do for focus points as my chest rises and falls quickly.
The door begins to open slowly, and the rich, dark voice becomes louder without the wood to hinder the sound of it.
“Yes, Tonia,” he says. “I’m aware of my obligations, but I deserve this time to myself.
You know to hold all of my calls, and tell everyone that I’m away for several days.
Stall my sons, who I know don’t approve when I leave home.
However, I’m picking up a very important parcel that belongs to me that’s been severely delayed. I’m not willing to wait any longer.”
Fuck. My arms pull sharply at the rope, something I didn’t think to do before, and I can feel how it pulls away slightly from the headboard.
My brain seems to be working in slow motion, and I can’t speed it up.
I do notice, however, that whoever tied this was sloppy. I’ll be sure to thank them never.
Glancing behind me despite the ache in my hands, I see that my hands are tied, and the rope was fed through that to attach my hands to the headboard.
Even the knots appear different, which means that two different people tied me up.
While the knots are solid around my wrists, the ones on the headboard aren’t.
The door opens fully, and I lay prone so that I don’t draw attention to what I was doing. My gaze is focused on the man I believe to be Mr. Roberto Domino, the man who is holding Minneapolis in a chokehold to keep war from happening within it.
It’s unfortunate that the peace will be lost because he doesn’t know that Nova is a beloved missing mafia daughter. He won’t live past the next half hour.
Roberto Domino has cruel blue eyes, perfectly placed black hair, and is wearing trousers with his shirt sleeves rolled up. You can tell he’s already begun to undress as he throws his jacket over a chair and closes the door. His phone joins the pile, and his head snaps to the open window.
“ Merda ,” he mutters, striding over to the window to close it. “If you freeze, it won’t be as much fun to fuck you, will it, bella ?”
Ew. I need to kill him as quickly as possible so he never says that again. He slides off his shoes and begins to get undressed, his gaze raking over my body. Goosebumps begin to dimple my skin out of disgust, not arousal as he takes his fill.
“Nothing to say? Interesting. You’ve been very arrogant to ignore your father’s wishes recently,” he murmurs, his belt slowly sliding out of its loops as he snaps it.
He’s wearing his trousers and nothing else by this point, and I gaze warily at the belt. It would be asking too much for him to simply attempt to fuck me without some type of punishment.
What does it say about me that I just had this thought? I’d much rather fight him off and kill the fucker than get belted black and blue.
“I want to make you scream,” he whispers almost to himself.
“There’s all this pretty, unmarked skin.
I will need to handsomely reward your father for showing restraint.
He’s been very angry at you. Of course, he doesn’t know that I had cameras installed in his office and living room, the two places he tends to spend the most time. I’ve learned so much, bella .”
I wonder if it’s enough to show that John isn’t loyal. It would be funny if Mr. Domino was not only here to sate his lust, but also kill John.
“I thought he wasn’t loyal, did you know that?” Mr. Domino’s thick, corded muscles bunch together as he lifts the belt and slams it down on my thigh.
It hurts like a motherfucker, and I release a sound of pain. I can recognize that this alpha wants to hurt me. I’ll allow him to think that he is so that I can get out of this without being too beaten. I still need to escape after this, and I want to be able to walk out of here on my own steam.
“Your father deserves the same loyalty and respect he gives me,” Mr. Domino growls, his arm rising and falling without remorse as he hits me again. “This rebellion needs to stop, Nova. Do you hear me?”
I only answer because the next swing of the belt hits my breast and my vision whites out with pain.
“Yes!” I scream, my eyes wild as I struggle to stay conscious. The pain between a belt and an alpha’s fists are very different. I’d rather he hit me.
“That’s all I wanted to hear,” he says, dropping the belt to the ground. I want to wrap it around his throat and pull it, but I can’t, not when I’m pretending to be soft and helpless.
I focus on my breaths and making a show of wiggling in discomfort as I yank on the rope connecting my bound wrists to the headboard. The rope slides quickly enough that I thank the universe for the imbecile who tied me.
Thank you baby Jesus for the idiots of the world.
Mr. Domino isn’t paying attention to me as he continues to strip, carefully folding each item before setting it aside. I’m going to need his clothing, so I appreciate that it’ll be clean of any blood. He sets his weapons on the nightstand, sneering down at me as he climbs up onto the bed.
My skin is a crisscrossing patchwork of angry red marks, and every pulsing sensation of pain reminds me of what a piece of shit this alpha is.
“I own everything that’s important, bella . Maybe, if you’re sweet to me and a good girl, I’ll keep you around. Make me angry, and I’ll choke the life out of you while I’m knot deep,” he warns, his hand around his cock as he slowly jacks himself off.
Neither option is a good one, so I gaze at him dispassionately, struggling to keep my eyes on his face and not his cock. It’s difficult to do though because he is leaking precum and it’s dripping off his crown and onto my stomach.
Fucking disgusting. It’s clear I’m not getting out of this without a fuck ton of therapy, which for me will come in the form of the retail kind and lemon squares. His cock is thick, his crown an angry color, and if he sticks that monster anywhere near my mouth, I’ll bite it right off.
I’d rather gag on bitten off pieces than a whole cock. I typically don’t have such violent thoughts, but the universe is trying my patience today. I’m hurt, tired, and want to go home.
Pulling my wrists down a little more, I feel the slack that’ll allow me to make my move. I leave my arms in the bound position above my head, biding my time despite the pain and disgust I’m feeling.
Mr. Domino unties one of my legs, shoving it up toward my breasts to be able to stare at my pussy. I’m completely exposed to him, and I blink away the burn of shame behind my eyes.
“So pretty,” he murmurs. “You’ve grown up so well. I don’t like my girls quite as young as your father does. Once you grew up, he had to start paying me so that he could indulge in his nasty little habit.”
I have to breathe through my nose and swallow hard in order to be able to push back the bile that I feel.
John hurt my sister in the most unimaginable ways possible, and it’s still hard to wrap my mind around it.
There’s no honor amongst these criminals, no line in the sand that states that things have gone too far.
It proves that this crime organization needs to be razed to the ground.
The mafia families of Minneapolis do not traffic people, nor do they have anything to do with pedophilia.
Anyone found to be involved in that is put down quickly and silently.
I’m beginning to wonder if it wouldn’t be more effective to have everyone see the results of tearing apart a pedophile and a sex trafficker.
It’s really too bad that Ophelia is still alive, I’d love to start my new action plan toward world peace with her.