Chapter 4
“I’m scared, Fiorello. Your boss came here yesterday.”
I see the color drain from his face, and I know without him asking what he’s thinking: Did Angelo do something that to harm me physically?
No, he didn’t. Because there’s a little secret between me and that bastard kidnapper. One my besotted captor doesn’t need to know.
Maybe if I didn’t come from where I do, the visit, along with Angelo’s threats, would have terrified me. But I grew up among monsters, with the worst one being my own father. It takes a lot to make me tremble.
I protected Amber as much as I could within the religious community where we were raised. I let her live inside a bubble of innocence for as long as possible, while, behind the scenes, I was already planning our escape.
Long before my sister stumbled onto the scene that sent her into panic—one of the young girls, like us, being abused by all the elders at once in what they called the “ceremony of possession,” a sick rite of passage that lasted until eighteen, when the girl was finally handed over to just one of them.
I’d already suspected what was happening behind closed doors with the girls who had just turned fifteen.
I was simply too na?ve to realize it wasn’t God’s will, as they taught us, but physical and psychological abuse against innocents[4].
I was never going to let that happen to me. They’d have had to kill me first.
If it had only been about me, maybe some day I would have just grabbed a kitchen knife and ended my life, but there was my little sister. The dreamy girl who still believed our world was a pure place. I’d do anything to save her.
“I’m thinking of an alternative,” Fiorello says, dragging me back to the present.
“Alternative? What kind? I’m getting more terrified by the day! He was so harsh with me yesterday.”
Like only cowards can be when facing a defenseless woman.
He runs a hand through his hair, and if we lived in some parallel reality, if he weren’t part of the group of bastards who stole me from my life, I might even pity him, because he does seem tormented. Instead, I enjoy watching him suffer.
The storm on his face gives me a strange peace, because I know I’m making progress toward my goal. I sense he’ll have to be pushed to the edge before he defies Angelo’s orders and gets me out of here.
I rise with a slow, carefully rehearsed movement, and when I stand before him, I press my palms against his chest.
It’s the first time I’ve initiated physical contact, and I see the vibrant spark of desire cross his face.
“I never thought I’d find someone like you in the middle of this nightmare, Fiorello.
I had such a hard childhood, and when they brought me here, I thought it was the end for me.
Meeting you gives me hope that there are still heroes in the world.
Fearless men willing to defy everything to protect the women they… ”
I lower my face, feigning shyness.
“Women who what, bella?”
“I don’t want to sound presumptuous. It’s just. . .our connection is so strong. It’s been like that since the first day, so I thought. . .”
“Thought what, my girl?”
I slowly raise my eyes to his again.
I want to slap his face every time he calls me my girl. It must be some twisted thing. He probably gets off on feeling like he has control over me by calling me that, even though I’m sure he’s younger than me. He’s probably only in his early twenties.
“I thought what we feel is love,” I go on, forcing myself to bury my disgust. “I was going to say, ‘fearless men willing to defy everything to protect the women they love.’”
I watch him draw in a deep breath, while mine is trapped in my throat. I know I’ve played a Royal Flush, and my survival now depends on what happens next.
I feel a little dizzy, afraid I’ve gone too far with the act, but when he pulls me into his arms, I know I’ve won.
“I didn’t want to take such a drastic step, my Elodie.
I planned to keep everything between us.
I was certain I could get you out on my own.
But I won’t let them torment you any longer.
First, though, you need to know something.
You’ll have to follow my instructions carefully, or our lives will be in danger. ”
“I’ll follow your orders, Fiorello.”
Though what I truly want is to gouge out your eyes, along with every other bastard holding me prisoner.
He starts explaining his plan, and for a moment, I think he must be high on something.
It sounds too absurd to be real.
But then he tells me this plan was Angelo’s intent from the very beginning, because it’s one of their most profitable ventures. What Fiorello will do is simply plant the idea in his boss’s head that the event should include a “preview” of my potential with future clients.
In truth, one client in particular, someone he insists will help me escape.
My palms grow slick with sweat, and when I look at him this time, the fear that grips me is very real. One wrong step in this plan, and I’ll be lost forever.
“He won’t hurt me?”
“No. He’ll take care of you for me. Soon, we’ll escape together, and then I’ll make all your dreams come true, my girl. The past will be behind us.”
“You’re so good to me, Fiorello. I’m so lucky. I wonder how you’re still single.”
“I’m not. I was widowed about a year ago. I was looking for a second wife, and God put you in my path. I’ll take care of you, and we’ll have many babies. A big family.”
“I’m sorry for your late wife,” I say, and it’s the first honest thing to leave my mouth today.
“Don’t. She was a cheating whore. When I snapped her neck with my bare hands, I rid the world of a slut.”
I try hard to hide the way my body starts shaking, but I can’t.
God. . .who am I trusting? I knew he couldn’t be much better than the others, but hearing him admit he killed his own wife makes bile rise in my throat.
“Don’t worry, my love,” he says, probably noticing the terror on my face. “There’s nothing to fear. You’re not like her. I’ll love you until my last breath on Earth.”