Chapter 44 – Penelope
T he bubbles were almost popped, and the water stopped being hot thirty minutes ago. I scraped my fingers across the surface. A fresh burst of anger bloomed in my chest. If I thought I was a prisoner before, it was nothing compared to the restrictions placed on me now. I wasn’t allowed to accompany Serena to the stores. There were four guards, strangers who wouldn’t speak to me when I walked laps outside. There was no more running. I hadn’t passed through the front gate since my evening out with the don.
No, the monster made it clear I was a captive.
“I need to escape,” I whispered.
Mom’s surgery was next week. My sisters were coming into town tomorrow.
And I was stuck.
After the bath, I was going to call them, tell them the trip was canceled. They needed to stay the hell away from this house of horrors.
It wasn’t like I’d been able to talk to the don. I wanted to, just to try and clear the air. The two times he’d been home, Dante shadowed his every step. Alessandro didn’t talk to me. Didn’t look at me.
I shivered. The lukewarm water didn’t hold back the ice the monster’s actions formed on my heart.
Sinking under the water, I let out a scream.
I opened myself to the man, and the monster crushed me. I should have known better. How could I have been so stupid? It would serve my heart right if I cut out the weak organ and smashed it to a million pieces! It got me into this mess. I knew better than to feel for the monster.
Hard hands gripped me and plucked me from the water.
“Penelope!”
“Let me go, you bastard,” I gasped, struggling from his grip.
Alessandro shook me hard. “What were you doing?”
I clawed at him, but he pulled his face out of my reach before pinning my hands. The familiar scent of his body sent a rush of emotion through me. I held my breath, but it was too late. The spicy, woodsy smell brought a volley of memories. That, coupled with his touch, gave life to the feelings I hated. I struggled harder. The water splashed and churned, some of it sliding out of the sides of the tub. The don’s grip slipped, and I bucked to the side, breaking free and moving fast out of his reach.
Plunging to the edge of the tub, I glared at him. “What do you want?”
“Why were you under the water?” The look in his black eyes was nothing short of wild.
There was a small sting of pity in my chest to see the pain. But as my fingers gripped the cold piece of metal I’d hid on the other side of the tub, I shoved that reaction away. I refused to give into the terrible longing for the man.
“Where the hell did you find that?” he growled.
“My insurance policy?” I laughed roughly and pointed the barrel at his heart. It wasn’t hard to find a hidden weapon in this mausoleum. There were guns concealed everywhere in case of an attack. I’d just had to look. “I don’t want you near me, Mancini.”
“Fuck, Penelope.” Alessandro scraped a hand down his face. “Are you really willing to shoot me?”
“Come at me again and find out.”
“I was saving you!” he snapped.
“And I wasn’t drowning, lupo.” The term wasn’t endearing, but it felt wrong to use it. “I told you before, I don’t need a man saving me.”
“You weren’t harming yourself?” he pushed.
“No! I’m tired of screaming into pillows,” I seethed. “Now that you know your prisoner is safe, go away. You’re ruining my bathtime.”
“This isn’t a fight, vespina.” He bent, gripping the edge of the tub. “We need to talk.”
Now he wanted to talk? After two days of freezing me out? No. No! That wasn’t happening. He missed his chance. My decisions were made. It was time for action.
“You’re right, this is a war. And no, we don’t need to talk. You’ve made yourself very clear in this matter.”
“I needed time to think,” he said through clenched teeth.
I shook my head. “Without all the facts? Yeah, I’m not sure I care to hear your conclusion.”
“Cristo santo, woman! You act as though this was simple!” His knuckles turned white.
“It is.” Emotion threatened to crack my voice. I paused to clear it.
We were married. Even if it was a sham, there was a certain level of communication and trust that went into that relationship. My mistake was not telling him about the threat harassing me. I was human; I messed up. There were reasons if he’d only cared to listen.
He hadn’t.
He jumped to the conclusion that I was a threat to his organization.
He chose the famiglia over me. That was how it would always be. I was blinded by his actions, wooed by his attention, and thought he might be giving our arranged marriage a real chance.
Stupid me.
My voice came out strong, sharp, and biting. “You proved you don’t trust me—so why the hell should I ever trust you again?”
With lightning speed, Alessandro snatched the gun from my hand. I shouldn’t have been so close to him.
I should have pulled the damn trigger.
The don tucked the weapon in the back of his pants and rose. “We’re hosting a dinner. Get dressed and be downstairs by seven to greet our guests.”
“Let me guess, I have no say in this.” I pushed to my feet, water sousing off me.
That dark gaze heated. The don looked down my body. I felt his desire burn against my skin, even as my nipples tingled from the chill.
“Move so I can go shower,” I snapped.
There was water on the floor, but I would be damned if he saw me clean it. I would wait until he left.
“I’m fixing this, Penelope,” he growled. “Please don’t do anything reckless tonight.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it, signore.” I moved past him and disappeared behind the frosted glass of the shower stall.
Alessandro stayed in the room for a few more minutes. I thought he would try to talk to me again, but he left without saying a word.
That was it?
His silence hurt.
He doesn’t want to fix this.
The damn ache in my chest threatened to suffocate me. It was heavy; it squeezed tight. Rubbing my sternum, I pressed my head against the tile wall and closed my eyes. It took the idea of self-harm to make him crack. Was that really the only way to catch his attention? A sob croaked from deep inside.
Alessandro was broken, incapable of changing.
Well, he didn’t need to worry. There was no reason to harm myself. This situation sucked, but that wasn’t my way out.
No, when I escaped this prison, it would be to find my freedom.
And then, he might feel a sliver of regret.
Who was I kidding? That was a fool’s last hope. I knew from the beginning that he was cold and unfeeling. It took my mistake to remind myself what manner of creature he was. He didn’t care—not about me, only the thought of losing his possession and how that would look.
“I won’t let him in again,” I vowed.
Slamming the water off, I emerged to paint my face and ready myself for the part I needed to play. Before I began, I bent to clean the water from the tub.
It wasn’t there.
The drain was pulled, the water swirling out of the bath. And the floor was cleaned. There wasn’t a wet towel; Alessandro had taken that away with him.
Confusion flickered through me. I didn’t know what to make of that.
“It doesn’t matter,” I growled—because it was either be mad or cry.
Fisting my hands, I vowed not to read into the gesture and marched into the bedroom to find a dress. If only it was easy to forget.