Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
Gabriel
Ineed to keep things interesting with Luca. Scare him a little.
So it all works out perfectly when some meth-head tries to steal from me.
I’m walking to my car in some shitty neighborhood, having just met up with one of my men, John, on news about Luca – it’s for the best to meet in places like this as no one asks any questions and someone like Luca would never be caught dead here so I’m safe – when some woman comes running right at me.
I stumble back as the woman screeches at me, clawing her hands towards my face. Her hair is disheveled and her nails are black, which matches her teeth.
“What the fuck?” I mutter, backing away from her but she keeps coming. It’s clear she’s on drugs. She reaches for my pants pocket.
“Give me money,” she snarls. “Anything. Anything.”
“So you can go buy more meth? I don’t fucking think so.” I push her back and she lands hard on the ground. “Get a hold of yourself.”
“I need money. Please. Anything. Something.”
I stare down at the woman with curiosity as an idea hits me. “Do you have any family?”
“Who cares about family? I haven’t spoken to my family in years. They mean nothing to me.”
“Good. Then you won’t be missed.”
Her eyes widen when she realizes what I just said. Before she can move, I grab her and shove her into the backseat of my car.
“What are you doing?” she screeches right before I punch her in the temple, knocking her out. Is this shitty of me to do? Yes. This woman is just some messed up meth-head. Not exactly someone who deserves to die. But I need to scare Luca and this woman will help me do it.
I take her to one of the abandoned homes I own – not the one I’m keeping Susanna in. Susanna doesn’t need to see this, though why I should care about what Susanna sees or not doesn’t make sense to me. I don’t care for her. Susanna is just a means to an end.
Yet, I can’t get our kiss out of my head. I can’t stop thinking of her sexy naked body in the shower. I can’t stop thinking of how much I like her spitfire attitude.
For some reason, I don’t want her seeing me kill this woman. Because I have to kill this woman to get what I want. I don’t need anyone asking questions.
I take the plastic wrap I keep stored in every one of the houses I own in case of emergencies and lay the woman down on it. She still hasn’t woken up and she never will. It’s the least I can offer her. Chances are, she’d be dead soon anyway.
I grab one of the knifes from the kitchen and plunge it straight into her heart. She dies instantly.
Then I take her hand in mine… and chop off one of her fingers. Her middle finger to be exact. Why that one, I’m not sure. It just seems poetic for some reason.
I call Issac. “I have something for you to clean up.” He’ll know what that means without having to ask. I tell him the address and then hang up.
I stare down at the decapitated finger, knowing exactly what I’m going to do with it.
Nina
We get another mail in the package. The second I see it, without a sender on it, I know it can’t be good.
“Luca,” I whisper as he takes the package into the kitchen. “What if it’s a bomb? We have to be careful.”
“Gabriel doesn’t want me dead that easily. It won’t be a bomb. It’s more likely that it’s…” He glances at me, not wanting to say it but we both know. Another part of Susanna. First it was her hair. Luca had it tested and it was definitely hers, which means that Gabriel has my sister.
What is it going to be this time?
“Just open it,” I say with a firm nod.
He sighs but does as I say. We both know this is not going to be good. Once he opens the box, he stares down at it for a long moment.
“What is it?” I demand.
“Nina…”
“What?” I rip the box away from him and gasp when I see… a finger. A feminine finger that looks a lot like Susanna’s. Except… the nail is black. Susanna always kept perfect care of her nails. “Why is it black?”
“Maybe she was digging in dirt to get away from Gabriel somehow? Maybe he did something to her to make her nail black?”
“But I know my sister. She was meticulous about her looks. She never would have let her nail get like this.”
“Nina, we know Gabriel has her. That’s a fact. The lock of hair he sent us was her hair.”
“I know but…”
“You don’t think this is her finger?”
“I have to hope it’s not.”
“I’ll get it tested.” He picks the finger up gently, then frowns. “Wait a minute. The fingertip has been burned off, meaning there won’t be any DNA evidence on this.”
“So we can’t know for sure if it’s Susanna or not. But doesn’t this mean that it’s not her? That Gabriel is just messing with us?”
“It could be. Or it is her and he just wants to drive us crazy wondering. I’m sorry, Nina, but you have to come to terms with the fact that Gabriel has your sister and chances are, he’s hurting her.”
“No,” I gasp. “Don’t say that.”
“But it’s true. Even if I find Susanna, chances are, she’s never going to be the same again.”
“Then you need to find her now, Luca. Find my sister. She needs to know that someone is out there looking for her.”
Susanna
Gabriel returns and I can’t deny the slight thrill I feel when I see him. It’s stupid and na?ve. We shared one kiss. It’s not like I’m in love with him.
“Here,” he says, throwing a dress at me. It’s a simple summer dress. Pretty. But what I don’t understand is why Gabriel is doing this.
“What’s this for?”
“I’m moving you.”
My heart squeezes. “Moving me? Where?”
“To a new home. This house is dirty. Frankly, it’s a shithole. I only brought you here since no one looks around at this neighborhood.”
“So why would you move me?”
“Because I’m tired of spending time in this shithole. I’m taking you to my house. My actual house. It’s nice there.”
I stare at him for a long moment, trying to tell if he’s serious or not. “For real?”
“Yes. Now put on the dress. I don’t want my neighbors asking questions why I’m carrying a naked girl into my home.”
“Does this mean I don’t have to be around Chip any longer?”
“Chip is still my guy. He works for me. But he knows to leave you alone.”
“Because… you don’t want him hurting me again?” I ask, brushing my fingers over my cheek.
He leans over me until I have no choice but to press my back into the mattress. My heart is pounding. Gabriel could have his way with me right here and now. I would hate it of course…
I think. I’m not sure. Deep down, I’m scared that I wouldn’t hate it as much as I should.
“I don’t want another man touching what is mine.”
His dark words make me shiver. “Yours? I’m not yours.”
“You are, Susanna. You might not realize it yet, but you are. When you give yourself into me, we can have a lot of fun, trust me.” His hands settle on my hips. “You liked our kiss.”
“I smacked you.”
“Yes but you’re feisty. That tells me you liked it. I know you did. Tell me I’m wrong.”
I want to tell him that he’s completely wrong… and yet, I can’t get the words out. I didn’t mind the kiss. In fact, I liked it. I liked it a lot. It was sexy and powerful and perfect. Everything I’ve wanted to feel when it comes to a man.
But why does it have to be Gabriel of all people?
Yes, he’s handsome and has money but he’s at war with my sister’s husband. And on top of it all, he’s certifiably insane.
He smirks when I can’t give him an answer. “See?”
“I will smack you again.”
“Or I could make you feel good again.” Before I can react, he presses his lips to mine and I hate this about myself, but I give in to the kiss.
He deepens it, pressing me further into the mattress. I arch my body up, trying to get closer to him, though I have no idea why, other than the fact that this feels amazing. It’s like my body is made of wires and Gabriel is touching them all perfectly, lighting me on fire.
His hands move lower to my upper thighs. The blanket I have around me covers the bulk of my body but it wouldn’t be hard for him to move it to the side and expose my naked body, giving him easy access to me.
When he grips my thighs, I can’t stop the moan that escapes me. It’s muffled by his lips but it’s there and we both know it.
Gabriel pulls back. “I could give you what you want. Sink my fingers deep inside of you. You’ve never been with a man before. I can show you pleasure you’ve never experienced.”
“Why do you care if I feel pleasure or not? You hate me.”
“Sure. You don’t mean anything to me but that doesn’t mean I can’t take pleasure in knowing I’ve taken your innocence.”
A cold bucket of water falls over me. Gabriel doesn’t care for me at all. Why would he? I’m just an amusement for him. A game for him. Nothing more.
“No,” I say. “I’m not giving you my virginity. Not in a million years.”
His eyes rake over me and I can’t deny that I feel hot. Good. My body responds to Gabriel despite what my mind thinks should happen. “All right then. Keep telling yourself that.” He stands up and pulls me to my feet.
The blanket falls off my shoulders. I don’t cover myself as that would only let Gabriel know he’s won.
“Put the dress on. We’re leaving.” He watches me as I slip the dress over my head. Somehow, I feel even more vulnerable having the dress on with nothing underneath. No underwear. No bra.
We walk past Chip, who’s on the couch, eating chips. “I can’t believe you’re doing this,” he grumbles.
“I didn’t ask for your fucking opinion, Chip,” Gabriel snaps.
The second I set foot outside I take off running down the street. I only make it a few feet before Gabriel grabs me and hauls me towards the car. I scream but he muffles my voice by slamming his hand over my mouth. I don’t hesitate to bite it.
Gabriel doesn’t even react as he pushes me into the car. The passenger seat this time. No blindfold.
“Be a good girl,” he says after getting into the car with me. He locks the door so I can’t leave. “We’re going to your new home.”
It sounds like a threat.
I pay attention to everything on the drive so I know exactly where I am. The moment we pull into a large driveway before a gorgeous mansion, I know my life will never be the same. Gabriel is taking me to his personal house, which means he has no plans of me ever leaving it again.
Either I’ll be dead or… he’ll make me into his.