Chapter 12
TWELVE
Lucia
Three months later
Stress has always been part of my life. Worry, fear, and anxiety have been my constant companions since childhood. But these past few months have been different. A crushing weight of fear, depression, and anxiety, all made worse by pregnancy hormones.
And now, jealousy.
This one cuts the deepest of all. The man I love, the man I gave my body to, forced this child on me. And now, he’s back, hand in hand with a nineteen-year-old American girl, cheerful as ever, ready to celebrate my twenty-first birthday like nothing’s wrong.
My eyes wander to a picture on the wall, a family portrait of the Brunis. Even in this photo, their faces look cruel. Even Brando, who can’t be older than twelve or thirteen, has that unmistakable air.
I’ve been sitting in the library for hours, waiting for him. I know he’ll show up eventually. Thank God Carlo is out of the house for a few days. Dealing with both of them under one roof would be unbearable.
The sound of a door catches my attention, but instead of the library’s main entrance opening, Tony emerges from between the towering shelves. I’m not surprised. He’s probably had a secret passage built here too.
He stops the moment he sees me, his gaze sharp and piercing.
He’s wearing a light blue shirt that clings to his sculpted chest, the lines of muscle clear beneath the fabric.
Surrounded by towering shelves of books, he looks dangerous, like a man who would burn the whole world if it stood in his way.
Finally, he breaks the silence.
“Hello, Princess,” he says, dipping his head in an exaggerated, mocking bow.
I take a deep breath and stride toward him. Stopping right in front of him, I cross my arms over my chest and keep myself from slapping his arrogant face. He raises one eyebrow, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips, and just stares at me.
I fight to keep my voice steady. “Do you know who you are, Tony? You’re a man who disappears in winter and comes back smiling in spring.”
“I asked you more than once to come with me. You were the one too scared of cold.”
I sigh heavily and turn away from him. He steps closer and places his hand on my stomach.
The warmth of his touch seeps through the sheer fabric of my blouse and settles on my skin.
I try to pull back, but his other arm coils around my waist, pulling me flush against his chest. I press my palms against him, trying to push him away, but he grabs my wrists, trapping me in the prison of his body.
I glare at him, furious, but he remains infuriatingly calm. “I’ve set up everything. We leave the night of your birthday party.”
I blink in disbelief, my mouth parting at the sheer nerve of him. “You show up after three months, holding hands with your girlfriend, and now you’re telling me you still plan to use me?”
“We don’t have time to get emotional, princess. This is your last chance. I’m not asking anymore. You’re coming with me, whether you like it or not. Understood?”
“How many times do I have to tell you I’m not doing this? I can’t. Too many people will get hurt.”
“Who are you really worried about in this world?” He’s more serious now.
“Your grandmother is dead. Carlo is a grown man who can take care of himself. That leaves Fabiano. He’s eighteen now; he can be independent.
Give him the money to get his own place and move out.
I’ll have a few men watch over him around the clock.
That should solve the problem, shouldn’t it? ”
That was exactly what I’d been thinking.
In fact, a few weeks ago, when Fabiano turned eighteen, I handed him the flash drive.
He immediately rented an apartment, which gave me some peace of mind.
As I suspected, my father never asked where he got the money.
It didn’t matter to him where it came from because he couldn’t care less about Fabiano’s life or death.
When my silence stretches on too long, Tony places his hand on the crown of my head and gently runs it down to the ends of my hair, pulling my attention back to him.
“You said I’d have a choice about the baby,” I say.
“Because I knew you’d make the right choice. Be honest with yourself, you’re not that kind of person. When you’re willing to risk your life for your brother, how could you ever be willing to kill your own child? A child who has no one else in the world to protect them but you.”
My throat tightens, and my breathing grows heavy. He’s right. I could never do such a thing. A thin veil of tears clouds my eyes.
He leans in and brushes a kiss over my earlobe. His voice is a whisper. “Stop fighting yourself. Maybe my goal is to destroy Carlo, but this is absolutely the best thing for you too.”
How blind he is, not to realize the only thing I want from him is for him to say he’s doing this for me, to say he loves me. Filled with loathing, I pull away. This time, he lets me go, taking a step back.
“Fine,” I say, wiping my tears. “I’ll do it. But only on one condition: you leave me alone afterward. Let me go and enjoy your life with your girlfriend. We’re done, Tony.”
His whole body tenses instantly. The veins in his neck bulge like ropes, a visible testament to the pressure he exerts by clenching his teeth. He doesn’t take a step closer, the threat between us is enough to make my heart quiver.
His voice is as deadly as the look in his eyes. “I don’t know why you think you have a say in my decisions. Lucia, don’t forget your place. You’ll never tell me what to do, not even when it comes to plans I have for you. You’re mine. For as long as I want. In any way I want.”
My heart shrinks in my chest. I don’t know why I can’t get used to his cruelty. “But I’m a human,” I say, despair evident in my voice.
“No, you’re a woman. A woman born into the crime world. First, you belonged to your father, and now you belong to the man who’s claimed you as his. Like every other woman in our world, there’s no freedom for you. You were always meant to be owned.”
I try to keep my tears from falling, but deep down, I know he’s telling the truth. I’ve grown up a prisoner. Even if I stepped out into the city where I was born, unguarded, I wouldn’t be able to find my way without help.
“So, what about your girlfriend? Doesn’t she have any objections to your plans?”
The corner of his lips curls into a smirk.
He closes the distance between us, placing his palm flat against my chest, and with a gentle push, forces me to step back.
He follows me until my back hits the wall, trapping me in the prison of his body.
Then he nuzzles my cheek, his voice a seductive whisper.
“You know, I don’t like controlling women, but jealous ones?” His hand trails down, brushing over the fabric of my skirt to touch me intimately. “They’re a huge turn-on.”
I slap his hand away. “Well, being your whore alongside your girlfriend is not such a turn-on for me.”
“Don’t worry, darling. I only do whores. Never been good with girlfriends. Give a woman a title beyond bedmate, and she’ll cling to your neck, digging to know every secret, even the ones buried deep. I’m not the kind of man who lets anyone uncover my secrets unless they’re a lifeless corpse.”
This time, curiosity gets the better of me. “Then what’s Emily doing here?”
“Playing her role,” he says casually.
His hand reaches out, squeezing my backside before sliding down to lift my thigh, wrapping it around his hips.
He presses against me just enough for me to feel the bulge straining in his pants.
The sudden, electrifying sensation sends shockwaves through my body, awakening every nerve ending.
Months without sex, coupled with pregnancy hormones, have left me unbearably starved.
I tilt my head back, silently inviting his lips. He captures them in a searing kiss, more passionate than ever, plunging his tongue deep into my mouth, leaving no inch unexplored. His lips claim mine, and his breath mingles with mine, hot and demanding.
I wrap my arms around his neck, gasping as I reluctantly pull back, barely able to form words.
“What do you mean she’s playing her role? What role?”
Instead of answering, he pulls my lips back into his mouth.
One hand braces against the wall beside my head, while the other fondles my breasts through the thin fabric of my dress.
I can’t help but clench the muscles deep inside, a reaction to the firestorm of desire ignited in the core of my body.
But even as my body betrays me, my mind refuses to yield.
I break the kiss again. “Tell me, Tony. Who’s that girl?”
He presses harder against me, his fingers tighten around one of my breasts. “The last surviving member of Carlo’s family,” he replies. “The perfect distraction to keep him busy while we leave Italy.”
The heat inside me dies instantly. I stare at him, not fully realizing what he says, but I’m sure it’s not good. I push against his chest, but he doesn’t budge, not even an inch. His gaze is wild, feral, fixed solely on me.
“Does she know?”
He lowers his head and nibbles at my neck. “Enough questions. We need to head to dinner, and you need to come. We don’t have much time.”
His hand slides up my thigh under my skirt, fingers slipping past my panties. Without hesitation, he pushes two fingers deep inside me. I arch my back, and a muffled moan escapes my lips. This place isn’t as soundproof as Nonna’s estate. Someone could hear us.
He starts moving his fingers, thrusting in and out while locking his gaze with mine. He fucks me with his fingers like nothing else in the world exists, like the only thing that matters is making me come undone.
I throw one arm around his neck while my free hand cups his cheek. My eyes narrow with the waves of pleasure building inside me, my breaths coming in shallow gasps. Yet, amidst the haze, the question gnaws at me.
“Tell me, Tony,” I say, breathless, “does she know who she is? Does she know why she’s really here?”