CHAPTER 15 - ARIANNA
CHAPTER
Arianna
IT WAS ONLY AFTER Red left the room and my eyes shook off the remains of the drugs lurking in my veins, did I notice that wherever I am, it isn’t the suite of rooms over the casino.
I don’t know where it is.
Worry surfaces, but I push it away. That I’m not in that green-walled room with the chandelier is good. Red was here, so I must be in a property belonging to him.
My shoulders stiffen and my teeth cut into my bottom lip.
Just because Red was here doesn’t mean he is now. He left the room, remember?
I told him to leave the room.
Isn’t that what I wanted?
I close my eyes, immediately opening them again when my head spins. It will take time for whatever those drugs injected into me were to completely clear my system, but they’ve left me jittery, nervous and confused in ways different from before.
I hate it but tell myself it will pass. It has to.
My finger traces the side of my neck that feels sore and strange. Is that where I was always injected?
I’m not sure. I’m not sure of anything; my mind is mashed. I hate the patchy memory I’ve been left with.
Will I ever get it fully back?
Do I want to?
Do I want to know in graphic detail what was done to me? Although it’s pretty obvious...
Pushing the crisp white sheet down to my knees, I glimpse the angry bruising on the inside of my thighs; the finger-shaped bruises on my hip; my arms, everywhere...
Red has seen these. Everyone has seen them. They all know of the branding my brother has allowed me to suffer.
My teeth press harder into my lip. I want it to bleed. The distraction of pain and blood might divert the turbulent thoughts crashing around my head.
What if Matteo and Luca’s plan succeeded? I still don’t know how long they had me for or how many times Luca...
Shaking my troubling worries aside, I fixate on the light on the ceiling. The silver flush-mounted base with a central candle bulb is surrounded by invisible threads of different lengths, and at the end of each are round, faceted crystals, which move with the slight breeze.
I jolt. If a window is open, doesn’t that mean someone can get in? Matteo, perhaps? Or Luca?
Am I on my own here now, wherever this place is?
Plus, it’s November, so isn’t it a bit cold to have a window open?
With trembling fingers, I reach for the glass of water on the bedside table next to the carafe and glare at the plate of stale sandwiches that have been sitting here for hours.
Like I could face eating. Besides, I won’t give Red the satisfaction of taking anything he offers. Not now I know he lied to me and allowed my trade.
I hope whatever he gained from his deceit was worthwhile...
He allowed my trade with Matteo, so how come I’m back in his possession?
My skin bristles with resentment.
That is what I am. A possession. That’s what I’ve only ever been to the men in my life - family included.
Suddenly, a further wash of cold cascades over me. If Luca has succeeded and I’m...
I can barely stand to think of the word “pregnant”. But if I am, then my job is done and am of no further use to them. I can gauge nothing, however, as I have no idea how long I’ve been kept as Matteo and Luca’s slave.
But even that theory makes little sense. Matteo and Luca wouldn’t release me with something so valuable to them inside me.
Unless Red has killed them...
Not for my sake, of course. Oh, he wouldn’t do that unless he’d lied about whatever he promised them as well.
If Red has something to gain, there are no limits as to who he’ll betray. I know that now, even if I didn’t before.
One thing my father didn’t lie about, then? The Batemans are the lowest of the low - pure animals with no morals.
Even worse than my own family...
But whatever Red’s aim is by bringing me back into his realm of poison, if he thinks I’ll sit here and wait to be used again, then he’s mistaken. As soon as I’m stronger, I’m getting away from all of this poison and stopping everyone in their tracks.
Reminding myself that in order to do that I need to build my strength up, I snatch a stale sandwich from the plate and eye the bread curling at the corners. I shove it in my mouth where it sticks to the roof of my mouth. The cheese doesn’t taste too great either, but I must eat.
I will be no one’s pawn ever again.
The devastation and disbelief that my brother would do this to me has gone. Same as the hurt that the father I worshipped is not who I thought he was. Nobody is who I thought they were, and all that remains is rage.
Gagging as a mouthful of stale sandwich lodges at the back of my throat, I take a gulp of water.
They’ve all done things that can never be remedied.
Staring at my bandaged wrists, I dig my nail into the part with the largest red patch, taking pleasure from the fresh bloom of blood coloring more of the bandage. My head is getting clearer by the second, allowing me to focus on my new objectives.
One: find out as a priority if Maria has been taken. Two: destroy everyone who’s done this to me.
Which includes Red Bateman.
For all his bullshit, pseudo rage about my father “not deserving my loyalty”, and his anger that I was sold to my first husband “like a piece of meat”; for all his cleverly timed events making me believe he was doing things for me - like risking his life, making believe he loved me, making me fall for him. ..
I know now that he’s just clever, which makes me fucking stupid!
Pulling on my gradually returning strength, I launch the plate and the remaining sandwiches at the wall, grasping a sliver of enjoyment watching the plate splinter into pieces.
Fuck the sandwiches! I’d rather starve. My strength will come from within me now.
As Red said when I first came to him, I have Galvatore blood in my veins and Galvatore genes. Or something like that.
My eyes narrow. I’m not like my father or brother and never will be, but those Galvatore genes will now work in the way I want them to. I will never be stupid enough to trust anyone again.