Chapter 64Cephus’ POVShe’s sad, broken, and confused, and leaving her here is the last thing I want to do, but in the grand scheme of things, I haven’t a fucking clue as to what to do with her.I take the stairs two at a time, and at the top, Felix greets me to give me a report.“What happened?” I furiously demand. I’m back in mob boss mode.“Someone jumped the fence in the back yard. The silent alarm went off,” Felix explains, his eyes never leaving mine.“To the office. I can’t believe you weren’t watching the fucking cameras,” I growl. There should be no reason to need me, I train these men to deal with these issues.“We were, sir, we didn’t see—”“Then you go out there and check it out. There isn’t any reason you should need me unless you don’t have the situation under control?” I question him, wondering if he really has the situation under control. Luccio’s words ring in my ears to watch my back, to protect myself.“Sir…” Felix tries to get in, but I turn on him. Grabbing his
Chapter 65Katie’s POV“I work….” Well, we are making progress—two fucking words are better than one, but it isn’t the answer I want.Gripping him by the throat, I rip the knife from my ankle, where I always keep it and press it firmly against his throat. Blood trickles from the cut, but I am not done. I will be bathing in his blood by the end of this if he doesn’t provide me with answers.“Tell me!” I snarl, pushing the knife in with more force. His eyes widen, and his breaths become pants. He is going to have a heart attack if I don’t kill him soon.“Luccio,” he says the name as if it is one he knows well. I narrow my eyes at him, trying to determine if he is, in fact, telling the truth. Luccio had been the very person to warn me… Could he be the person who set me up, to begin with?“What about him? Tell me everything or so help me fucking god, I will cut your throat open and watch you suffocate.” Each word is something I mean. I don’t make promises, I just do it.“I work with him
Chapter 66Katie's POVFor now, I will have to deal with it. It doesn’t stop me from wondering what my mom would think, though.What is my father doing right now? My heart tightens as I think of him all alone. Will Cephus let me call him eventually? Let me check up on him? Will Cephus ever let me go? Doubts swarm me, fear owns me, and courage is the only thing keeping me going.I burrow myself into my blanket as I let the uncertainties eat away at me. I can’t run, but I can’t accept my life here either.There is only one other option I can see right now. I have to take him out before he can take me out. I have to kill Cephus. That’s the only way I can get away and make my father safe. My heart rate skyrockets at the mere thought of shooting him, it isn’t fair that he can point a gun at me and feel nothing. Just thinking about killing someone–taking Cephus’s life–makes me sick to my stomach.A clicking sound startles me as the door to my cell opens. Eli walks inside, looking like he w
Chapter 67Katie’s POVA shadow appears in the doorway, but instead of Cephus, an older woman peers down at us. Her face contorts into anger as she descends the steps. Her words come out in a dialect that I don’t understand… It sounds Italian, but I’m not sure.Whatever she says has Eli getting up and backing away from me. His eyes never leave me, though. The way he’s looking at me tells me that he’ll be back, and he’ll do whatever he wants to me.“Come, piccolo.” Her hands are gentle, and her voice soothes me, as she pulls me up the stairs, leaving Eli behind in the basement. Tears spring from my eyes, and I grab her, wrapping my arms around her small frame. She’s my savior, my saint.In the haze of it all, all I can focus on is that word. The one Cephus always calls me.“What does that mean, the word you just called me?” I ask between sniffles. She smiles at me softly—the kind of smile my mom used to give me.Her frail fingers reach out, pushing loose strands of my hair behind my e
Chapter 68Katie’s POVThe maid brought clean clothes and soap to wash up in the sink every day, but that’s not the same.Heading to the bathroom, I strip out of my clothes and take a hot shower. The water feels wonderful, and after, I feel a hell of a lot cleaner than before. I dry off and wrap a towel around myself before leaving the fogged-up bathroom to walk to the closet.My clothes are still there, neatly folded, and hung up as if I’ve been here all along. Dropping the towel, I dress in one of the silky pajama sets.I really don’t want to fucking care about him or care about whatever he’s doing. Except, as I crawl into his bed, all I can do is see him, smell him, taste him. I feel the weight of his body on mine, his lips on my skin, and relish the passion and fire he stokes within me.As soon as I close my eyes, I hear laughter from somewhere in the house. Someone is talking loudly, then laughing again. Footsteps follow suit. The sounds come closer, and I sit up. One final femi
Chapter 69Katie's POV“You should be…” he mumbles against my throat as he kisses the bruises that I’m sure are there. There is a tenderness in the way he caresses me. It is as if he is trying to scrub away the bad, like he wants to take the hurt away. He is conflicted and fucked up. I can’t even begin to fully describe him.“I’m not scared of you anymore, and if I was, I wouldn’t show that kind of weakness to you.”“Being scared doesn’t make you weak…” His eyes glaze over, hazy with a memory, I’m sure. He had to have had a fucked up childhood to have turned into the beautifully damaged man he is. He never speaks of his mother or father.“In the eyes of a monster like you, it does.” His lips lick over one of my bruises and trails up to my ear. The hairs on the back of my neck stand, and I feel a surge of adrenaline go through me. His teeth nibble at my lobe, and I feel myself growing weak against him. My defenses are nothing when it comes to the things he can do with his mouth.I w
Chapter 70Katie's POVI turn my head slightly to look at him. He is standing a few feet away, but it’s already too close to comfort. The small hairs on the back of my neck are raised, making me feel like a cat getting ready to fight—a cat fighting a grizzly bear.“I’ll check on it later, but since you are here. Would you like to explain why you let Katie out of her cell without my approval?” Cephus’s voice is casual, though this situation is anything but. My pulse picks up, waiting for this to unfold.“Is that what she told you happened?” Eli raises his eyebrow, faking a shocked expression.I knew it, I knew he would fucking turn this around on me, and Cephus is going to believe him. He’ll take his side, no matter what.“If it’s not, please, enlighten me.”“I went to check on her and brought her food. When she grabbed the tray, she surprised me by kicking me in the balls and running out the door.”I’m fuming. I’m so fucking mad, I want to gouge his eyes out. I have to bite the inside
Chapter 71Cephus’ POVThe knife lands with precision right where I expect it to—just shy of cutting her ear off. A breath of an inch closer, and she would have been one ear short.Her eyes are as wide as saucers. Fear is rooted deeply in them, and I know she thinks I’m going to kill her. She thinks that one of these many knives is meant for her.She is wrong. None of the knives are meant for her—they are meant for me.“Whatever fucking crazy ass rollercoaster you’re on, I want off.” She is tiny but sounds like a ferocious beast. Her eyes are filled with fire, but her body trembles with fear.“Sorry, no refunds, baby,” I taunt, grabbing another knife from the drawer. I can go all night. There are knives upon knives that can be thrown, but I have other ideas about what I can do with them.“Then kill me. Do it. Because this game, or whatever it is that you’re playing, is fucking with my head. You’re fucking with my head. Just do what you planned to do all along.”My dick grows harder wi