Chapter 10

NICOLE

“UNCLE GIOVANNI?”

The need to run to him was great but my legs remain rooted. The man in front of me wasn’t the same man who’d come to our living room with a bunch of goodies for me and called me his sweet little niece.

No, he wasn’t.

The man in front of me was something far darker. His eyes glided down my cleavage and remained there the corners of his mouth stretching to a smirk. I stood there feeling as intimidated and as naked as ever. His hooded eyes had this gaze that made me swallow an invisible lump with fear.

“You even more beautiful than I remember”, he commented standing up from the overpriced couch, his eyes never leaving mine for a second. The man who’d hit me earlier took a few steps back leaving me under the scrutiny of my supposed not blood related uncle who eyed me like a butcher in a slaughter house.

“Uncle Giovanni—I-I don’t understand what’s happening but please let me go. Daddy will apologize for whatever he’s done”

Because suddenly everything was clicking into place. Giovanni was the bad man Cannon talked about. My dad had gotten into some bad shit with Giovanni.

“Who did that to you?” he ignored my statement inching towards me and placing his finger on my already sore jaw.

I flinched at the touch of his hand and at the coldness of his thumb pad on the jaw that stung like the Dickens.

“Please”

“I’ll take care of you, pet. You hear me? I’ll take care of you”

Then without looking back, he raised his pinkie and one of the bodyguards took out his rifle shooting the man who’d punched me earlier. My skin turned to gooseflesh as I glanced over my shoulder looking at another horrific scene of someone murdered.

Only, unlike Nance the body lying in a pool of its own blood had a missing part of his head. The inked Viking bodyguard had literally blown another man’s brains to bits. With a lot of concern and my pulse in my mouth, I glanced at the man who’d pulled the trigger.

He was even bigger than Cannon, probably six feet and a half, and a whole lot scarier. Like pennywise in John Cena’s body scarier.

“No one hurts you except me. You hear me, beautiful?” Uncle—God he wasn’t even my uncle for fuck’s sake.

He was the man after my dad planning to kill me to settle a stupid score.

Petrified beyond anything, I let Giovanni take my hand. I let him kiss the back of my hand as if he was some gentleman I was in love with.

“Flames, call someone to clean this shit up”

The guy who’d pulled the trigger grunted before moving past the slider windows to the backyard that had guards circling the house like soldier bees protecting the hive.

“Come on, love. Let’s get you cleaned up”, Giovanni said pulling my hand towards the hall that held one of the rooms I was put in earlier.

I wasn’t stupid enough to walk with him God knew where. I wasn’t stupid enough to walk away with my kidnapper some place where there weren’t guards. I’d seen that look in his face men had. I’d seen him glance at my chest then at my body as if I were a bountiful meal.

“No!” I screamed louder than necessary alerting the one guard who was standing behind us.

“Stand down Santino. She’s a bit spooked but nothing I can’t fix”

“Please—please let me go”, I begged for the umpteenth time but the damn bastard reached for my face swiping loose strands from my face.

“I’m afraid I can’t do that, amor. I’ve been dreaming of this day for years you know”

“Please don`t do this. Daddy will fix everything”

“He’s already fixed everything, amor. He gave you to me, you are mine”

Bitter bile rose up my throat and I felt like throwing up in my mouth. I wasn’t stupid not to understand what he meant and again I wasn’t stupid to believe my own dad would sell me to anyone like him or much less sell me!

“You don’t what you are talking about. My dad wouldn’t sell me to a monster like you and even if he did, I’m not that low of a woman to accept a man like you”, I scathed yanking my hand away from him like I should have done in the beginning.

“A monster?” he laughed. A laugh so cynical that had my bravery dimming down like steam by the minute.

“Santos. Leave us”

And the guy behind us left without as much as glancing back.

Before I could say something belittling to the man in front of me, the air I didn’t know I was holding got snatched away from me. His hand sunk into the column of my throat and my eyes dimmed trying to breath, trying to beg for my life but the only thing that came out was a wheeze.

“Me llamas monstruo? I’ll show you what a monster looks like”, he thundered, his cigarette breath on my neck.

My heart in my mouth, my throat in agony, my legs weak, I shed pathetic tears glancing up the ceiling.

Then he did what I didn’t expect him to do. I wanted to be dead not…

His one free hand played with the waistband of the sweatpants I had on and I tried to squirm under him. Yanking them down my feet as if they were nothing, the cold air hit my bare ass and I shuddered with humiliation and anguish.

No, this wasn’t happening. Cannon was coming for him but where was he? Where was he when the brute of a man in front of me run his plump fingers against my sex.

“All naked and waiting for me, amor. All this mine? I’m a lucky man and ill show you just how lucky I feel”

Cannon wasn’t coming. This was my fate and like the loser I had been for my entire life, I stood still.

I stood still with fear and spite for myself.

His thumb touched my clit and he pressed harder wiggling it until a harsh breath left my lips. My legs became numb, fear ate at my sides until I couldn’t do anything but stare ahead into nothingness, fat tears spilling from eyes.

Still not giving a fuck whether he choked me to death or not, he issued a command,

“Spread your legs for me baby”

I didn’t. I wanted him to finish me. I wanted him to get angry and kill me. His hand still rubbing my mound, he slapped my inner thighs forcing my legs open and I knew this was it.

I could feel his slimy finger at my entrance, I could see his mouth opening up to say something but I didn`t hear what. My brain had already gone numb.

Before he pushed his finger inside of me, hot warm liquid spattered across my face and I shut my eyes my mind registering the fact that a shot had echoed in the air.

Opening my eyes frightfully, I gazed at the limp body next to me.

Giovanni, dead.

Standing by the slider windows, a rifle in hand, heavy padded boots on the ground and a Kevlar vest covering his chest, was the person who’d shot Giovanni at the back of his head without as much as an ounce of remorse showing on his face.

“We have to move”, his voice soared and I blinked back tears,

“Cannon”

And everything fucking turned black as myriads of shots wafted in the air like rain drops.