3.1

“You need to trust me. I know you, Skylar. I know how long you've been missing and how Elena had never stopped searching for you until we thought we had evidence of your death,” 

I wanted to believe the feigned sincerity in those eyes, I'd give anything to believe his offer for help. If only it wasn't a sickening game.

This man was merely violating me with mental manipulation instead of physical. And if I didn't push through with Tymon's orders, my friends would suffer for my failure.

“I know you're scared,” Raffaelo stepped so close that the gentle scent of his woodsy cologne burned a trail down my throat to scorch my lungs. “But I'm not leaving you here. This nightmare is over,” The delicate sweep of his breath brushed against my lips.

I shook my head, snapping out of my momentary confusion, rebuilding my walls, and getting back on track with my plan.

“Who I am doesn't matter when I'm yours to please for the night. Just tell me what you need,” I moved closer to him. I grabbed his belt and began to pull it from his confinement. 

“Fucking hell, stop,” He pushed away my hands. “Just fucking stop, I don't want to fuck you, Skylar,”

I froze halfway, studying his features once more. He was revolted by me and this humiliation is far worse than what I was used to. “You don't want me?” I asked, almost offended. “Aren't I as tempting as the women you bought earlier?”

I knew the answer even without him saying it.

I wasn't good enough for him. Or maybe I was too used. Too abused. Too broken.

“Trust me, you're beautiful. A fucking temptation but not in the way you think. You don't have to do this,”

He was wrong. I needed to do this. To get close enough to inject him and save my friends from the cruel punishment that awaited them for my failure.

I needed to be close. I couldn't strike from a distance. Without thinking, I gripped the tiny straps of my dress, pushing them off my shoulders in quick motion and the soft material fell at my feet, leaving me completely naked.

His jaw tightened in fury at my nakedness as he took the sheet from the bed, draping it over me to cover my shame.

For the first time, he was close enough. Close enough for me to strike. This was it. This was my chance. At the speed of light, I pulled out the syringe from my hair and then launched it at him.

*****

SAVIO RUSSO 

“What the fuck!” I grabbed her arm, twisting the other behind her back and forcing her against the bed, while I snatched the syringe from her hand. “What the fuck is this?” I growled in frustration, causing a tremor to rock through her while I straddled her fragile little body wrapped up in white sheets unable to think straight. At least not when my dick enjoyed the feel of her body beneath mine.

Fuck. I couldn't believe what I was doing to a vulnerable woman. Elena's sister for fucks sake.

“I'm sorry, I'm really sorry. Please don't hurt me,” 

Her plea killed me. It fucking stripped me bare but I couldn't let go of her. Not until she started talking.

“I won't hurt you, Skylar. I just need you to tell me what the fuck’s going on,” 

“Let me go, and I'll tell you,”

“Nice try,”

“Please,” Her voice cracked. “You said you wanted to help, so please help me by letting me walk out of here,”

There was no way I'd let her go anywhere near Tymon again. Not ever. “Did Tymon send you?” Of course, it had to be him. I didn't need confirmation, I just needed her to trust me. It would make everything a fuckton easy.

When she didn't respond, I released her in good faith. Her skin already looked pale and her body trembled under my gaze.

“Talk,” I growled. “Tymon sent you, didn't he? Why?”

“He didn't send me,” She muttered in a whisper.

“So I'm supposed to believe the syringe is yours?”

She nodded. Fuck she was such a pretty little liar.

“Skylar, you need to tell me exactly what's going on?” I knew exactly what was going on. My cover was blown. Salvatore must have told Tymon to finish me off and he decided to send the most unsuspecting woman. 

But I needed her to tell me herself. I couldn't explain my sudden obsession with gaining her trust. I should be looking for a way out of her, searching for Dario, and on my way to help Lorenzo take down the disgrace of a father permanently. But instead, here I was.

A ragged exhausted exhale shuddered from her lips. “He'll kill me,”

“I won't let him hurt you,”

“He will. And he will kill my friends too. You can't save me or them,”

“Fuck it, I'll protect you. I'm not leaving this fucking place without you,” I really hope she'd believe me. As long as there was air in my lungs, I'd protect her.

“And you expect me to trust you? You're just like Tymon. I know you bought those women from Frizz,” Her deep blue eyes hardened with detest.

“No, I didn't. Ronan and I saved them. One of the women is his sister. And I'll do everything to save you and the other women from this place. Tell me did Tymon send you?”

She hesitated, biting her lips in confusion, and again, the resulting twitch of my cock at her unconscious action made me groan internally.

“Skylar,” I groaned at the time we were wasting. More than her answer, I wanted her to surrender. I wanted her to quit fighting and give in to me. To my protection. “There are groups of armed men scattered all over the place. They work with me and want to take down Tymon and this fucking shit of an operation. Any moment now, they'll be bursting in, and soon it'll be open gunfire. If you truly want to protect those friends of yours you'll have to trust me otherwise, everyone will be dead,”

She slumped unto her haunches, her face crippling with defeat. “Promise me I won't regret this,”

I nodded in a silent promise.

“Raffaelo —”

“Savio,” I shook my head, breaking free from her hypnotic stare. “My real name is Savio.And I swear to everything sacred, I'll protect you with my life,”

And to God, I meant it.