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Seven
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Domenico Eight
I was watching Domenico pluck another petal from the rose, trying to remember how many that made. Seven? Ten? I could easily remember at least six and the rose still looked full, but that may have been due to its opening up. The rose was dying but it retained its shape, the head beginning to droop.While I was transfixed by the odd ritual, Roman stepped into view.“Your dinner is served,” he said with a smile.“Thank you,” I replied, returning his smile, taking the plate and setting it down before relieving his hands of not one but two drinks.“A little something extra,” he whispered, giving me a wink before walking away.Immediately I downed over half the bottle of water. I’d been constantly parched since about day three. Whatever food and drink I was allotted was always just enough to keep me from starving or dehydrating, but only just.The sandwiches ranged from the terrible bologna and mayo to ham, cheese, and mustard and other deli concoctions. Which was why I was pl
Domenico Nine
Fighting the sleep in my eyes was hard. My mind was foggy, weighed down. Something said it was better to sleep, but something else nagged at me.As I surfaced, the nagging began to slowly become apparent. From the pounding that turned into a thumping in my head, to the nerves firing off around my body and the cold that was seeping into my skin, it all paled to the ache between my legs.The putrid smell of decay filled my senses as I roused, ever the reminder that I was nothing more than a caged animal.As my senses awakened, cold seeped down to the bone. Cracking an eye open, I found that I was lying naked atop the grimy mattress. The blanket was haphazardly lying across my body. It shielded little and warmed almost nothing.When my eyes were able to focus, there was only one thing in my view. His silver eyes stared at me, and their shiny surface gave nothing away.The memories were sluggish and fuzzy, but two things were obvious in the light of day: I’d been drugged at so
Domenico Ten
High-pitched wails, sounds of begging and pleading, rang around the empty walls, and the few men were suddenly on high alert. All except Domenico.My chest hurt at the sound because I knew, I just knew. There was about to be one less empty cage.Another girl abducted from the streets.One associate was carrying a lantern, lighting the path as Roman and two other men carried the struggling girl up the stairs. I hadn’t seen Roman since he’d given me dinner that night, the night Domenico claimed me. His eyes locked with mine before quickly looking away.I swallowed hard. Was he ashamed of what I’d done? How I had reacted to Domenico? I remembered the anger in his eyes.“Shut her up!” Domenico yelled from the darkness.My hands were white-knuckled on the bars as I watched them throw her into a cage a few down from my own. Her eyes were wide, tears streaming as she begged to be let go.“No! No! Please!” Hiccupping sobs rang out as she drew in ragged breaths, her words heavily
Domenico Eleven
I wasn’t sure how many petals a rose held, but I guessed somewhere between thirty and fifty. More than half the petals were gone, and I began to wonder what would happen when the last petal fell.A pit formed in my stomach as I looked at the number of men. Something had shifted and Domenico’s crew had either surged in membership, or they were all converging on that building.Most of them were familiar faces that I’d at least seen before, but out of the more than twenty men around, there were one or two I didn’t recognize.All day I’d watched, listened, and waited. Even Marco seemed on edge as he sent men out on different jobs. Domenico had been gone for almost the whole day, and I vibrated without him near.The increase of testosterone had led to a few scuffles, and my anxiety increased as the day progressed. There was a safety I’d begun to feel with Domenico, but when he wasn’t around I felt a darkness stirring.He arrived late in the afternoon, but if it wasn’t for the s
Domenico Twelve
In the days that followed, I spent more time out of my cage and chained up close to Domenico. The atmosphere held more tension than usual, even with fewer men.The rumble beneath the surface was obviously unusual, especially because I’d seen both the fear and reverence for la Bestia. The atmosphere created a buzzing in my veins, an anxiety of what would happen when it came to a head.Domenico entered the room carrying a box. It was evident by the flex of his muscles that it had some heft. It clanged when he dropped it to the ground near me.“What’s that?” I asked, but as usual I received no response.A groan left me when he released my arms from the shackles, but when I stood, he pulled me to a stool and sat me down. He handed me a sandwich and drink that were sitting on top of the box, then stepped to the doorway. It was just a blink that he wasn’t watching, a blink that I was fractionally free, but with a small window and no level of real strength, there was no use even t
Domenico Thirteen
I stared up at him, my brain trying to process his words. My gaze bounced between his eyes, confusion flooding me. What was he talking about?I had less than two seconds to decide what my response was. Go or stay? And which was the right answer?Did I trust him enough to leave? Or was he simply dragging me to another level of hell?The silence made up my mind. There was nobody around, not even Marco. We were alone.He slipped my shoes on as I sat up, then pulled me to my feet.His hand sat in the space between us. I looked from it to his eyes and made my decision—I slipped my hand in his.“Why are you helping me?” I asked as we raced across the open space to the door leading to the fire escape.“Because I’m your knight in fucking black armor, princess. Now let’s go before they notice your cage is empty.”My muscles were stiff, and his arm wrapped around my waist to help hold me up while we descended the stairs.There were a couple of beat-up cars in the gravel lot, inc
Domenico Fourteen
The next day I was feeling better. While not the healthiest, pizza was definitely higher in nutrition than my sandwiches. By noon I had managed to eat three slices. I also drank and drank and drank. Dehydration was part of my issues, it turned out.The more food and water I was able to get in me, the better.Domenico was different. Still dominant and grating, but now his touch set me on fire. I knew more, understood why.He was not a sadist. He was my savior.“He told me to do whatever it took to keep you safe.”Whatever to keep me safe included how he had to hurt me, because the alternative was far worse.“How long are we going to be here?” I asked, nibbling on the crust of the last piece I’d gotten down. Even full, I felt a surge of energy that I hadn’t felt in weeks.His lips formed a thin line. “I’m still working out a plan.”“You planned out the whole escape, didn’t you?”He nodded. “But there wasn’t time to plan past this point. There are those loyal to me who in
Domenico Fifteen
Sex was so much better after I admitted how much I wanted him. After he told me how much he needed me.For three days we’d remained locked in the hotel room. There were many hours that he kept watch out the window while I read one of the books I’d picked up from my apartment. I’d finished Domenico’s War and Peace while still in my cage and I was ravenous to read more.Oh, how I’d missed reading. I was elated to read again.“Isn’t your car conspicuous?” I asked as he stared out the window.“It’s not there.”I blinked and turned to him. I knew it was a bad neighborhood, but wow. “Someone stole it?”He gave a small shake of his head. “The motel owner has it in a storage garage in the back.”“Do you trust him?”“Not particularly, but a grand in hand and no questions were asked.”Based on his car and his status, money didn’t seem to be much of an issue for him. He was paid well. “So your little gang…what does it do for Ferrante?”His brow furrowed. “Why do you ask?”“From
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