Chapter 2

“She’s a virgin. Her hymen is intact.” The man said as he removed his two gloves from inside of me.

“You couldn’t find anyone to fuck you in the U.S., Livia? I thought you would have found a husband and had kids by now. But look at you, working waitressing jobs in downtown Chicago. Are you fucking stupid? You could have had everything in Italy with a rich husband.”

“I was just eighteen and the man was forty years older than me!” I screamed.

The image of the man I was supposed to marry before I ran away from the family almost made me vomit. He had yellowing teeth, a pot belly, and was bald.

He had a reputation for only dealing with younger girls. Once his young wives got older, he sold them to brothels. Who wanted to live that kind of life?

“I don’t hear Allegra complaining. In the face of you running away, she took your place and she seems to be enjoying it too.” Carlo said as he laughed. “It was the first time a man in the Mafia was grateful to have a sister as a substitute bride.”

I was disgusted by his words but I also felt guilty. He knew why Domenico was happy to take my sister instead of me. She had been sixteen at the time–younger than me. He was a pedophile.

If I hadn’t left, my sister wouldn’t be married to an almost sixty-year-old man. She would never forgive me for running away.

“Allegra hasn’t worked a day in her life unlike you. Your hands are even calloused. Is this what you gave up luxury for? You even hid the Rossi name. Do you know how many women covet your bloodline?”

He spoke like I should have been proud to be the daughter of a Mafia leader. He didn’t understand that I couldn’t handle it. The blood, the guns, the fear, the controlling behavior, and the lack of freedom got to me.

The day I left, I heard Papa plotting to kidnap the sister of his rival and sell her to a brothel. The disgusting things Papa said would happen to her made me rush to the toilet to vomit.

That was when I knew I had to escape. Five years on the run had gone down the drain because Carlos found me. He found me before I could make things right.

“Please, don’t tell Papa you found me. You can let me go and finally act like my older brother.”

He laughed and shook his head.

“You don’t understand, Livia. I hate you. You embarrassed Papa and our family when you ran away. He has known your location for almost a year and a half. ”

I tried to guess where I went wrong but deep down, I knew that information wouldn’t help me with anything. I had already been caught. I had to try and escape.

“This man is going to uncuff you so you can eat. If you try anything, I will let these men do what they want with you.”

He left me alone with men who looked at me in ways that made my skin crawl. One of the three men uncuffed my hands and the other my feet. They pointed a gun at my face.

“I will shoot if you try anything funny,” he said.

They handed me food and watched me eat. I feared it was drugged but I was also hungry. I hadn’t eaten the whole day when they took me.

I wanted to plead with the men to help me escape but I had no money to offer them. If Carlo had left one guard, I might have been able to escape. Three men and a gun were too much.

But then, he knew that I was dangerous. The most dangerous man in Italy, Papa, had taught me how to fight. I could shoot a target with my eyes closed.

“I don’t understand why the three of us have been assigned to watch her. She’s just a tiny girl.”

“Shut up and look at her. Carlo said she was dangerous and swift.” The other said.

They all laughed like something was funny. They didn’t consider me a threat which was great news for me because their guards were lowered.

When one of them excused himself to take a call and the other two got distracted, I took my moment.

I sprang into motion in a blur of speed. I kicked the man pointing the gun at me in the wrist and it clattered to the floor as he stumbled back with a grunt. I seized the moment, twisting his arm and flipping him over her shoulder. He hit the ground hard, groaning in pain.

The second man cursed and leveled his weapon, but I ducked low, darting toward him. His finger tightened on the trigger, but I was already inside his guard. I slammed my palm upward into his elbow, forcing his arm to bend awkwardly and the shot to veer into the ceiling.

With a quick spin, I drove my elbow into his jaw, sending him sprawling.

The third man, who was on the phone, hesitated, clearly recalculating his odds. His gun tracked me like he wanted to shoot me.

“We both know Carlo will kill you if you kill me. I’m worth a lot of money.”

“You can fight, we get it. Get back on the bed and let me cuff you before Carlo puts you through hell.”

Since I was near the exit, I dashed out quickly. He wouldn’t shoot me. Carlo would rip his throat out because I was worth a lot of money.

Adrenaline rushed through me as I ran faster than I ever had before. I could taste freedom on the tip of my tongue as I neared the exit. The sun's rays were a beacon of hope that maybe I could survive my family a second time.

I should have known my little moment of celebration would be short-lived. My hair was yanked before I could exit the warehouse and my body was pushed to the floor.

The kicks and blows started coming in faster than I could shield myself with my hands. I felt my ribs break the more I was beaten and I could taste blood in my mouth.

“You fucking whore! You’re more trouble than you’re worth. Nobody will buy you. You’re better off servicing my men instead of embarrassing me to your buyer.”

Those were the last words I heard from Carlo before my world went dark.