Page 18 of And Twice as Twisted (Agostino Crime Family #4)

“I will handle it.” I sounded stronger than I felt. “He won’t… he won’t hurt me.”

“You sure about that?” When I didn’t answer, his impatient sigh hung heavy in the air. “Think this through, then get back to me.”

“Yup.” I hung up, tossing my phone onto my desk and flopping into my seat. The weight of the world on my shoulders was starting to bury me into the ground.

“Who was that?”

I shrieked, staring at Apollo in surprise. Give me a damn break!

He was showered, but in sweatpants, sans shirt. His hair was still dripping down his chest and into the waistband of his pants. I stared at the wet material, inadvertently licking my lips.

“Ever hear of knocking?” My breathy voice gave me away.

“Answer. Me.” He ground out the words, taking a step with each syllable until he was looming over my desk. I gave him the same lie I told my brother, but this time it fell flat. His eyes flared. “Try that again.”

I gulped, remaining quiet.

“Lie to me, Sienna. Do it. See what happens.”

I leaned across the desk and repeated myself, without breaking eye contact. He suddenly wanted to act like my hero, stumbling back into my life as a messy, sex-oozing, tattooed god. Well, fuck him.

“Okay.”

I tilted my head, surprised he’d given up that easy.

Only, he hadn’t.

I didn’t see it coming. He pulled me across my desk by my wrist and it immediately started to swell.

My thighs ripped open when dragged across the harsh surface, my entire computer system following me to the ground.

His toned body pressed me into the floor and his sweatpants did little to hide his pleasure at my pain.

His firm hand on my neck kept me in place, squeezing hard enough to bruise while daring me to lie to him again. A crazed monster set on teaching me a lesson. Fuck him. I let out a scream, lifting an arm and scratching down his face, unconcerned with the repercussions.

“Your audacity to assume I cannot smell your lies is astounding.” He pinned my arms above my head, infuriated and shaking. “Tell me.”

“Fuck you, Apollo.”

He didn’t relent, no matter how hard I fought.

“ To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.” His Shakespearean quotes only stoked my fire.

“Your lies will be the death of you. So concerned with proving your strength that you’ll charge over the front lines alone, instead of with an army at your back. ”

“I don’t need to prove anything anymore. I’ve done it over and over.” I lifted my hips, but it was no use.

“When your lies catch up to you and send you to an early grave, it’ll just be one less person in this family for me to worry about.” His words were a knife to my heart, icy and sharp, with every intention of causing irreparable damage.

“Get off me!” When he didn’t move, I spit in his face. “I can take care of myself.”

“Clearly.”

I was getting emotional whiplash from all the back and forth with this man. “ Clearly . As I proved at the river’s edge, when I crawled out of the hell you created.” It was a low blow, but I was too pissed to care. “And if I can’t, I’m sure Romano will take care of me.”

He’d hurt me and it was time to hurt him back. Then again, this merry-go-round wasn’t any less painful. He was a goddamn mental patient at this stage. Long gone was the man that protected me, the friend I’d grown up with.

He shoved himself off me as if my touch burned, tugging at his hair and pacing. He’d lost any semblance of composure, his appearance unkempt while he muttered to himself like a full-on basket case.

I climbed to my feet, adjusted my towel, and made the ultimate mistake—another one in the grand scheme of things really. I turned my back on him . I should have known better than to take my eyes off a rabid dog.

He gripped the back of my neck so hard I hunched my shoulders.

“Romano will protect you?” His hold kept me silent.

He walked us towards the bed, his chest to my back as I dropped onto my stomach.

His heavy weight pinned me down, even as I fought him.

I was beaten—black and blue—but only I could see it, could feel it.

“Does Romano touch you like this?” His calloused hand ran down my body, squeezing my hip. “Do you make those noises for him?”

Suddenly, I was flipped onto my back and his warm mouth latched on to mine.

I was lost to everything but us. But this moment.

He ravaged my body but fucked my mind—gone from reality—and I didn’t want to come back.

He pulled one delicious orgasm after another from me.

Apollo took each of my hate-filled speeches and laughed at my promises of pain.

He drained me mentally and physically until he came. Then he shoved away from me.

“Who was on the phone?” he asked as he adjusted his sweatpants.

I maintained the lie because this had nothing to do with him.

“ Due possono giocare a quell gioco. ” He thought two could play at my game, but I’d lose no matter what.

“When you lose everything, I hope you remember that you chose this path on your own.”

I wanted to run my hands through his messy hair. “As you’ve said, I’m not your problem.” Heading for another shower, I bit my lip to hide my sobs. “Leave, Apollo.”

“I dare you to go to Philly.”

I froze, my heart hammering in my chest.

“I’ll make you watch as I destroy the entire fucking city, Sienna. Ti sfido .” And then he was gone.

I turned the water to the hottest setting, leaving the bathroom to let it fill with steam. I sent Alexei an email about scheduling a meeting and then called John. “I’ll be bait.”

He didn’t respond.

“Use me. Let’s draw him out.”

“Sienna, I won’t do that.” His tone told me that was a lie. “Not only will the department say no but…” But my family would kill him if I got hurt.

“Okay,” I stated with finality.

“Okay?” He drew out the singular word.

“Uh-huh. Happy hunting.” I disconnected the line, sending him to voicemail when he called right back, and dialed Alexei instead.

“Yeah?” Alexei questioned with no greeting.

“Call your uncle. One of his contacts will know where Gio is hiding.” I yawned, completely depleted of energy by this point.

“No,” he ground out, so I hung up on him too.

I’d do it on my own then. I wandered into the bathroom and stared at myself in the mirror, my fingers running over the bruises on my neck.

Could I leave my family behind and run away with the enemy?

In the mafia, my family reigned supreme, but would they allow me to live if I committed the ultimate sin?

Some travesties were unavoidable because of our limited moral compasses.

But this… this would be unforgiveable.

He wanted to give me my city. To take it from my brother.

And I could be queen.

Maybe his desire, his affections, his drive for us to lead together… maybe it could turn into more. Maybe I could love him. Or maybe the poison Apollo injected into my veins was sending me over that edge into insanity.

After all, I’d become accustomed to a life of devastation and pain. So why not where a crown along the way?