Page 8

Chapter Eight

Anya

E rik returns home, looking tired and sweaty.

I rush right to his side. “What happened?”

“Dante doesn’t want to make a trade.” With a sigh, he takes off his jacket, then leans against the wall, letting out a groan. “He was just toying with us. Viktor and Ivan are safe but a gunfight did happen.”

“So, Dante tricked you.”

“Well, it was Viktor who started it.”

“I didn’t know he cared that much for Nadia,” I murmur.

“I’m not sure it’s that. I think it’s more of a pride thing. Dante stole the woman he was about to marry. A lot of men wouldn’t take too kindly to that. Viktor is angry. I don’t think it’s out of love.”

“And my father? What did he do?”

Erik hesitates and averts his gaze.

“Tell me.”

“He didn’t show. Sergei never came to the meet-up.”

A heavy hand wraps itself around my heart and squeezes. I knew he hated me but I always thought he at least cared a little bit for Nadia. “Did he say why?”

“I haven’t asked him yet. I don’t know if he has a plan up his sleeve or if he just… ”

Didn’t care to show . I know that’s what Erik isn’t saying to me. Maybe my own father just didn’t care to make a trade for his own daughter’s life.

“So, Nadia is still stuck with that madman.”

He nods. “I’m afraid so. We’re still looking into the video Dante sent. It hasn’t yielded any results yet. I’m not sure where she is, Anya. She’s not at any of Dante’s known spots. But he could have a ton of properties under a ton of different names that I don’t know about. He could be hiding her next door for all I know.”

My heart constricts even harder. “You can’t give up hope, Erik. You can’t. Because if you give up hope, then I…” Then I have nothing. I’ll have no hope at all of getting my sister back.

I squeeze my eyes shut to stop the tears. “This is what Dante wants,” I whisper. “This is what he’s trying to do to us. He’s trying to break us down from the inside by breaking our hearts.”

Erik doesn’t say another word as he wraps me in his arms. He knows there’s nothing to say to comfort me in this moment.

Dante

“Dante,” Elio says tightly when he opens his front door.

“You don’t sound happy to see me.” I let myself right on in. Elio is getting older and knows he won’t win in a fight against me. Wherever I want to go is wherever I will go.

“Have you finished with your nonsense yet?” he asks, following me into the living room.

“And by nonsense you mean…”

“I mean your nonsense with this kidnapping! I’m worried for Aria every day since you took that girl. Her father came after my Aria once before. What’s to stop him from doing it again?”

“Sergei Belov had the element of surprise before. Now he doesn’t. You have Aria under lock and key. He won’t get her.”

“So, why are you here then? ”

“Because I wanted to ask you something. I thought it was the least I could do after everything.”

Elio eyes me with suspicion. “What?”

Footsteps run down the stairs and Aria enters the living room, breathless. “What’s going on? No one will tell me anything.”

“Aria.”

“Dante. Tell me. Have you tortured Sergei Belov yet? Erik Koslov? Are they dead?” The eagerness in her eyes is something unusual to see in a young Mafia girl. Most of them are kept so sheltered, they would never dream of saying anything like this. But Aria isn’t a normal Mafia girl. She’s been kidnapped before. She knows what fear is like.

“They’re not dead. I need to torture them a bit longer first.”

Her smile dims a little. “I want them dead for what they did to me. I want that girl dead. I want her father to know what it feels like to face the consequences of his actions.”

“Aria,” Elio says, aghast.

She shrugs. “It’s true.”

“I’m not going to kill Nadia. She’s too much fun to play with. And besides, it was her father who did the kidnapping. Not her.”

“She’s guilty by association,” she says, her eyes flashing with anger.

“Aren’t you the same? I kidnapped Nadia. Aren’t you guilty by association?”

“You’re not my father.”

“No. But I am a friend of your father’s. I’ve known you since you were a baby.” I lean back on the couch and pat the back of it. “I came here to tell you both that I’m going to bring Nadia over.”

Elio blinks. “Here?”

“Yes, here.”

“Why?”

“Because …” Because I almost killed her by keeping her down in that basement and I’m feeling weirdly fucking guilty about it . “Because the girl could get out. Socialize. Who better than one of my oldest friends and his daughter?”

“I don’t want that disgusting filth in my home,” Aria snarls. So much hate in such a tiny package.

“Too bad. I’m bringing her over in a couple of days.”

“Why a couple of days?” Elio asks .

“In case anyone’s watching your house. I want to be safe. This was just a courtesy call.” I stand up and pat Elio on the shoulder. “Come on. Let’s walk to the door.”

We leave Aria in the living room to fume.

“You might want to get her anger reigned in,” I murmur. “I know she’s only sixteen but in a couple of years, she’ll be of marrying age. No Mafia man is going to want such an angry wife. Remember that.”

“It’s no different from you. You have so much anger inside of you, Dante, that you’ve plunged me back into a war I don’t want any part in. I’m not happy with you.”

“I’ll be honest. I don’t really care.” I flash a grin at Elio before leaving. He doesn’t have a say in my life. No one does.

I kidnapped Nadia because she was the perfect prisoner and now, I know I’m not going to let her go for anything.

I’m having too much fun with her.

Nadia

All I can think about is the worry Anya must be feeling thinking she received my finger in the mail. I have no way to tell her that Dante didn’t actually harm me. The only way would be to get out of here but that’s impossible. I have no clothes. Matteo is waiting outside the door.

I can hear him walking around and muttering to himself. I’m not sure he loves what Dante is doing to me. He seems to have a little bit of empathy. Maybe I can use that to my advantage.

Yet, I’m not an actor. What’s on my face is real. I can’t use my emotions to make Matteo feel bad and let me go. He’s a Mafia man. He’s steel just like the rest of them.

And then there’s Dante.

He comes and goes as he pleases. A part of me is always waiting for him to return. Why? I’m not sure. I just always feel a tightening in my gut when he’s around. Something almost like… excitement .

With nothing to do, I mostly lay in bed and rest. If I’m going to try and escape, I don’t want to tire myself out before. I need all the strength I can get.

Dante has shown that he is willing to go to extreme methods to torture Anya and Erik. He is nothing more than a villain.

The bedroom door opens and Dante saunters in.

I pull the blanket up to my chin to cover my naked chest.

“Cold?” he mocks.

“You took away my clothes.”

His eyes rake over me. It’s like he can see me through the blanket. Even under here, I’m not safe. “I know.”

“You frighten me,” I whisper, staring down at my lap.

Each of his footsteps are like a roar of thunder getting closer and closer to me. “I frighten a lot of people.”

“You cut off another woman’s finger. Why did you hurt her and not me?”

“You think I mutilated a random woman?”

“Didn’t you?” I glance up at him and quickly look away when I see his satisfied smirk.

“No. I cut the finger off an already dead woman from the morgue.”

“How is that any better? You mutilated a dead body.”

“Well, isn’t it better that I didn’t torture a living, breathing woman?” He sits down on the edge of the bed, boring his intense eyes into me.

“I mean…”

“Yes or no?”

“I guess that it’s better but it’s still wrong.”

“All is fair in love and war. Isn’t that what they say?” He leans in closer to me until our faces are barely an inch apart. I inhale sharply. Dante’s eyes roam over my face. I’m not sure if he’s seizing me up to kill me or eat me.

“Every time I see you,” he murmurs, “I’m reminded of how beautiful you are.”

I flush. “Why does that matter? I’m your prisoner.”

“It shouldn’t matter. But I’ve found that you’re in my mind a lot, Nadia. I don’t like that. You shouldn’t be up here.” He taps his temple.

“Then let me go if I’m upsetting you.”

“You’re so cute. You say it so sweetly. But I’m not letting you go. Not for anything.”

My heart beats faster and a heat settles in my core. None of it makes sense. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever felt before. “But I thought you wanted to kill Erik someday. ”

“And? I don’t have to let you go to do that.”

“But I thought you only took me to hurt him and Anya. Once he’s gone, you don’t need me anymore.” Desperation claws up my throat. “Please, Dante. I can’t live in fear like this forever.”

“Oh, poor baby.” He cups my face in his hand. It’s surprisingly gentle. “But I live on fear. I consume it. Maybe I want you afraid.”

“If you did, you never would have brought me to this room.”

“I only brought you here so you wouldn’t die. You’re not useful to me dead.”

I flinch. He’s evil, remember. One act of kindness by bringing me out of the basement does not make him a good man.

“But,” he says, trailing his fingers down to my throat. They settle on my pulse point. “I don’t want you to only feel fear around me. Can you guess what else I want you to feel?”

I swallow hard. His fingers move with the action. “I don’t know.”

“So innocent. You’re like a doe. Skittish and afraid and beautiful. You know what I want, Nadia?” He brings his lips to my ear. “I want you to want me so much that you’re willing to leave your family behind to stay with me.”

“How can you ask that of me? I could never want that.”

He pulls back – his smile is like danger personified. “I want to do an experiment. See if I’m wasting my time or not. I want you to lie down and I want you to bring your hand down to your pussy and I want you to touch yourself and make yourself come.”

His words are almost like a foreign language. “I don’t…”

“You can’t be that innocent. Have you never touched yourself before?” He studies my face for a moment. “Unless… you haven’t. Why haven’t you?”

“My father thought it was vulgar. He told me to never even attempt something like that.”

“What did he say would happen to you if you did?”

The way he’s looking down at me makes me blush. It’s so close. So intimate. Dante is my enemy , I remind myself. I shouldn’t be feeling flushed in his presence.

“He said I would go to hell.”

“Ah, the classic threat. Not too original, your father. I can assure you, Nadia, that you won’t go to hell for touching yourself.” His lips faintly brush mine. My body trembles. “You’re already there.”

I gasp and lean back from him. “Don’t say that. If anyone is going to hell, it’s you. ”

“I already know that. I have a one way ticket down there. Do you want to join me there?”

“No,” I say hotly.

“It could be a lot of fun if you just let yourself give in to it.” He grabs the blanket that I still have clutched to my chin. “Experience a little bit of pleasure. I dare you.”

“My body is for my husband. You’re not my husband.”

“Well, that could be rearranged.”

I go still. “Are you… you don’t want to marry me. You hate me.”

“I do and everything you stand for. You think of Erik as a good man when he’s done just as bad, if not worse things than me. Marrying you would be the ultimate revenge against Erik and Anya. They would be devastated that I’ve claimed you completely.”

“You can’t marry me. I belong to Viktor.”

“But Viktor isn’t here, is he? I am,” he growls the last word right before he shoves the blanket down my body. I shiver in the cool air. “We can’t have you getting cold again. Warm yourself up. Touch yourself, Nadia.”

“No.”

“What are you afraid is going to happen?”

“I just don’t want to.”

He leans over me until my back is pressed to the mattress. “I think you’re afraid. Afraid of the pleasure you could experience. Afraid of showing it to me. Afraid of giving in to me. But I want those things. I want you to give yourself to me. I want it to hurt your family. It will be the sweetest revenge I can think of.”

“But you hate me,” I whisper, staring up at him. My breasts are on full display. I feel so small underneath him like this. So vulnerable.

“Two things can exist at the same time. I both hate you and want to claim you. But I want you to give yourself over to me. It’s no fun taking you against your will. You’ll hate me more. I want you to be so consumed by me that all you can think about is me.”

His fingers skim down my chest and through the space between my breasts until he stops at my stomach. My breath is shallow. My stomach is taut. A flood of desire runs through me. None of it makes sense. I’ve never experienced this before. Even when I thought of Viktor, I only ever felt a slight warmth for him. I never felt this gushing desire for Viktor, the man who is supposed to be my husband.

So why do I feel it for Dante, the man who kidnapped me? The man who is my enemy.

“Your father doesn’t have to have a hold on you any longer. Don’t be afraid to show me your pleasure, Nadia. Touch yourself. See what feels good.”

It would be easier if he just touched me himself. I could claim that he took me against my will.

But that’s exactly what Dante doesn’t want. He wants me to touch myself so I share some of the blame.

“I feel shame,” I whisper.

His hands rest on my hips, not moving up or down, just resting there like I’m already his. “It’s a wasted emotion. I’ve never felt shame once in my life. You’ve been taught to be a good little Bratva girl. Waiting for marriage. Waiting to explore your desire in the comfort of your husband’s arms. That’s the one place a girl like you gets the chance to explore her body. But I stole you from your husband. You’re not married.”

“But I might be. Someday. When I get out of here.”

His laugh is dark and sends a shiver up my spine. “It’s cute that you think you’re getting out of here. You’re never getting out of here, Nadia. You belong to me now. And I want you to show me your pleasure. You don’t like your father, that much is obvious. You’re afraid of him. But he’s not here. He doesn’t get to have a hold on you any longer. So, don’t you want to hurt him? Giving in to your desire with his enemy is the best way to do that.”

“I’m not vindictive like you are. I don’t want to hurt anybody.”

“Not even the father who beat you? Beat your sister? Who hates you based on a rumor?”

I flinch. All I see is my father’s face as he would scream at me and shout ugly words in my direction. How he made me feel so alone. How he made me hate myself just a little bit.

“Don’t be afraid of him,” Dante says darkly, squeezing my hips. I gasp. “I am giving you permission to touch yourself. I want to see it. I command it. You can’t get in trouble for that. Do as I say, Nadia.”

I inhale deeply as my body trembles more. Dante’s words hit me right to the core. He’s giving me permission. In a strange way, I needed that. I needed to know that I am allowed to feel this way without shame.

Dante is still my enemy , I tell myself, but those words are getting quieter by the moment .

“Take this hand,” he says, slipping his fingers through mine, “and bring it down here.” He places my hand right over my pubic mound. The only thing protecting me from him is my underwear and it’s just a flimsy piece of material.

He removes his hand and leaves mine there. Dante’s gaze could light the world on fire and right now, it’s set on me. I swallow hard.

“Don’t look away,” he murmurs as I try to avert my eyes. “Look right at me as you touch yourself. No shame, remember?”

I nod and gaze back at him. My skin feels alive in a way it never has before, like lightening is coursing through it. Every inch of me feels sensitive.

My fingers begin to trace circles around my stomach, telling my mind and body to relax. Dante makes me burn underneath my skin. There’s no use in denying that I feel drawn to him even though he’s the last man on earth I should feel anything for.

His eyes flick down to my waist. “Your pussy, Nadia. Touch it.”

My hips arch slightly from his words. It’s in the way he speaks; so full of power and desire.

I finally let my fingers slip down between my legs. Keeping my panties in place, I press down on my body. A zing shoots through me. It feels… good.

I press my fingers harder against that pleasurable spot and my hips buck into my hand. I keep rubbing the spot and rolling my hips around but I find that I need more. More of… something. Friction?

A gasp escapes me as I use my whole hand to press against my nub. The pleasure runs like waves through me but it’s not enough. I need more, more, more.

With a whine, I drop my hand. “It’s not working.”

Dante’s eyes are a deep, dark cavern full of unspoken things. “What do you need?”

“I don’t know,” I whisper. “It just doesn’t feel enough.”

“I have an idea.” He grips the edges of my panties and rips them right down my legs. I gasp as the cool hair hits my hot skin. He tosses my underwear to the ground like it’s nothing to him. The last remaining piece of clothing I had is now gone.

“Touch yourself without your panties in the way,” he growls. “Skin to skin contact is the best way to feel pleasure.”

I inhale sharply. I may be innocent but I know what Dante means when he says ‘skin to skin contact.’ He’s still not touching me but one day, he might.

One day I might let him.

None of this makes sense and yet my body seems to understand that it feels right because it’s so wrong and taboo. Dante has me pinned in place. He’s making me do this . It’s the only way I can allow myself to enjoy this without guilt.

He retakes my hand and places it back on my pubic mound but this time, there’s no fabric in the way. “No hair, I see. An innocent girl like you getting waxed. I never would have guessed.”

“It was for my wedding night.”

“For your husband,” he growls. “Well, he isn’t here. I am. Your body is for me now.”

“No.”

“You can try to deny it all you want, Nadia, but you can only fight it for so long. Now touch yourself.”

With a small moan, I press down on my nub and a flash of pleasure hits me like a tidal wave. Dante is right – skin to skin contact is the best. But my own touch is my own touch. It can only do so much. It makes me wonder what it would be like if Dante touched me instead.

The thought lights me on fire even more.

My hips roll around as I rub my fingers around my sensitive nub. I press harder, and harder, and harder. I only feel the smallest amount of shame and embarrassment as my hips buck into my hand. I feel wild. I am wild.

And then finally, I feel free.

Intense pleasure rolls through me and all I can do is tremble and gasp. It’s nothing I’ve ever experienced. For just a moment, my mind feels calm. Nothing can bother me. Not my father. Not shame itself. Not even Dante, who’s smiling down at me with a smug expression in his eyes.

Instantly, shame hits me all over again and I remove my hand from my legs like I just touched something hot.

Dante remains leaning over me as he speaks. “You had an orgasm. It was a beautiful thing to behold. Fuck, Nadia. You are sexy.”

“No one’s ever called me sexy before.”

“Then that’s a shame because you are fucking sexy.” His lips brush against mine. “What I would do to your body if you let me. I would ravage you.”

On instinct, my body arches into him. I might combust. This heat inside of me needs another release. I need to be freed from it .

Dante grips my chin right before he kisses me. It’s deep. It’s a little rough. I let myself sink into it.

And right as I do, Dante lets me go. The moment he stands up, I feel cold. All the heat in my body disappears and I remember where I am and who Dante is. What Dante is : a monster.

“You have something inside of yourself waiting to claw out,” he says, running the backs of his fingers down my cheek.

“No.”

“You can deny it all you want, Nadia, but I’ve seen it. I saw the way you touched yourself. I saw the way you came with your own hand between your legs. Your eyes were begging for freedom. If you give in to me, I can give you that.”

My heart constricts. “Freedom? From this place?”

“No. Not from this place. From your mind. I can free your mind, Nadia, if you just give yourself to me.”

It sounds tempting but then I think of Anya and how ashamed she’d be of me in this moment. She would never give in to Dante and I can’t either.

“No,” I say with confidence. “I hate you. I will never give in to you and betray my sister.”

Dante’s expression doesn’t change and that hurts most of all. The way he doesn’t even seem to be affected by anything. “Suit yourself.” Without another word or look in my direction, he leaves, locking me back inside.

And I know in this moment that I have to try everything in my power to escape.