Page 3 of Merciless Queen (Moretti Mafia #1)

Harlow

I hated Tuesday nights. It was the busiest night of the week and the night most of the regulars decided to play.

Didn’t people work during the week? Why were they all here tonight?

Hopefully when they were done, Vincenzo would leave me alone so I could sob in peace, but he seldom did.

He always wanted me when I was done for the night.

Sometimes just in his office, but other nights he wanted me in his bed.

Those nights were the worst. He wanted me to remember who owned me, who could take my pain and life away.

I was his, even if he used me for my father’s debt.

“Harlow!” Xavier shouted. He was Vincenzo’s capo, his second-in-command and the bane of my existence. He was vile and cruel, but not nearly as monstrous as Vincenzo. “You need to change.”

I glanced down at my outfit with a frown.

Vincenzo always wanted lace babydolls because they made me look ‘hot’.

The crotchless thongs were the final nail in the coffin that signified my body not being mine.

Clothes were such a basic human necessity that taking that choice away made me feel less human.

Tonight, the babydoll was black because that was what they liked.

His highest buyers liked it because my blood didn’t show up on black like it did the other colors.

White was my least favorite because that meant the sadists wanted me.

They liked the pattern of blood on the white material.

It made me sick when Vincenzo brought me white.

“W-Why?” I expected a back hand to the face for questioning his authority, but he laughed, which made me jump. I hated that my body reacted to them all like this.

“Because the boss wants you in this.” He threw a pure white mini dress at me. White. “Keep those heels on and remove your thong.” His lips curled as his eyes lingered on my body. I went to turn, but Xavier grabbed my forearm.

A basic thing felt so dehumanizing.

I just wanted a moment of privacy to change without lingering eyes on my body. It shouldn’t have bugged me…not anymore. My body hadn’t been mine since I was taken.

I removed my panties and the babydoll, feeling Xavier’s eyes on my skin.

Before I could pull the tiny fabric over my body, Xavier grabbed me and pulled me into him, his hot breath on my neck.

His rough fingers dug into the flesh of my ass.

I knew he would leave bruises. It wasn’t that hard to bruise me these days.

“God, I’m going to miss this sweet ass every night.”

My breath caught in my lungs. Was tonight the night Vincenzo decided to kill me or sell me to the highest bidder?

He always preached about loving me, but he loved money more than me.

And he had a lot of rich friends who liked me just as much.

Xavier laughed, seeing the fear in my eyes, and I reached for the dress and slipped it over my body.

The white sheer fabric did nothing for me. It barely covered the swell of my ass, and my nipples could be seen from the moon. Although, there was not a single person in this club who didn’t see my body in some way at this point, whether prancing around the club or in one of the private rooms.

I heard another set of feet walk up behind me, and my body tensed as rough hands slipped between my legs. “Think the boss will get mad if I take her for one final run? My cock is going to miss her sweet cunt.”

“Sebastian, shut the fuck up before I tell Vincenzo and he blows your brains out.”

I wanted to scream. I wanted to know what the fuck they were talking about, and why people were saying they’d miss me—more my body than my actual being. “What are you talking about?”

They laughed at me and my head hung. Fucking stupid. It was a mistake to even open my mouth. “Vincenzo has a special surprise for you.”

I wanted to run. To hide. “I can find my way up to his office.” Xavier grabbed my wrist, and I jerked back. “I can do it myself.”

The intensity of his palm against my cheek stung as blood filled my mouth.

His hand tangled in my hair before he pulled me through the club.

I should have just shut up, but no one was giving me straight answers.

I hated surprises when it came to Vincenzo.

If I was going to meet the barrel of a gun, I wanted to know about it.

Xavier pushed me into Vincenzo’s office, causing me to stumble on my heels, but I caught myself before I fell.

“Xavier, you hurt her pretty face,” a deep voice mumbled.

“She got mouthy. I’m sorry, boss.”

Vincenzo walked up to me and grabbed my chin, lifting my face, running his thumb over my bottom lip where it was split. “No more hitting her face. Can’t have people think I am abusing my future wife, can we?” His lips curled as my eyes grew wide.

“W-What?”

“Congratulations, little dove. You’re going to be the future Mrs. Mancini. No more of my men having you. You’re mine forever.”

Forever…

What life would I have as Vincenzo Mancini’s wife?

Yes, I wouldn’t be passed around, but I would be his and only his, and that was a fate worse than death.

It wasn’t as bad as the other girls here, but being alone meant…

I couldn’t do it. Out of all the men who brutalized me, he was the worst. God forbid I disobeyed him or talked back.

Vincenzo said he loved me, but love wasn’t supposed to be agonizing.

No.

I couldn’t be his wife.

Could I escape, though? His bed. His house. No more men watching me like a hawk. Maybe I could use this to my advantage. When he saw my inner turmoil, he smirked. He was teasing me. I would be his wife regardless of my answer.

“You can continue being a whore and go to the house , or you can be my wife.”

The bordello . I thought the club was bad, but the women at the house were gang raped, mutilated, and tortured.

They put my mother there for a while for her to learn how to be an obedient woman.

But when she came back, she wasn’t the same.

Most women didn’t come out alive. I couldn’t go there.

I’d rather die. And I guess my death would be Vincenzo Mancini’s ring on my finger.

“I-I’ll be your wife.”

This was my defeat. I hated this. I wanted my mom. I wanted to hear her sweet voice singing to me as I cried into her chest. Why couldn’t my misery just end? I didn’t want to live this life anymore.

The ring felt like an anchor dragging me into a dark abyss as he slid it on my finger. “Let’s give the boys one last show before your body belongs to only me.”

He ripped the dress down the middle. It took three attempts to get the fabric completely off of my front as he pulled it off completely and grabbed me.

His fingers caressed the brand on my thigh before he forced my legs open as Xavier and Sebastian undid their pants.

One final dehumanizing tactic before my torment continued.

I knew what would happen if I fought back, but I also wanted to be reunited with my mom in heaven.

My mom. God, I missed her. I wished I could wake up and this would be a horrible nightmare.

She always supported me and made me feel like life was worth living.

I remembered talking to my mom before everything happened and they took us.

It was the middle of my sophomore year of high school.

My birthday was coming up, and I kissed my best friend.

I didn’t know how to react. She told me she would love me no matter what: if I was bisexual, lesbian, or dating more than one person.

I didn’t know what I was and knew I could explore and find myself.

It was a new thing, and it got destroyed two weeks later after someone took us.

“Come on, sweet girl,” my mom said as she extended her hand for me to take it.

It was a pretty spring day with the sun bright in the sky after two weeks of gloom from spring showers.

We were surrounded by the sweet scent of freshly cut grass and the soft hum of bees flitting from flower to flower.

My birthday was in a few days, and I kissed my best friend.

The anticipation and fear were gnawing in my gut.

I needed to tell her before I exploded, but I was scared.

My father wasn’t home. He was never home, but I had my mom. She was the best thing I could ever ask for, even if Dad was gone. It made me sad, though. A lot of girls at school had good relationships with their fathers, and it made me envious. I wanted a life like that, but I’d take my mom instead.

“No frowns today,” she cooed, making my own smile tug at my lips. “Even with your father absent, we just need each other. I am no one without the sweet girl who makes my heart whole. He might be a big meanie, but he gave me you.”

“Mom, I’m a teenager, you can call Dad a dick or an asshole.”

She gave me a stern look, and I shot my hands up. “None of that. It’s not ideal, but I’m happiest when I’m with you.”

“I love you, Mama.”

“And I love you, my sweet girl. More than you will ever know. So, tell me what’s on your mind?”

“Uhm, I like someone.”

She smiled brightly. “Oh? Who’s the lucky boy?”

My cheeks burned. “Uhm, her name is Mallory.”

I didn’t know what I was expecting, but her response wasn't what I expected. “Okay? And what are you going to do about it?”

“You’re not mad or disappointed?”

“Baby, why would I be mad when it makes you happy? I don’t care about what society views as wrong. Love is meant to make you happy, not everyone else around you. Besides, all a mother wants is for her child to be happy, and if this girl is going to make you happy, then that’s enough for me.”

I smiled brightly, feeling tears in my eyes.

The universe blessed me with the greatest mom a girl could ever ask for.

“I kissed her under the bleachers the other day, and she kissed me back. I think I’m going to ask her out, but I’m scared.

She kissed me, but was it like a real kiss or an experiment? ”

“Follow your heart, baby.”

I was ripped from my happy place when Vincenzo dug his nails into my thighs as cum hit my center and my breasts. My stomach churned as Vincenzo kissed my neck and his men defiled me.

“Boss,” someone said as they walked inside. Shame and disgust consumed me as this man witnessed my assault by these men. His eyes dilated, and I could see his cock become harder at my misery. “I—uhm.”

“Look at me, not my whore. What is it?”

“Moretti. The cunt found our new shipment of women. She killed everyone and took the girls.”

“Son of a fucking bitch. I’m sick of that Moretti whore ruining everything.”

I knew her. Girls whispered about her. She was pristine and proper in the morning, running multiple businesses. At night, she was a vigilante saving women, but she was still a killer. She was ruthless. Didn’t show any mercy to anyone. I didn’t even know the mafia had female leaders.

Vincenzo gave my butt a quick tap and pushed me up.

He spun me on my heels before pulling me closer.

Xavier and Sebastian’s cum seeped into his shirt, but he didn’t seem to mind.

Vincenzo caressed the spot on my cheek where Xavier backhanded me before leaning in and pressing his lips to mine.

When I didn’t open my mouth, he dug his nails into my skin, making me gasp, and he stuck his tongue down my throat.

He tasted like stale tobacco and cheap whiskey.

He pulled away and grabbed my hand, looking at the prison sentence on my finger.

“Keep this on, and I’ll be home later tonight to consummate our engagement.

Vivian will be here later to clean you up and get you ready.

” He leaned in closer. “I can’t wait to put my baby in you.

” He kissed me once more before walking out of his office and leaving me alone.

I collapsed to the floor, pulling my knees to my chest as I sobbed. My fate was sealed. Marrying him was still a slow death. Carrying his heir was a fate worse than death, and being trapped in his bed would be my undoing.