Page 37 of Taken by the Mafia King (Kings of Philly #1)

SERA

A nother day of confinement.

I spent the first hour of my day trying to pick the lock in the sitting room, to no avail.

I ran out of bobby pins eventually and resorted to using a makeup brush to try to pry the locks on the windows open, snapping the brush in two.

Even though I knew every attempt would fail, it helped me pass the time.

Olivia brought in breakfast and I did my best to be friendly, which only made her suspicious. She left, and I picked at eggs and toast like a bird at frosty soil.

I did everything in my power to remain sharp, but I was slowly losing my mind as the days passed and blurred together.

The morning sunlight turned overcast, and rain began to trickle down the windows.

I lay down on the carpet and watched the shadows play over the ceiling, doing my best to focus on escape and not think of Killian.

What I would have done for a worthy distraction.

I needed a TV in here. Then again, that could spell disaster.

If I had a TV I’d slip into a void of nothingness, spending day in and day out lounging in bed, staring at the screen, disassociating.

No, it was better to keep my wits about me, even if that brought me to the threshold of insanity.

A while later, Francesco showed up at my door again.

He didn’t indulge me in any conversation as he took me to Tommaso’s room.

I had it in mind to ask Tommaso why Francesco seemed pulled tight.

He seemed to vibrate with barely contained tension.

Violence seemed to hum inside him, begging for release.

I assumed a raid had been planned, or some other excitement that would mean I’d be sewing someone shut again before they bled out on the dining-room table.

I wasn’t alone with Tommaso today, though.

Delaney turned to me as the door to Tommaso’s room snapped shut. Her shoulder-length blonde hair danced as she smiled, her eyes going wide.

Why did she look so familiar?

“I knew there was someone else with me,” she said, turning back to Tommaso. “Why didn’t you say anything about it?”

“I’m already in a position to get fixed , Delaney, don’t push it.” He narrowed his eyes at her. I wondered how he’d accomplished this, getting us together. His tone told me there was risk involved, but I didn’t push him to tell me how he’d managed this, likely under Killian’s nose.

Delaney gave me a look over her shoulder that said, Don’t worry about him . “Were you auctioned off, too?”

I hadn’t thought about the auction in what felt like forever.

That whole experience had been blurred in my mind, like it happened to someone else or in a movie.

I moved to an armchair near the window, where I could feel cool air on my face through the screen, and took a deep breath to clear the fuzzy return of memories that were still too close for comfort.

Tires biting into gravel. Men laughing. A red silk dress.

The never-ending darkness under the hood…

I finally nodded. “Yes, I was.”

“I’ve never been so scared in my entire life.

” Delaney’s words echoed through the room.

Tommaso shifted on the bed. The velvet blankets whispered with every careful movement, as if reminding him to be careful of his wounds.

“And now we’re here,” Delaney continued, “and I’m even more terrified.

This house is so scary, isn’t it? So dark and ominous.

Ricci’s favorite color must be black because it’s everywhere.

I’m never sure what time it is because it’s just dark, always. It must be haunted.”

I glanced at Tommaso, who had a glazed look in his eyes.

Delaney, who was rather chipper and excited for someone being held against her will, went on and on.

I barely said a word. Delaney wasn’t what I’d expected her to be.

She was my age, maybe a little older, but her countenance was girlish and desperate in nature.

She could talk, that was for sure, and soon her voice started to grate on me.

As a schoolteacher, I had a long rope when it came to patience, especially for chatty girls.

Why did this feel so uncomfortable for me?

I wanted to crawl out of my skin the more she talked.

It was obvious she was part of the family . She’d grown up in this kind of world, had been trained to be obedient, doing what needed to be done without a fight. But she hadn’t learned to keep her mouth shut when necessary, and to watch, listen, and horde information to sell to the highest bidder.

We were very different.

I wished, for a moment, that Tommaso and I were alone.

But eventually she circled back to the auction, sitting down on the edge of Tommaso’s bed to face me. “Did you see anyone you knew?”

“In the crowd?” I inquired.

She shook her head. “Backstage. I saw women I knew.”

“I’ve been out of the family for several years,” I admitted. “And I was alone back there, with Niccolo. Niccolo Marino.”

“Oh, I know him.” Her shoulders slumped. “He dated my sister for a while, before she died.”

I narrowed my eyes on her, but she didn’t seem to catch it. Tommaso fidgeted against the pillows, sitting up a little straighter.

“He was nice to me.” She tilted her head to the side. “Ricci isn’t nice. I’ve tried to do what I thought he bought me for, but he’s not interested. What sort of man isn’t interested in this?” She gestured down at herself, and for some bizarre reason, I looked at her. Really looked at her.

Big breasts. Narrow waist. Pretty face. Feminine. Soft. Unblemished skin.

Had Killian been visiting her as often as he’d visited me?

I cleared my throat. “Why do you think you’re here, then?”

Tommaso gave me a warning glance but kept his mouth shut.

“I don’t know,” she sighed, running her hands over her face. “You know, when I was at the auction, I saw a woman being brought inside in shackles. She was beautiful. Thick, red hair and big blue eyes. But she was dressed very conservatively.”

My heart skipped a beat. “What?”

“I thought the whole auction thing was for sex slaves. Whores. You know? Why would a woman like that be brought to the auction?”

Her description made me think of a childhood friend, but there had to be a ton of redheads out there.

We were the same age, and she’d lived next door to my grandparents in Italy.

We’d grown up together, playing all summer for years.

The last time I came to visit, the summer before my mother died, she told me she was going away to boarding school.

I never saw her again.

That had been years ago.

Delaney was still talking, but I’d missed part of the conversation. Something like unease licked over my skin as I tried to shift my thoughts back to the present.

“I’m just waiting for my dad to get here. I’m sure he’ll be here soon.”

“I thought he was already here?” I said before my mind had a chance to catch up to my mouth.

Tommaso grunted, pitching forward. “Sera?—”

“What do you mean he’s here?” Delaney’s eyes went wide. “Have you seen him? Did someone say something? Sera!” She said my name sharply, and I flinched like she’d reached out and slapped me.

When I opened my mouth to speak, Tommaso told me to hold my tongue.

“We’re done here,” he said.

Delaney’s eyes welled with pitiful tears. I felt sorry for her and wondered if the way I looked at her now was how everyone in this house looked at me. Like I was weak. Powerless. An outsider.

“Tell me where he is, Tommaso,” Delaney pleaded. “Please.”