Page 15 of The Pawn

“No, I don’t imagine your type are,” Malek says with a curl of his lip that makes Rami’s eyes narrow hatefully.

Malek walks over to me, puffing on that cigar. When he’s standing a few inches from me, he makes a point of looking me over again.

“Did you fuck him?” he asks.

I don’t respond. I won’t.

“Did you fuck Cassian Trevino?”

I don’t know how to answer. I don’t want to answer.

He shakes his head. “What did I expect?” he asks more to himself than to me as he casually presses the cigar into my breast.

I grit my teeth against the pain, but I can’t help a whimper. I struggle, but can’t pull away, not with the soldier holding me in place.

“What the hell do you want from me?” I manage to ask when he walks away. “Just fucking kill me and get it over with!”

“Oh, Allegra, is that what you’ve been thinking?” he asks, all faux offended. “You must have been terrified.”

I don’t know why I feel a little bit of relief. I know it’s cowardice. And besides, if he doesn’t want me dead, surely whatever he has planned will be worse.

“Tell me what the fuck you want then.”

“Well, for starters, I want the same thing I wanted a few hours ago. Tell me. Tell me you knew your father was the butcher who ordered your kidnapping. Your mother’s kidnapping. Your mother’s brutal mutilation. Yours.”

“How are you different, Malek, tell me that?”

“Oh, I’m different. You see, Alaric Moretti stole. I don’t steal. I take what I’m due, but I don’t steal.”

“Is that what this is? Why you killed Michael? Why you took me? Are we your due? Are you going to kill me, too?”

He smiles, all teeth now, and gives a shake of his head, chuckling as if something I said is funny. “Oh, Allegra. I already told you that’s not the case. You’re far too valuable to be killed.”

“Then what do you want with me?”

He takes a deep breath in, then exhales. His gaze moves over me, but not in a leering way. He didn’t have me stripped for his pleasure. He did it to humiliate me.

“I want the family.”

“What?”

“Moretti family territory. I want it.”

I register his meaning. And I think I know why I’m alive, but I can’t unpack that just yet and when I hear myself snort, it’s not conscious. It’s ridiculous that he’d want this. That he’d think I’d go along with it.

“You want to take over the Moretti mafia? You want to rule?”

He doesn’t take kindly to my reaction. He narrows his eyes. “Is that so unbelievable? I’ve been doing it since your father’s death. Well, truly, since before.”

“Because you killed him.”

He grins.

“So, I’m alive because you think I will help you?”

“Oh, I don’t expect you’ll help me. I only need one thing.” He takes my left arm by the wrist and tugs me toward himself. The soldier is still holding onto my right. He’s smart not to take any chances.

Malek reaches into his pocket and takes something out. He holds it in his fist, makes a show of opening his hand and grins wide. I realize why the moment I see what he has. It’s a ring, and not just any ring. A small band of diamonds, once brilliant, now dirty. Stained with old blood.