its head. He almost sounded sad now. The frame dipped as he sat next to me, and with lightning quick speed, his fingers grasped my cheeks and snapped my head around to face him. He squeezed, causing my lips to purse from his bruising grip. His eyes were clear, telling me he knew exactly what he was doing. Maybe he wasn’t high after all. “Did your mother never teach you any manners?”
“She was too busy getting high,” I spat back, feeling my hackles rise. It was her fault I was here, and I had no doubt my dad was hanging around somewhere too. He was probably in the background, letting her run the show yet again.
“Respect,” Stan murmured. “You clearly have none.” My nostrils flared, my arms pulling at the binds on my wrists, but they didn’t give. “It’s lucky you’re of use.” He dug his fingers in harder, making my teeth ache. “I know who you are.” I frowned, not understanding what he was saying. “Luna Caputo.” My breath stilled. “Wife of a captain in the Beretta Mafia.” My eyes widened. “Ahhh, she gets it now.” He leaned down, his face centimeters from mine. “You got us what we wanted last time, now we’re gonna use you to get what we want…them.”
“No,” I croaked out, trying harder to fight against the rope holding me down. I needed to get out. They could do whatever they wanted to me, but I wouldn’t let them touch Mateo.
“But first…” He let my face go with a push. “We’re gonna have some fun.” He stood, gripping my hair and pulling me up. My shoulders screamed in pain, my body threatening to break with the position he was holding me in. “This face of yours…it’s too pretty.” He winked, his grin flashing me his disgusting teeth, and a second later, his fist connected with my nose. The crunch of bone and sinew echoed off the walls, the pain blinding as blood spurted out of my nostrils. “That’s better,” he sighed out.
He pulled my hair, my scalp burning, then dropped me like I was nothing. Like I was worthless. And maybe I was, but he’d brought me here because he needed me. I clung to that last thought, determined to figure out what it was and use it against him.
I tugged my arms, testing the bindings for what felt like the thousandth time, my instinct to cover my face kicking in, but there was nothing I could do but lie there with blood trickling down my cheeks, into my ears, and over my hair. Gravity was pulling it down toward the floor.
Stan’s footsteps banged against the floor, the door squeaked open, and he announced, “Your turn.”
A sound clicked in the room, but I didn’t get chance to figure it out or get my bearings as someone ran into the room, heading right for me. The flash of hair and snarl on her face told me who it was, and then her fists were pummeling against my face, making my nose bleed harder. She caught my eye with the ring on her finger—the one I’d given to her when I was eleven. She’d been clean that Mother’s Day, one of only three I could remember where she wasn’t high.
“It’s all your fault!” she screamed.
I opened my mouth, wanting to ask her what was my fault. But I wasn’t quick enough. She jumped on top of me, her knees hitting my chest and knocking the breath out of me. My head spun, the edges of my vision blurring as breathing became harder.
She didn’t stop. Punch after punch. In my face. My stomach. The middle of my chest.
This woman was meant to love me, but right then, all I saw was hate. Pure hatred.
A sound clicked from across the room and I heard Stan chuckle. “That’ll get their attention.” I tried to make sense of what he said, but my head was spinning, my brain trying to stay alert as my body shut down.
MATEO
My leg bounced up and down as we waited. Romeo paced near the door. He jumped back as Lorenzo and Christian came inside. But I didn’t move from my usual seat. I was listening intently to Romeo’s side of the conversation, trying to figure out what information was being passed to him.
Lorenzo took his seat next to me with Christian on the other side of him. “Anything yet?”
I shook my head and opened my mouth just as Romeo ended the call. I raised a brow,