“How long does it take to get control?”
“Control?” I echoed. I didn’t bother controlling myself during sex, but I had a feeling Adamo didn’t mean that kind of control.
Adamo tossed his cigarette to the ground. “To hold back, you know? I kind of ... you know ...”
“Shot your cum the second she put her mouth on you,” I provided.
Adamo grimaced and looked away. “Yeah.”
I chuckled.
Adamo scowled. “Don’t make fun of me.”
“I’m not,” I said. “You’ve never been with a girl, so it’s pretty normal.”
“Did it happen to you too?”
“No, but I fucked out of anger. That gave me better control.”
“I bet Mason and Harper had a good laugh behind my back,” he said miserably, then added in a low voice, “I want to kill him. Mason.”
“I know.”
Adamo’s eyes widened. “You’re going to make me kill him tomorrow.”
“You will have to kill someone in front of our soldiers. It’s either him or someone you don’t hate. Mason is a dead man either way. He can die by your hand or Fabiano’s.”
I regarded my brother. He was biting his lip, staring down at the pool. “I’ll do it.” I touched his shoulder, and for once he didn’t try to shake me off.
CHAPTER 10
SERAFINA
I was still in bed when the lock turned and didn’t have time to sit up before Remo stepped inside the room.
Feeling vulnerable lying in the bed, I pushed into a sitting position. Remo regarded me with an intent expression. I was only in a chemise and shorts and was acutely aware of how little the fabric covered. Swallowing my nerves, I got out of bed, not wanting to show weakness. Remo’s eyes followed my every move, lingering on my breasts. My body betrayed me as my nipples hardened in the cool air.
“I’m fairly sure God designed your body to drive men into insanity,” Remo said darkly.
Stifling the excited thrill Remo’s words sent through me, I retorted, “You believe in God?”
“No. I don’t. But looking at you, I could turn into a believer.”
I huffed. “There’s a cozy warm place in Hell reserved just for you.”
“I’ve burned before.”
I slanted him a look. He’d said the same words before, and I wondered what exactly he meant by it.
“You have a video call with your brother in five minutes, so you better hurry.”
I didn’t have a bathrobe to pull over my clothes, so I reached for a dress but Remo shook his head. “Stay as you are.” He grabbed my arm then paused, dark eyes roaming over me.
“I thought we were in a hurry?”
“You are. I’m not. I don’t give a fuck if you talk to your brother or not.” Despite his words, he led me out of the room, through the hallway and downstairs.
“Again in your torture chamber?” I asked, shivering violently when my bare feet hit the first stone step leading down into the basement. I wasn’t sure how the floor could be that cold when outside the sun was blazing.
I cried out when Remo lifted me in his arms. “Don’t want you to catch a cold. That would be a shame. I’ll have to ask Kiara to shop for clothes that fit you.”
I was frozen in his hold. “You can send me back to Minneapolis. I have enough clothes there.”
“I think Danilo wants you in Indianapolis, Angel, or have you forgotten?”
I realized I had. My wedding seemed so very far away, and it was the last thing on my mind.
Remo chuckled joylessly. His stupid manipulations were getting to me. How was he doing it?
I didn’t answer his question because he knew. My traitorous body mourned the loss of his warmth when he set me down on my feet in the cell where he’d recorded the last message to my family. I wrapped my arms around myself, suddenly overwhelmed by the memories. My gaze flitted to my wound. With the Tylenol I barely noticed its existence and it was scabbing over. It wasn’t the pain or the cut that bothered me. It was the memory of Samuel’s and Dad’s expressions when they’d seen me in Remo’s hands. They were suffering more than I did, and that was the worst thing about all this.
Remo stepped up to me, his body a warm presence at my back, and he took my wrist, lifting it so he could inspect my wound. His thumb lightly traced my skin. He leaned in. “I won’t cut you again, Angel. Don’t be afraid.”
That wasn’t what I was scared of most. “You won’t?” I asked curiously, tilting my head so I could evaluate his face. Why would Remo say something like that?
Remo cuts deep. Hits hard. Kills brutally.
Remo dropped my wrist, something in his expression shifting, his guard slipping in place. “Time for your call with Samuel.”
He went to the screen on the table and turned it on followed by the loudspeakers. I moved closer when Samuel’s face appeared. My heart clenched violently at the sight. His hair was a mess, his expression haunted, and dark circles spread under his eyes. He probably hadn’t slept at all since my kidnapping.
Guilt crashed over me for not being as bad off as they all imagined. I could tell Samuel was struggling to keep his expression controlled. He wouldn’t show weakness in front of his enemy.
“Sam,” I said quietly, my voice shaking.
“Fina,” he got out. His eyes scanned me and the skimpy outfit I was in. He swallowed, a muscle in his jaw flexing. “How are you?”
“I’m okay,” I said. His brows drew together in disbelief.
“How much longer she stays that way depends on your Capo’s willingness to answer my demands,” Remo added.
What demands?
Samuel began shaking. I touched my palm to my chest, letting him know that he was in my heart. He mirrored the gesture then his eyes hardened as they settled on my forearm. “How bad is it?”
“Not bad,” I said.
I could see he didn’t believe me. He thought I was trying to protect him. I could feel Remo’s eyes on us the entire time, but I tried to ignore him.
“How are Mom and Dad doing?”
Samuel’s expression was cautious. He couldn’t tell me everything with Remo close by. “They are worried about you.”
“How’s Sofia doing?” I whispered, fighting back the tears.
Samuel’s eyes flitted to Remo, and I stiffened in turn. I shouldn’t have mentioned my sister in front of him.
Remo made an impatient sound. “I don’t kidnap children, don’t worry.”
“You only kidnap innocent women,” Samuel snarled.
Remo pressed up behind me, and Samuel’s expression switched from fury to dread. “Who says she’s still innocent?”
Samuel jerked. Remo gripped my hip in warning, but I didn’t care.
“It’s not like that,” I said fiercely.
Samuel’s eyes found mine, searching, and a flicker of relief showed on his face.
Remo grasped my chin, turned my head, and gave me a harsh kiss. I froze in shock, not able to believe he was doing this in front of my brother.
He released me abruptly. “How innocent she returns to you depends on your cooperation. Tell your uncle that, Samuel.”
I twisted out of Remo’s hold and looked at Samuel, my cheeks heating up in embarrassment.
“Take me in her stead. I’ll exchange myself for her.”
“No!” I shouted desperately, but Samuel wasn’t looking at me. I whirled around on Remo, wide eyed. A cruel smile played on his face. I caught his gaze. “No,” I said forcefully. His eyes lingered on my lips then dipped lower before they locked on mine once more and relief coursed through me. Remo wouldn’t exchange me for my twin. He wouldn’t release me. Not before he got what he wanted. I wasn’t sure what that was, but I had a horrible feeling it wasn’t something my uncle could give him.
“Serafina is worth too much, I’m afraid. Time to say goodbye.”
I turned back to my twin. “I love you, Sam,” I whispered. Words I’d never said to him when other people were around because emotions didn’t belong in public, but I didn’t care anymore. Let Remo see how much I loved my family.
A haunted look passed Samuel’s face, and he surprised me by rasping, “And I love you, Fina. I’ll save you.” For him to say those words in front of another man, his enemy, he must be even more worried for my life than I thought.
The tears spilled over then. Remo walked past me and switched the screen off. I didn’t hold them back. I let the tears flow freely, not caring if Remo saw them. Remo watched me with narrowed eyes. Maybe my emotions annoyed him. I couldn’t care less.
“I thought Danilo was the man who owned your heart, but now I see I was wrong.”
I wiped at my eyes. “He’s my twin. I’ve never been without him. I would walk through fire for him.”
Remo nodded slowly. “I believe you.”
REMO
Nino, Adamo, Savio, and I drove to the initiation together. My thoughts kept straying to Serafina. I’d locked her in the bedroom again, and Fabiano would keep an eye on her and Kiara while we were gone. I would have preferred to have him at the initiation as well, but someone needed to protect Kiara and make sure Serafina didn’t do something stupid. I doubted she’d find a way out of the bedroom, but if anyone could do it, then it was her.