Chapter 13

She tosses her head back with a smile on her face. “Fuck yeah.”

“Who is Natalia’s father?”

With an evil grin, she says, “Why do you care?”

I shrug, pretending I care far less than I do. “Just wondering.”

She sits on the cold concrete, her eyes lighting up with excitement. “Let me go, give me a brick, and I’ll sing like a bird.”

I step over to her, and squat in front of her, my face less than an inch from hers, “You aren’t the pretty one, dead girl. My brother and I will fight over you, though. We’ll both be so fucking hard at the thought of ending your miserable existence. The only brick you’ll get is the ones tied to your arms and legs to weigh your corpse down in whatever body of water we decide will be your final resting place.”

She trembles with the fear that I love so much as I grip her chin and tilt her head back. “I’ll fuck you both. I just need more.”

I shake my head before I grin at her. “You’d let both my brother and I use you like the disgusting whore you are? Is that what you’re offering?”

Tears well in her eyes, and her confidence now appears to be completely gone. “Yes,” she whimpers, “Anything you want.”

I sigh as I shake my head, “No thanks, dead girl. We don’t fuck garbage.”

Dante watches us with blood thirst. I know my brother and his obsession with Natalia. He wants to end this bitch’s life as much as I do, but he also knows it’s not an option right now.

“You’re going to kill me,” she says, as if she’s just now realizing it. A little slow.

I nod at her, “Probably dead, girl. When? How? That depends on your sister. Do you think she’d trade her life for yours?”

“No,” she whimpers loudly, “She won’t.”

Rising to my feet, I tell her the truth, “You won’t get more until you give us what we want, dead girl.”

We do not know why Natalia”s family appears to dislike her so much. Whatever it is, none of our guys have been able to uncover it. What we found, however, is alarming. Between the ages of fourteen to sixteen, she was admitted to a psychiatric facility four times. There were no reports of abuse. The hospital stays began after a surgery on both knees following a traumatic injury. An injury that makes no fucking sense to me or Dante. Benji said she took a bat to both knees and yet her medical records only state that she fell while practicing ballet. How is it possible that she was dancing, and fell, shattering both knees? It’s what her medical records say, but it’s nonsense. It has to be. She fell from the floor to her knees and caused that kind of damage? Bullshit. It. Infuriates me that no one ever looked into this. Our girl was physically attacked and then ended up in a mental hospital.

We walk out of the room and I nod to T, “Chain her up. I don’t want her to move.”

“Yes, Boss. Is she-?”

I chuckle, “Off limits? No. As long as she lives, you can have a little fun.”

Damian and Domenic would have a conniption if they heard me say that. This warehouse is behind the hotel we own. Nobody knows what we do here. Other than Dante, my family thinks we store extra supplies in there, which we do. We have a family business, but this hotel and this warehouse are businesses that only Dante and I run.

Will we really kill Natalia’s junkie sister? If we don’t get what we want, yes, we’ll end her pathetic existence without a second thought. I don’t get some perverse pleasure from killing women, but I also don’t think they’re off limits because they were born with a pussy. If you piss me off, I will kill you. It’s very simple. Children are the only ones I probably wouldn’t be able to hurt. Luckily, I’ve never been presented with that situation.

We walk out to my truck, silent. Both of us know better than to risk anyone overhearing us. When we both get inside and I pull out my parking spot, Dante asks, “So we will not kill her?”

I chuckle as I put the truck into drive. “Patience, little brother. That bitch is going to give us exactly what we both want.”

Of course, Dante doesn’t bother asking where we’re going because he knows as well as I do. The tracker in her car alerted us both that she’s at Domenic’s house. She could already be chained to a bed in the home we share. But that’s too risky. Within weeks and maybe even days, my sister-in-law would freak out about her best friend being missing. Domenic would get involved immediately because he can’t have Bellissima upset. He’s always been overprotective of Giada, but since she’s been pregnant with his child, it’s only increased. My brother would turn the world upside down, looking for Natalia to appease his wife. If he’s paid any attention at all, we would be suspects one and two. Domenic doesn’t know we’ve been in her house, or that we installed cameras, trackers on her phone, but we both are aware that he’s seen us watching her. Domenic has a talent most people don’t even know about. He is quiet, and it may seem as if he’s not paying attention, but he is. He always is. There isn’t a single glance that’s gone unnoticed by him if he’s in the room. We haven’t been secretive. And fucking Dante has asked her out more times than I can count.

The plan has always been to take her. Damn the consequences. However, now things have lined up beautifully and that won’t be necessary. My brother and I have different goals, but that’s okay if we both get what we want. He wants to love her. Dante is banking on her one day, returning his feelings. Maybe she will. Maybe she won’t. He believes in love. I don’t. The last time my idiot younger brother loved a woman, we all almost died.

I don’t want her heart. My brother can have that, I’ll take the orgasms that she’ll try to resist, the fight, the struggle, and even her breath. Imagining her gasping, fighting for air, that’s the shit that gets my dick hard. Our Pretty Girl.

Turning on the side street, Dante groans, “I’m tiring of waiting. I just want to take her.”

I shake my head as I approach Domenic’s gated house. “Exercise a little fucking control. You don’t think with your head. That’s how Jewel almost ended the entire family. Besides, we aren’t going to need to capture her. She’ll come willingly, like the good fucking girl she is.”

* * *

Natalia

I feeltheir eyes on me before I can even see them. Over the past few months, it seems like they show up whenever I”m here. It’s unnerving and exciting all at once. These men are dangerous and I shouldn’t like the attention. I’ll never give either of them the time of day, but it feels good to be noticed. I’m not used to it like Nicole is. If they saw her, they’d be looking at her instead.

“I’m going to go to the bathroom and get changed. Will you be okay?”

Giada giggles while splashing in the pool. “I’ll be fine. Sitting down isn’t nearly as hard as getting up.”

Placing my hand on her stomach, I look up at her. “Gia, I’m thrilled for you. You’re going to be an amazing mom.”

The sobs are immediate, intense, and I do not know what I did. However, in under three minutes papa bear comes growling toward the pool, “What did you do?”

Domenic grabs a towel and holds it out for her as she steps out of the pool, still crying. He wraps her up and pulls her into his chest. “Hormones,” she squeaks out as she wraps her arms around him.

I watch him hold her like she’s the only thing in the world that matters to him and feel jealous, which I hate. Jealousy isn’t an attractive trait. How can I not? She has everything. I’m not exactly dying to have a baby, but I think I want one someday. Having a husband who would literally do anything to protect you, though? I want that. I take a deep breath and try to think positively. Maybe tomorrow’s date will go differently than the others.