Chapter 3

"I owe the Gianna blood too much. Can you understand that?"

The most moving lie in the world is a plea laced with truth.

My eyes stung with tears, and my voice shook as I asked him, "What do you need me to do?"

But he only laughed, as if amused that I was bracing for battle, and pressed a scorching kiss to my skin. "Why would I ever make my Bella do anything painful? I only need you to help me bring her back under our roof, that's all."

He turned my face toward his, his gaze dark and unreadable, coaxing, the signet ring turning slow and idle around his finger.

"It's nothing hard, Bella. Once this is settled, the old man keeps saying he wants a great-grandchild to bounce on his knee at Sunday dinner. When that time comes, I'll give you everything you want. All right?"

The promise I'd begged for over so many years, and now it came to me so easily.

Was I supposed to be happy?

I laughed, low and quiet, unsure whether I was laughing at myself or at him. "All right. I agree."

Later that night, I should have been heavy with dread, yet somehow I slept deeply.

Until, half-conscious, I heard a man's drunken bellow. "You filthy woman! Get over here and service me!"

And my hand met the empty stretch of bed beside me.

Only then did I understand. Salvatore had lied to me. He wanted me to be violated by Gianna's husband, that human trafficker.

After sitting in on so many of his sit-downs, after building the leverage that put men in the ground and worse, how could I not see it?

This was Salvatore keeping his own hands clean while burying that man alive under a life sentence.

And the price was sacrificing me. He hadn't even balked at slipping something into my glass himself.

I forced myself awake and tried to rise, but a crushing weight and a wave of liquor stench slammed into me as arms clamped around me.

"You dead woman, you dare fall asleep before I even get home?"

"Service your master proper first!"

My body had gone slack. The vicious, snarling brute above me kneaded at me all over.

Disgusting.

So disgusting.

My clothes were torn away, cold air rushing over my skin, and I thrashed with everything I had. "I'm not your wife. Get off me! Get off!"

But a drunk man wouldn't care what I said. The skin on my chest was clawed raw and red.

By my ear the man roared like a madman, "How'd this little wench get such a nice body all of a sudden?" and above me the ceiling spun.

In my head was what Salvatore had said hours ago. "It's nothing hard, Bella. Help me out."

Some "nothing hard." Taking Gianna's place in this, that was the plan he came up with.

How worthless am I to you, Salvatore?

Just as despair swallowed me, the man above me stripped off his pants, poised and ready.

Then a sharp shout from the doorway. "Now. Take him."

Salvatore crossed the room and wrapped me tight in a blanket, and behind him the enforcers moved in fast and silent, hands already on the brute.

I was shaking all over, and the cold in me wouldn't leave.

So close, so close, I had almost been—

The magnetic voice I'd heard countless times sounded above my head. "Don't be afraid, Bella. I'm here, I'm here. It's over now."

"Once the recording is filed with the right people, that animal disappears into the Joint for the rest of his life."

A burning-hot hand patted my back to soothe me.

Seeing that I said nothing, he let his hand go still, the ring stopping cold against his knuckle, and gave the order in a voice that never rose. "Don't take him yet. Cut the tendons in his hands and feet. Scum like this, the Joint would be letting him off easy."

"Yes, Don Rizzo."

Marco cracked the knuckles of his right hand once, slowly, and the room understood the talking was over. The words had barely landed before fists came down on the man, and then a cold flash of steel.

The blade rose and fell. "Aah! Who the hell are you people! Aah, please, I know I was wrong! Aah—"

The man's terror-stricken screaming cut off all at once. He'd passed out from the pain.

The truth was, drawing blood at a moment like this was bad for the leverage, for the clean case Salvatore needed to hold over him under Omertà.

But Salvatore did it anyway. In the end, it was only to let me vent my rage.

But was I supposed to be happy?

At last I moved, slowly lifting my head to look at him. "Salvatore, why didn't you let him finish the last step?"