Page 98 of Sins and Secrets

I trusted her.

The betrayal cuts deep, like a knife rammed through my heart and yanked out the other side.

“Stop playing games with her, Paolo,” Emilia says as she walks out of the darkness and into the dim light cast by the skylights. “We all know that you’re going to kill her once she stops being useful.”

He hums and nods his agreement. “Yes, but I don’t need to torture her. Now, honey, you need to leave. The men are going to be here soon, and I don’t want you to be caught in the crossfire.”

“Traitorous bitch,” I say, spitting on the ground at Emilia’s feet. “Was this all a fucking set up? Was our friendship worth this?”

Emilia shrugs and crosses her arms. “I did what I had to do to stay alive. The Marchetti mafia is going downhill fast. Paolo has a vision for the future. He is a good man. You would do well to help him, Billie.”

She spins on her heel and strides out of the room, her head held high. The betrayal hurts worse than the ropes biting into my wrists. There is no time to focus on that right now, though. The first thing I need to do is give myself a chance at survival.

I shuffle my wrists around, trying to find any give in the rope. If I can get my hands free, then I can untie the rest of the rope binding me to the chair the moment Paolo leaves the room again.

A chair to the head will make a good weapon.

“Billie, I’m getting tired of playing this game. It could have been you at my side. You do know that, don’t you? You are everything that a mafia wife should be.” Paolo stands and presses the gun against my lips. “I could kill you right now but it would be a waste to the world.”

“Fuck off.”

He slams the gun into the side of my head. “Watch your fucking mouth. I might have sent my men out of here, but I don’t need them to kill you. You would do well to remember that.”

The taste of blood coats my tongue as I glare at him. Alessio is going to kill him when he sees the bruise on my face. Paolo seems to register that fact too as he looks at me.

“Now, you’re going to tell me where Alessio’s strongholds are throughout Georgia. After that, you can sit in this room until I decide to kill you. Hell, if you cooperate, I might even bring you a sandwich later.”

“I’m not going to tell you anything.” I pull back slightly and glare at him. “And you can keep your damn sandwich. I rather starve.”

He clicks his tongue and shakes his head. “Billie, I really need you to think about this. I know you are a loyal woman. It’s why I want you. But you need to think about what you’re doing. If you’re loyal to me, you have an entire life ahead of you. I will make you my wife and you will get to live.”

“I’d rather die than be your wife.”

Paolo grins and starts to walk away. He paces back and forth in front of me while I free my hands. When he turns his back to me and goes to stand by the boarded-up window, I untie the rope but stay seated. I want the element of surprise.

There is a better chance of attacking him if he doesn’t know that I untied myself.

“Billie, I thought that you would be smarter than this. I thought that you would know enough to not get caught. Though, if we’re being honest, I was getting tired of chasing you.”

When he slides his gun into the holster at his hip, I start to see my chance.

He grabs something from the windowsill and turns around. A long knife is in his hand, the blade gleaming when it catches the dim light. His smile stretches from one side of his face to the other.

“I know I said that I wouldn’t torture you, but this could be fun. You won’t need that pretty face once I’m done with you. I could start with removing it for you.”

My heart freezes in my chest and a pit opens in the bottom of my stomach. I’m going to die here. Even if I can surprise him and attack, there is a good chance that I won’t be able to get away from him.

Paolo is a large man, and it looks like he’s only packed on more muscle in the time that he’s revolted against the famiglia. He could beat me in a fight if it comes down to it. I’m small and fast, but I don’t know if he really is alone in the warehouse. He could have people waiting outside that I don’t know about.

He chuckles as he presses the knife against the side of my face. I feel the bite of the blade and blood pooling on my cheek. “Last chance to agree to be my wife, Billie. You know that we would be good together. I would give you everything that you’ve ever wanted.”

“Go to hell,” I say, standing up and slamming my head against his as hard as I can. When I hear the crunch of his nose breaking, I let the ropes drop to the ground. The dull headache that was there before blossoms with pain but I don’t have time to think about that.

I need to stall for time until Alessio gets here. Though I don’t know if he is coming, everything in my body tells me that he will come save me.

The knife cuts a little deeper before I shove Paolo back. He stumbles, grabbing his bleeding nose. I slam my foot into his crotch, sending him to the floor. Paolo groans and the knife falls from his hand.

I dive for him, taking the gun from his holster. Though I try to get back, his hand wraps around my ankle and he pulls me to the ground. My finger squeezes around the trigger as I fall, the gunshot deafening. I land with a thud, stars dancing across my vision as the door to the room slams open.

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