Page 43 of De Luca: The Saint

He holds his hands up as if showing me how clean they are, “I wash my hands from time to time. The blood washes away.”

“Your hands may come clean, but the blood remains. You may be able to cleanse your skin, but your soul remains stained.”

His dark eyes stare into my blue ones with a fierce intensity, “I’m going to get you out of here Kitty Kat. You’re too good to be here.”

“Like you said before, Damian. There’s nothing you can do.”

“There is one thing I can do.”

I stare at him with a questioning look, wondering what he can possibly be thinking.

“I’ll offer myself for your freedom. They can kill me, no consequences. I’ll call my brother and tell him not to retaliate but only if they set you free.”

“Why would you do that? That’s insane.” I murmur more to myself than him.

“Maybe I am a saint. Maybe I’m insane. Maybe I think your life is worth more than mine. Maybe, just maybe, it’s because I fell so madly in love with you two years ago and I couldn’t stop. I want to save you, Kitty Kat. Even if it’s with my dying breath. If I have to die in order for you to live, I’m okay with that. You’re worth the sacrifice.”

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Damian

The basement door opens, and Kat pleads quietly, “Damian, please don’t. Please.”

My mind is made up. This is happening. I’ve never handled the abuse of women well, but this isn’t just a woman, it’s Kat. I cannot simply sit here, and watch Kat get raped and eventually killed.

In our world, I see and commit horrible crimes that would make the average person physically ill. The De Luca brothers do not go after women, not even to get to the men we have a vendetta against. The only time we break that rule is if the women themselves have done something to us.

When my brother kidnapped Giada, it was because she was trying to take us down for her father. He would have killed her for that. However, once he realized she was not a willing participant it changed things.

I’m under no illusion that it makes us good guys because we don’t generally kill women. I know who we are, what we do. A more vile man doesn’t make me a church boy.

Wolf races over to us and grabs Kat by the hair, “Wolf. Let’s make a deal, shall we?”

He lets go of her.

I hide my relief.

“I’m listening. What will you do to save her?”

I clench my fists, there’s nothing I want more than to kill this motherfucker, “I’ll give you my life if you set her free. I’ll call my brother and tell him not to retaliate.”

He chuckles, “And you think the devil is going to listen to you?”

My brother would offer his life to save Giada. While, Domenic will be furious, he will understand that I’m only trying to save the one person that matters the most to me. He will know I’d do anything for her, “Maybe. Maybe not. If he doesn’t agree, you don’t let her go. What have you got to lose?”

Wolf scratches the side of his jaw as if he’s contemplating my offer, “Hmm. That is a tempting offer, but I like my original plan better. I don’t simply want your death, it’s more than watching you die that excites me. Instead, I choose to destroy you, he chuckles loudly, as he shakes his head, “Better than that, I think you’ll choose to destroy yourself.”

I cock my head at him, trying to figure out what he’s going on about, but I can’t, so I respond, “How?”

Folding his arms over his chest with a gleam in his eyes, he glances between Kat and myself before uttering the most terrifying words I’ve ever heard, “You have a choice, Saint. Either rape her or I will.”

While his words hit me like a ton of bricks, that's not the worst part. It’s the one glance at Kat that displays her sheer terror that guts me, leaving me with a pit in my stomach. Tears roll down her cheeks as she shakes her head, “No. Please no. I’d rather die.”

Wolf chuckles while he grabs her head, yanking her head back with what I’m sure is painful force, “We’ll get there, Sweetheart. Patience please.” He glances at me, “You have five minutes to give me your choice before I make it for you.”

He releases Kat and walks to the corner of the room.

I watch him cautiously as he grabs a sharp blade, and I know my choice, even though I know the consequences will be catastrophic. If I don’t fuck her, he will, and it will be brutal. He knows exactly what he’s doing. This will destroy me. I’ve always been such a stickler for consent, never willing to cross that line. A woman always has the right to say no, even in the middle of sex. With me, every woman I’ve been with has known she can say no and will be respected enough for me to honor that word until now. Kat is the only woman I’ve ever loved. The need to protect her is strong, but I can’t. I’m as powerless as she is. Today, I have no choice but to cross the threshold from bad guy to pure evil.

---