Page 103 of Absolution

“What’s going on, hon?”

“I just need to do something. I’ll be at your place in ten, and I won’t be gone long.”

I hope I won’t be long. I hope I’ll come back in one piece.

After having left Cecilia with my mom, her worried face full of questions, I hit the freeway toward the more affluent suburbs on the hills. It’s a twenty-minute drive, and it messes fundamentally with my mind. When I finally arrive at the gates by his mansion, I have conjured up images of corporal punishments, of torture and agony.

One of the guards, a man I saw a few days ago at the party, leans in as I roll down the window. “I need to speak with Salvatore,” I blurt out before he even opens his mouth.

He narrows his eyes, stands and turns half to the side, speaking into his radio. Turning back, he nods and the gates slide open. “Good luck with that.”

I swallow hard and stare at him, then I press my lips together and rev the engine. Fuck them all!

The always-present Ivan opens the door and gives me a curt nod. I want to ask him if he ever does anything else other than stand there.

“He’s in the dining room,” he says and tilts his head toward the double glass doors at the far end, between the two wide, curved stairs that lead to the upper floor.

I nod. “I know the way.”

I walk with heavy steps, my legs barely obeying me. At the far end of the large dining table sits Salvatore with an espresso cup and a laptop in front of him. He looks up when I enter, raising an eyebrow.

“You’re a woman of many surprises.”

“Yes,” I say, my lips numb, my mind blank. “I’m sorry,” I blurt out.

“You look like a frightened little bunny.” He stands and walks toward me, his steps measured. My mouth goes dry as he rounds my corner of the table and comes up behind me. “I like it.”

I swallow hard, the instinct to run immense. Fingers touching the skin on my nape, pushing my hair to the side make me jerk, but I force myself to stand still. He leans in, his breath fans my ear.

“You’re real trouble, Miss Jackson. I lose face when I get fucking slapped in my own house. By a girl, no less.”

“I—I’m sorry, Mr. Salvatore. I didn’t think.”

I scream when he suddenly grabs the hair at the back of my neck and forces me face first down on the table.

Salvatore leans in, his body pressed against the whole backside of mine. “You know, I can do what I want with you. I can fuck you. I can have you thrown in chains and beat you to within an inch of death. I can kill you. There’s no one who can challenge me. Your beloved Christian will bitch about it, your dear friend will pout, but there’s nothing anyone can do. You do best remembering that.”

I fight the tears, but it’s no use, they fall anyway. His hold on my hair is vice-like and my scalp screams in pain, but it’s nothing to the chill that spreads through my body. I don’t want to plead. I refuse to plead. I can’t imagine for a second that Luciano Salvatore would listen to sniveling and tear-filled excuses.

“What do you want from me?” I finally ask, squeezing my eyes shut.

“I want your absolute obedience. I don’t want to hear no fucking ‘later’ if I tell you to come here. I don’t want stubborn glares and silent disliking. You’re in my world now, Kerry Jackson.”

“You really don’t know me, do you?” I say, my voice hoarse.

He rips me up by my hair, making me cry out and clutch for his hand, then he throws me into the wall, following suit, his hand grabbing my chin. He leans in, pressing his body against mine, his nose traveling along the side of my neck until his mouth is by my ear. A scent of expensive cologne wafts up.

“Sweetheart. I’ve tamed more stubborn women than you in my days. Sooner or later everyone breaks. Is that really where you want to go?”

“No,” I whisper. “I’m sorry. It’s just… my friend.”

He straightens and looks me over, then his hand comes up before my face. I flinch, but all he does is trace my hairline with the tips of his fingers. Our eyes are locked. I stare into his dark gaze that softens slightly as he tucks a lock behind my ear.

“There were reasons. It’s her story to tell one day, when she’s ready. I suggest you leave her alone until then.”

Salvatore takes a step back and I sag, gripping the cupboard next to me for support. “Is that you telling me?”

He grins. “You’re learning.”

---