Page 28 of Tainted Ties

Chapter10

Aurora

My lip pulsed from where Roman bit me.

The taste of blood was heavy on my tongue, and I tried not to gag from the metallic tang.

I ran up the stairs to my bedroom and shut the door.

When I entered the bathroom, I dodged the mirror and quickly rinsed my mouth with closed eyes, avoiding the red that surely swirled down the drain.

I touched my mouth with the tips of my fingers, ensuring it was dry, before bringing my gaze up to the mirror.

My lip was swollen and bruised from his assault, marking me his.

This would heal in a few days, but it would be a reminder of him every time I sensed the cut.

It repulsed me and fueled my anger to continue disobeying him.

He could dish out all the punishments he wanted, but I wouldn’t stop rebelling against him, and I hated that for a brief second, I allowed myself to melt into him, into the chaotic kiss.

My phone vibrated against the countertop, displaying Enzo’s name. I answered and brought it to my ear.

“It would have been nice if you had told me you weren’t coming before I waited for you for an hour,” my brother sighed.

It would have been nice if my lip wasn’t split, either.

“I forgot I was a prisoner. Remind me never to take you on as a client again.”

Sarcasm was my way of coping with every single problem in my life when I probably should invest in a therapist instead.

“Remindmenever to trust our father again,” he mimicked. “The man has been insufferable. I can’t stand being in the same room with him when all he does is mope about everything he has lost.” I heard the frustration straining his voice as he continued. “Forgive me if my words offend you, but if he cares more about gaining back his fortune over his daughter, I wonder how little he cares for me, if any at all.”

His words went straight through me. I had already known this, but I sympathized with Enzo. He had always been my father’s favorite, even more after the passing of our mother.

“He will always hold you on a pedestal, Enzo. His feelings toward me do not affect how he feels about you.”

“Then why did helieto me? If what you say is true, why did he put someone I care about in harm’s way?” His voice rumbled with anger. “I willneverforgive him for what he did.”

His words seeped into me, scattering down to my coiling stomach. I hadn’t realized how much Enzo cared for me, even if he couldn’t protect me from our father. That much was evident when he kept tabs on me while I was in New York without my knowledge. He must’ve wanted to keep his distance in case someone got ahold of my coordinates.

“Those are questions that I can’t answer for you. It doesn’t matter anyway; what’s done is done,” I sighed. “We can only move forward and figure out how to get me out of here,alive.”

“I swore I would get you out, did I not?” he asked, reassuring himself more than me from the desperation leaking from his tone. “But you need to understand, we lost our crew after Roman stole everything from us. We don’t have the power to go against him right now.”

The start of a migraine feathered the front of my forehead. That was not what I wanted to hear. “You should’ve been more cautious.”

“They caught us off guard. We were lucky they didn’t obliterate us the moment you killed their kin.”

“He was strategic with his execution,” I said, inhaling sharply. “He wants us all to suffer before he goes in for the kill.”

“I accepted death long ago, but if it’s the last thing I do before I die, I’ll get you out of this country that has never shown you mercy.”

The sureness of his words went straight to my heart, igniting my will to continue surviving this nightmare.

“We rekindled after all these years and you’re welcoming death so soon? Our sibling dynamic must have been more messed up than I thought,” I joked, wiping the tear that slipped from the corner of my eye.

Enzo’s throaty laughter boomed through the phone, carefree and genuine. “We’ll talk soon,sorella mia.”

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