Page 8 of Sweet Misery

From what I knew of Sever’s family, he was close to his brothers. He looked up to Massimo, or he had while we were in school.

“A-Are y-you going to h-hurt me?”

He was quiet for a moment before answering. “Yes.”

I let out a soft sob at his words and tried to twist away as he leaned down. His woodsy cologne engulfed my senses as I struggled to break free, the pain at my raw wrists making me whimper.

“If you want pain, little daffodil, I will give you pain.”

I cried out as he tugged the ropes tighter, the pain burning through my body. A gasp left me as laid still, knowing if I moved, I’d bleed from how bad the ropes were digging into my flesh.

He moved to my legs and tightened those ropes too before backing away from me.

“P-Please,” I choked out. “I-I didn’t do anything wrong?—”

“It’s not a matter of wrong and right, Sweet Misery. It’s a matter of payment. You will pay in screams for what your father owes. Those are the terms.”

“No! No!” I screamed. “Please! Let me go! Please! I’ll do anything?—”

“I know you will.” He gave me a dark smile, wickedness glinting in his pretty eyes. “We’ll talk tomorrow once you’ve calmed down.”

“No!” I screamed it on repeat as he left the room, the lock clicking closed behind him. I screamed until I only had tears, and then I went silent, ugly memories overriding any hope I had.

My father had done this to me.

I vowed if I ever broke free, I’d make him pay for this.

When I awoke hours later,sunshine was streaming in through the window. I was still tied to the bed, and my body still hurt, but I was alive. My throat was raw from screaming and from needing a drink.

I whimpered as I tried to shift in the bed and found myself unable to. I squeezed my eyelids closed, trying to hold back my tears. There was no way this was my life now. I was almost done with college. My future was only months away and now this. All my hard work, gone.

I wasn’t sure how long I laid there crying, but the sun eventually gave way to gray skies, and sleep overcame me as darkness began to filter in, small snow flurries in the air outside my window. I was so thirsty I licked my cheeks whenever I cried just so I could dampen my mouth with my tears. It was a vicious cycle.

Such was my life though it seemed.

I stared out the window into the night, taking in the stars in the sky.

Please let me die in my sleep.

I always wished on stars. Usually, they were falling, but I figured it was worth a shot.

Closing my eyes, I repeated the words until sleep overcame me, dragging me to its dark depths.

4

ROMAN

“I’m not feeding and watering her,” Renzo said as we piled into my Mercedes after grabbing dinner. I’d not gone in to look at her, but Mass said he’d been in and she’d struggled to break free. I liked when they were at the end of their rope before I went in. Ren seemed to share that same enjoyment, so I knew we weren’t the ones to go in early and give her what she needed. There wasn’t much fun in saving a life. We preferred to end them.

“Sever, you should do it,” I said, glancing to our little brother in the backseat.

He didn’t say a word, which was typical of the dark fucker, and stared out the window instead.

“You said you know her,” Ren pressed, not giving a shit about Sever’s silence. “Why not go into her room and reunite with your long lost love.”

I stopped at a red light and noted Sever’s sudden focus on Renzo in the rearview mirror.

“Shut the fuck up about things you don’t know shit about,” Sever snarled.

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