Page 26 of Beautiful Enemy

He jerks back, letting me go, and moving out of frame of the camera. “This isn’t how this works, Nadia.”

“Unless you’re going to hit me, I will not tell you anything about myself. Or you can give me a blanket and I will tell you why I went to live with my sister.”

Dante steps back into frame and smiles at the camera. “You hear that, Anya? Your sister is quite brave. Smart. I thought she was just a shy little doe but it seems she has a brain on her. Maybe she has a bit of a predator within her. You should be so proud. I’m going to rip all of that bravery from her though until she’s a shell of her former self. This might be the last time you ever see Nadia the way you know her.”

He turns to me so quickly and rips the other arm of my dress off. I gasp.

“What are youdoing?”

“I am showing that I am not a man to be bargained with. I want your family to suffer. And seeing you in pain will do that to them. Finn, bring me the scissors.”

My entire body tenses. Fight or flight… or freeze.

“For what?” I whisper.

“You’ll see.” He wiggles his fingers at the camera. “Everyone will see. Unless you want to tell me why you moved in with Anya and left your father behind. It’s your choice, Nadia.”

He says it’s my choice but it’s not my choice at all.

Matteo is still recording. Whenever Dante sends this video to Anya, she’ll see me in it. She’ll hear my response. I know she’ll be hurt seeing anything happen to me so I need to be brave for her.

“No,” I say loud and clear. If I look shy and scared, it will only make Anya more worried. She thought about me when I was stuck at home with our father after she married Erik. It’s my time to think about her.

“Fine then.”

Finn hands Dante a pair of scissors. They glint in the sunlight coming in through the little window, showcasing their sharpness. Their deadliness.

“Last chance, Nadia,” he warns, holding the scissors up.

“No. I won’t tell you anything.”

“Then so be it.” He grabs a lock of my hair. “I’ll be honest. You have beautiful hair. It’s a shame to have to cut it.” He snips off a piece and lets it fall to the floor.

I tremble harder. It’s just hair, I remind myself. It means nothing. It will grow back.

“No?” he says. When I stay silent, he cuts off another lock of my hair. “How many pieces of hair do I have to cut off to get you to talk?”

“You can make me bald for all I care.”

“No,” he growls. “You do care. I hear it in your voice.” His lips are right by my ear. It’s somehow both terrifying and erotic at the same time. “You don’t want me to cut it all off. Why not just tell me? Why are you making this so hard on yourself?”

“Because it’s what Anya would do.”

He rocks back on his heels with a large smile. “There it is. You’re doing this for your sister. Channeling her, I see. I remember Anya. The few times we spoke all those years ago, I remember her being such a spitfire. I could see why Erik liked her. I like this look on you, Nadia. Bravery. But bravery is stupid.” He cuts off another piece of hair.

“I can stop,” he offers. “Before it gets too far. Or do I have to actually make you bald?”

“If you make me bald, then you have nothing to threaten me with.”

“Good point.” He taps the scissors against his leg. Tap, tap, tap. “But then I’ll know how far you’re willing to go. How far you’re willing to stand up against me in the name of your sister. You have a special bond, her and you. Why is that?”

“We’re sisters.”

“I was an only child, so I wouldn’t know. Aiden? Finn? Do you two have a special bond?”

Aiden scoffs. “He’s my brother but he drives me fucking nuts.”

“I would die for my brother but he also drives me up a fucking wall.”

---