Page 36 of Deadly Vows

It’s all I can think of at this moment. I had never seen the inside of the annex where Luca tortured and interrogated. I could always hear the screams as they were dragged to their future, but to see it for myself is quite literally hell. A single, dim light sits on the corner of the wall, casting a cold glow that barely covers my surroundings. The walls are cemented, as are the ceiling and floor, and there are traces of torture lingering around me. White scratches litter the walls. Old, crusted blood that whoever cleaned this place missed sits in small patterns on the floors. And the air is stale and cold.

I don’t know how long I’ve been sitting, chained to this cot as I wait for my husband to arrive. But it’s given me enough time to think about just how fucked I am in this situation. I attempted to kill Luca. And not just in a pathetic attempt like holding a knife in front of me. I wrecked his car and left him for dead, voicing my desire that he die that night. I should have knownfate wouldn’t be so kind to me. I should have known the moment I saw Ari in that diner that I needed to run. If she managed to find me when my entire family had lost their resources since my father’s death, Luca couldn’t have been far behind. But I am just as Luca says: naive. I don’t know what part of this world I was cut out for.

I tense as the heavy steel door unlocks, and in comes my husband.

Luca does a wonderful job hiding his inner emotions as he enters the room. His dark hair is pushed away from his face, but a few rebellious strands tickle his forehead as he brings a cigarette to his lips, slowly inhaling a deep breath as he watches me with that cold gaze. His hands have leather gloves on them as he enters, pulling a cart of tools I am unfamiliar with behind him.

I hold his gaze, feigning confidence, but I can tell by the way he scoffs that I am failing miserably. He continues to study me, taking another deep drag of his cigarette before blowing the thick smoke from his lungs, grappling with his self-control.

“Do you think I wanted this? Wanted you? You weren’t the only one forced into this situation, Elise. I had a different plan…a bigger plan for my family. But my father, being the traditional man he was, thought this was necessary,” he says, gesturing to me and himself.

Luca releases a deep breath, pinching the bridge of his nose as he looks around the room.

“All you had to do was know your place—all of you. But you just had to overstep. You just had to reach for something far above your station,” he says in irritation.

I know instantly he’s talking not only about me but my family. And as much as I want to say something in return, to defend myself, I know that I can’t. I can’t pin his mood. He should have killed me once he discovered me. But he didn’t. He brought mehome. And I don’t know what that means for my future. Nor do I know what I could possibly say to set him off, especially since he entered the room with gloves and a tray of torture tools.

Luca notices the direction of my gaze, shifting his attention to the instruments behind him. He breaks the silence by laughing, tossing his cigarette to the ground to lightly stamp it out as he speaks.

“When you wrecked my car, ran from me, and told me you hoped that I died that night, did you at all bother to think about the consequences your actions would bring?” he asks.

When I don’t respond, his cloudy gaze shifts to meet mine, signaling his expectancy for an answer. But once again, I don’t have one.

“By leaving, you’ve managed to add even more gas to the flames, Elise,” he finishes. He drags the tools with him as he approaches me, and when he stands over me, he decides to speak again. “You have put me in a very fucked position. And you still have yet to say sorry.”

My eyes remain on the tools behind him, and he finally snaps.

“Look at me!” he shouts. I flinch from his tone, finally finding my voice.

“You want me to apologize for trying to kill you and escape from this hell we both didn’t want?” I say softly.

My eyes drift to meet his, and I see anger reflected at me. We are both at our wits’ end with one another. Except Luca is now faced with the decision to do as his father always wanted or grant me mercy. Judging from his decision to place me here, I doubt mercy will be at the top of his list of things to offer me.

Luca laughs, shaking his head in disbelief, but he doesn’t speak. He briefly eyes me before kneeling to my height and reaching for my cuffed hand.

“Did you know the human body has over one hundred billion nerve cells?” He reaches out and slowly grasps my shaking hand, his attention focused on my arm as he speaks.

“But out of those, only three run through your arm.” He flips my arm and trails a pattern, starting at my elbow. “The radial nerve.” He flips my arm over again so my palm faces the ceiling. “The ulnar and the median nerve.” He is tracing a pattern on my arm as if he knows where the nerves are underneath my skin.

Chills break out on my skin as I look at his mesmerized expression.

“But I don’t have to know that to make you feel pain,” he says, releasing me. He doesn’t speak immediately, and I can see he is still trying to grapple with whatever has been on his mind since he entered the room.

Finally, he shakes his head, speaking. “Just because I didn’t want this, didn’t mean I wasn’t ready to commit to you. I extended every courtesy that I would for someone I cared about to you, even though I knew your purpose. I knew getting attached would be a waste. But all you’ve ever done is see the worst in this situation, instead of the constant mercy you’ve been granted,” he says begrudgingly.

He sucks in a deep breath, closing the distance between us to kneel next to where I am cuffed. He gently pushes my hair from my face, his frown deepening when I flinch from his touch. Then, his thumb gently plays at my temple, lingering on the scar I was born with.

“Don’t you see? All this time, you’ve painted me as the bad guy, turning a blind eye to the family who has used you as a pawn your entire life.” I gasp as Luca grips my face, forcing my gaze to meet his. “But I’m the only one who would kill for you— the only one who has.”

Luca releases me, standing with his back to me. He then moves to the tools, slowly running his fingers over each as he speaks.

“If you were anyone else, I would have shot you down in that diner,” he murmurs to himself.

I tense as I suddenly notice the chill in the air. The room’s temperature is dropping, but Luca doesn’t seem concerned about it in the least. His humorless chuckle pulls me out of my thoughts as he lifts a knife from the tray.

“I would have splattered your dear cousin’s brains on the fucking table for what your family’s done,” he says.

I’m still wearing my work uniform, so the chill is beginning to creep under my skin, making me tremble even harder as Luca stands over me. I am suddenly able to see my breath in the dimly lit room. I cry out when Luca grips the front of my uniform roughly, holding the blade inches from my face. His steel eyes study me, soaking in my fear as he slowly moves it to the front of my top, using it to cut away my clothing.

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