Page 86 of Hawk's Sapphire

I’ll convince Cusenza not to sell me, but to keep me.I’ll make him want to break me for himself.

I take a deep breath, hold, and release, centering myself.

The men chuckle behind their leader.He’s not theboss,but he is the one in charge of frightening the women and weeding out the weaker ones.I’m certain his job entails everything from intimidation to the use of physical force.

This asshole has nothing on Mack.

Mack’s mere presence exudes power and invokes fear.This man has to rely on his weapon to intimidate others.

The only command Cusenza has issued for his men is they may not penetrate the merchandise.That doesn’t mean they won’t force other sexual acts on us.Except me.He gave specific orders for them not to touch me.

Bingo!

As he approaches, the woman next to me whimpers, causing him to pause and crack his whip at her knees.She jumps, letting out a yelp, and again his men laugh.I can’t see his face, but I can see his hands and the gold medallion ring he wears on his pinky finger.I commit the small details of the ring to memory—a mental note of who my first target will be when I get free from these cuffs.

“You are either a brave or stupid woman,” he says, lifting my chin with the handle of his whip.The chains pull at my neck and wrists, the bite in my skin uncomfortable, but I don’t look away.He smiles, then backhands me hard.My head lulls to the side for a second as I absorb the pain, spitting blood from my lip onto the ground.One of his men reprimands him, reminding him of the boss’s orders.But he doesn’t seem to care.

I let my head hang forward and my shoulders shake as I laugh.

Sergio and Matteo may have taught me to take punishment and not fold under pressure, but my uncles taught me lessons of their own over the years.

Taylor fucking Mackenzie once taught me, “When someone tells you that you’re crazy, prove them fucking right.”

The asshole moves closer, squatting down in front of me.I can barely make out his smile from the corner of my eye.He lifts my chin again, and when he brings his face close to mine, I slam my forehead into his nose.He stumbles back, cursing and grabbing his face.The force of the movement against the chains pulls my body forward, causing me to curl into a ball as I fall forward.It stings, but it’s fucking worth it.

A booted foot comes down on my shoulder hard.“Bitch!”someone shouts.I don’t even know if it’s the same man.No.It can’t be based on the boots alone.

I pull myself tighter into the fetal position expecting another blow, when a woman’s voice echoes through the space, shouting.“Stop!Not that one!Don’t hurt that one.She’s a special order.And Marco expressly told younotto touch her.”I focus my attention on the sound of clacking heels moving closer and the familiarity of the woman’s voice.

How do I know that voice?

The man steps back grumbling something to himself.A body looms over the top of me.Navy heels nudge my knees.I roll to the side, dropping my hands away from my face just enough to see who’s above me and my heart picks up pace as pure unadulterated rage courses through my veins at the sight before me.

“Eleanor.”I whisper her name through gritted teeth.

“Hello, little trash whore.So nice of your friends to deliver you to us.It saved me the trouble of having another one of them stabbed in the back.Knives can be so messy.”She sniggers sarcastically.“You really should hire better help, dear.”

Sergio.

My eyes narrow.Small snippets of memories of that night flash through my mind.Sergio handing me the wine.The dizziness I felt.The woman in the bathroom offering to help me.

It was her.She was trying to kidnap me then.If I hadn’t seen Hawk, she would’ve.

I smile menacingly as I meet her glare.“You’re going to die,” I sing-song softly for only her to hear.Might not be my smartest moment because the butt of a small handgun comes down on the back of my head and darkness once again takes me under.

36

HAWK

When we arrive back at the penthouse, I head straight for Sadie’s office and shake the mouse on the desk to fire up the computer screen.She has multiple tabs open.The first is an email from Avery with a photo of Skyler’s baby announcement.A small pang of regret fills me at missing the birth of my brother’s first baby, but I stuff the feeling down for now.

I move her shit to the side and start hacking into Matteo’s security feeds.I’m sure I could ask for the footage, but his guys don’t know what to look for.There are additional cameras I’ve seen planted around the place.My Sapphire wasn’t as stupid or naïve as they think.She knew about the extra cameras and, if I’m right, would have set up a few of her own.

It takes a few minutes to maneuver but I get in and sure enough, not only can I see their camera footage, but she also has multiple cameras of her own watching the security room, Matteo’s office, her office, and every entry and exit.She can see what their cameras can’t.She widened the view without them knowing.

Smart girl.

But why?Did she have reason not to trust the Parisi’s?Or was she covering her own ass in the event she needed to get out?Those are questions I’ll have to ask her once I find her.

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