“I’m going to enjoy taking your world away from you.” His mouth quirked into a disdainful half-smile that made my skin crawl.
“But first, we’re going to play a game,” he began, making my stomach clench in panic. “What do you say?”
I didn’t respond quickly enough, and Massimo lifted his foot and shoved Gigi forward with brutal force.
She shouted and fell forward face down.
“Stop, god damnit!” I shouted, instinctively stepping forward, but he pressed his foot down hard on her back, pinning her in place.
“Don’t hurt her.”
“That’ll be your choice to make,” he taunted, a sinister grin spreading across his stupid face.
No matter what I decided, Gigi was going to die.
I looked over at Lo and saw that his arms were subtly moving, attempting to ease his bindings. He gave me a quick nod, and I could see the determination in his gaze.
Turning my focus back to the man who held my very heart in his hands, I asked, “What do I need to do for you to let them go?”My fingers curled into my palm, fighting the urge to claw at my skin.
His eyes glinted with malicious delight. “Truth or Dare.”
I raised my eyebrows. “What are you, twelve?”
The moment the words left my mouth, he delivered a savage kick to Gigi’s side. She gasped, struggling to breathe.
My tongue coursed over my upper teeth, as I struggled to remain in place and not rip his fucking throat out. “You’re going to pay for that,” I seethed.
He smirked, his foot slamming into her side with a brutal kick.
“Okay, stop! Fuck! Just stop!” I screamed.
“Truth or Dare?” he repeated.
I inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly, my chest rising rapidly from the anxiety and adrenaline.
“Truth.”
A high-pitched buzzer sound escaped his lips. “Wrong choice.”
“You said to pick one!” I shot back, frustration tightening my throat. “I picked!”
“What can I say,” he said as if he didn’t have a care in the world. “I lied. Dare is the only option.”
My nostrils flared as I glanced at Lo again; he was still pushing against his bindings.
I turned back to the bastard in front of me. “Fine. Dare.”
Massimo bent down and yanked Gigi by her tied hands. She grunted in pain as he gripped her upper arm, dragging her closer until they were about six feet from me.
“I dare you to beat her until I say stop.”
My body stilled. I could feel nothing but sheer terror. “No. What the hell is wrong with you?”
He raised the gun to her temple and cocked it. “Then you’ll have the pleasure of watching me kill her.”
I locked eyes with Gigi. In that moment, there was no fear, no panic, only acceptance. Her eyes were puffy and red from crying, and her pale skin and dry lips showed the toll of her emotional and physical distress. A lonely tear slipped from the corner of her eye, tracing a path down her cheek.
My heart cracked in half from watching her suffer at the hands of her uncle.