Page 20 of The Sicilian Heir
His savage description didn't scare me. It made me feel butterflies, and if that wasn't an indication of fucked up, then I didn't know what was. I tried to hide my reaction.
"No, you liked that, little lotus. Such a savage. I can promise no one will ever hurt you again. Not while there is breath in my body," he vowed.
I knew that the Picones were big on vows, so I took him at his word. In the time I spent around the two outfits, I'd come to learn their word and their honor were two things they were extremely proud of. So, if Vito was making a vow to me, then I needed to take him seriously. I nodded my head against his chest and sank into him more. I listened to his heartbeat as it slowed to a steady thump. It was soothing. I never thought, after my experience with Romano, I would be willing to cuddle with another man. Fuck against a wall, sure, but this level of intimacy was new to me. Romano and his men treated me like a low paid whore. They passed me around and they didn't care about my pleasure at all. They hurt me, beat me, and tortured me.
A few days in his grasp had felt like years. The other girls were treated just the same. Some of them had been taken from their homes. They had family waiting for them. Others had been sold and smuggled out of the country. Still, they wanted to go back. I couldn't blame them. If I had a choice, I would've left this country as well. I didn't even want to step foot in New York again, but I did, for Rose. She was there for me and helped me when I had no more hope left. When she showed up on the estate asking questions with her heartbroken gaze, I felt hope that I hadn't felt in that last week. She cared about me like I mattered.
Then Vito locked eyes with me and carted me off to Philadelphia. I was barely living, but he refused to give up on me. Now, I felt reborn. I had taken back my power. Even if Vito thought he was in control, I knew that wasn't true. If I had said my phrase, he would've stopped immediately. I felt that in my bones.
Vito moved us around, so his legs were woven through mine. "You're thinking too much, little lotus. I can hear you from here. Go to sleep."
I was going to grumble about his pushy demands, but I soon gave in to them. With the sound of his heartbeat and his legs and hands intertwined with mine, I fell into a dreamless sleep for the first time in months. I felt safe, cherished, and loved for the first time in many years. I didn't know how I would be able to give this up. I could only pray I didn't have to. Not anytime soon.
Chapter 12
Eunji
"Iwant a rematch, little lotus," Vito insisted as he dragged me from the library in the compound.
I was browsing for books when he stole me away. He brought me back to the training area. I wasn't even dressed for fighting. I was wearing a pair of jeans, combat boots, and a tee that had sassy wording on it.
"You lost, Vito. Take the hit and get over it," I sassed.
He shot me one of his grins and took his shirt off, momentarily distracting me with his body. "I let you win, little lotus. As a man, I need to show you who is the better fighter," he taunted.
Inwardly I scoffed. There was no way Vito was a better fighter than I was. I was trained in a lot of different areas. I just kept it to myself. I didn't want anyone to know I could handle myself that way. "If you say so, but please try not to cry when I hand you your ass." I assumed a loose fighting stance.
Not that anyone asked me, but I was trained in savate, kickboxing, Muay Thai, and aikido. That was just scratching the surface. When it came to training in order to defend myself, I was obsessed. It hurt that one man kidnapped me and I let myself become some frightened little rabbit. If that meant I needed to hand Vito his ass, then so be it.
"I just want to make sure you know how to defend yourself. So, this will be no rules. You fight like your life depends on it." Vito bounced up and down on his feet for a minute, to shake out his muscles, then assumed his stance.
I stood completely still while Vito waltzed around me. He was throwing out some big dick energy that would normally turn me on. Instead, it was fueling the inner fire I felt to humiliate him.
The door banged open, pulling us out of our staring contest. Luciano sauntered in. I could see speckles of blood flaked on his shirt even from a distance. He must've been in the warehouse.
"Oi, why're you in the ring with Eunji?" He approached the ring with a frown on his face.
"Because I need to see what she's made of," Vito jeered his answer toward me.
He didn't realize that he was basically fanning the flames. I was going to do a quick take down, but I thought it would be more fitting if I let him think he'd won and then kick his ass after he falsely celebrated. We ignored Luciano, who was apparently staying to watch the fighting.
Vito jabbed at me and I leaned back, out of the way. For this fight, his height and body size were going to work against him. It was David and Goliath, except David knew how to kick Goliath's ass and wanted to play until he begged. I didn't think Vito would forgive himself if he hurt me, so I planned on maneuvering and evading him until he got tired. We went like that for a while, our breathing labored and heavy.
"You're not even trying," Vito sneered.
His fist connected with my side, knocking me off balance.
He was right, I wasn't trying. I didn't want to really try because I knew what I was capable of and that was enough.
"Maybe she needs some incentive," Luciano barked and threw a knife at Vito.
Vito caught it in his hand and then glanced at me in concern.
"I don't know,fratello. She is still a woman. I don't want to hurt her."
I bristled at his insinuation. "It's fine," I panted.
Vito glanced down at the knife one more time and then back at me. Then he nodded and gripped it tighter in his hand. I guess he made his decision on that. He took an experimental swipe at me and I lunged back. He swiped again with the same results. Once more, and I was pushing against the ropes, with nowhere left to go, I had to either fight back or evade. I chose to evade, which made Vito growl in frustration. I managed to get behind him quickly and kicked him swiftly in the back, throwing off his center of gravity. He fell into the ropes.
