Page 109 of Raphael (Belles & Mobsters 5)

I shook my head, although every fiber of my being screamed yes. Except, I didn’t want to learn it from her. From anyone but her. Scratch that. I wanted to hear it from Raphael. If he knew about it, he should have told me.

She laughed again, the menacing kind of laugh. “Raphael’s father was going to break your sister in. Right after she gave him an heir, of course.”

Squeak. Blood trickled down my hand.Squeak.Teeth marks on my hand, stifling my sounds.Squeak.

“Break her in?” I choked out, my own voice sounding distorted. Like I was drowning in the shallow end of a pool.

“Yes, so she could be a whore for one of the Santos’ whorehouses,” she bragged. She thrived on inflicting pain. “Anya agreed to it, you know,” she continued, like we were talking about an everyday topic. Beatrice’s beautiful mouth curved in a cruel smile, and I knew the final punch was coming. “So your father would leaveyoualone.”

Anya sacrificed herself for me!

The familiar pain rippled through my chest and I struggled for breath. My throat burned. My chest flamed, the old cuts burning like acid on an open wound. The aching hurt so bad that I was certain I had to be bleeding. My eyes lowered down to my chest. Nothing.

I returned my attention to Beatrice, anger and hurt simmering through my veins. I wanted to claw her beautiful face, make her bleed and hurt. So she’d know the pain that I felt. That Anya felt.

“How do you know all this?” I choked on my own words. On my own pain.

“Santiago likes to share information when he fucks.”

Her eyes flickered above my head and I followed her gaze. The familiar cruel eyes zeroed in on me.

I took a step back, my hands shaking with the familiar fear.

“There you are.”

Before I even had a chance to open my mouth and scream, his hand covered my mouth and a cloth covered my nose. The ether-like odor seeped into my lungs. Chloroform, I realized.

The world went black.

ChapterForty-Seven

SAILOR

Rocking. Falling.

It felt like the entire ground was rocking underneath me. My eyelids jolted open and found darkness surrounding me. Without an ounce of light. It was then that I realized something was wrong. Raphael never kept the room in total darkness.

Then the last image I saw before I lost consciousness came to the surface. My father got me. My nightmare came to be. My fingers skimming over the soft covers of the bed I was laid out on.

I came across a button and pushed it. A soft light flickered in the room, and I looked around. The large luxurious bedroom, beautifully decorated.

Swish. Swish.

With horror, I realized where I was. On a boat.

Sitting up in bed, I felt groggy, but I ignored the sensation. I had to get out of here. My feet touched the plush carpet, and I took two steps towards the little window with drapes pulled over it.

The moonlight reflected in the distance and shimmered over the dark, moving surface.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

This wasn’t good. Did they take Gabriel? He was still in the manor when I went to the beach and the guards were heavy around the house. Maybe Father never got close to the house.

I was an idiot to leave the house. Hindsight and all that fucking bullshit.

My heart drummed hard against my ribs, making it hard to breathe. Fear wrapped around my throat like a tight belt. I felt like that little girl again, vulnerable and weak. Anya always protected me. It wasn’t fair. I shouldn’t have let her. She paid the ultimate price for me.

It was time I repaid that debt. By ensuring Gabriel’s safety.

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