Page 119 of Carnal

Massimo wags his finger at her. "You're about to go into the water with Tristano."

I lunge forward, shouting, "Don't threaten—"

"Ludis Petrov and Leo Abruzzo both owned and raped me. Leo tossed me out when I got too old for his tastes. He put me up in a brownstone, made me work at the library, and for a long time, I didn't know why. I swear to you, I had nothing—and I mean nothing—to do with Arianna's kidnapping except to give Donato the key. I had no idea what he was going to do!" Katiya maintains.

"Sure, you didn't," I state, but I'll feel horrible if it's true. Still, can it be?

"You're an asshole." Massimo glowers.

"Takes one to know one," Pina mutters.

"Excuse me?" Massimo says, as if shocked.

She tilts her head. "Really? Every one of you and your brothers are assholes."

"Gee, thanks," I mumble.

She chirps, "Sorry. Just telling the truth."

"We are not assholes," I proclaim.

"Of course you are," she states.

"Fine. We're assholes. Whatever. But you sure like our paychecks," Massimo adds.

She smirks. "I earned every single one of those."

"Didn't claim you didn't," he answers.

She gives him a snotty look and then turns toward Katiya. "Can you finish, please?"

"You aren't buying this, are you?" I utter, scrubbing my face in frustration.

Pina ignores me and nods to Katiya. "You were saying?"

She takes a deep breath. "For a long time, I worked in the library, thinking he forgot about me. But Leo's always watching. He has eyes everywhere."

"Don't doubt that," Pina states.

"Right. So, besides Donato, I never had to deal with him. But then...well..." Katiya nervously locks eyes with Massimo.

He interjects, "I wouldn't stop going into the library to ask her out. Leo found out, and he wanted Katiya to learn about our jewelry contacts."

"And you were going to do it, weren't you?" I accuse.

He tugs Katiya closer to him, declaring, "No. She told me right away. We've been playing Leo the entire time."

I stay quiet, processing all of this. Did she really get raped? It's not out of the Abruzzos' or Petrovs' characters. Why did Massimo not feel he could tell us?

He asks, "Isn't that right, dolce?"

She squares her shoulders and lifts her chin. "Yes. Massimo is correct."

I study them briefly, asking, "How exactly were you playing Leo?"

"It involves me killing him, not that it's any of your business. All you need to know is that I knew about her association with the Abruzzos all along. She was helping me. Now drop it."

Hurt and still confused, I inquire, "Why didn't you tell us?"

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