Page 38 of Beautiful Devil

Oh, he’s really pissed me off now. I start flailing around in his arms kicking him and finally making contact with his shin. He doesn't even flinch.

Fuck. I think that hurt me more than it hurt him. It was like kicking a wall. Is he made of fucking stone? I sure as fuck hope I didn’t break anything, because I heard a pop, but I refuse to let him see me in pain and find a weakness in me right now.

I’m so mad and need to let out my frustration about everything that I just open up and scream, “Let go of me! Get off me! You KIDNAPPED me! Someone please help me, call the police, DO SOMETHING! I just want to go home! Please get me away from this monster! Don’t just stand there, pick up the phone and call 911. Please!”

I’m still kicking Fabrizio and trying to break myself free from his hold, but it’s no use because his grip is like a vice. Hearing a rumble of sound coming from his chest, I look up to see him actually smiling down at me.

Why the hell is he smiling at me?

I’m sure someone has already called the police and they’re on their way to take him away so I can finally get back to my normal life. But when I look around, I don’t see chaos ensuing or a herd of police officers rushing in here like I thought I would. Instead, everyone just stands still with a blank expression on their faces, staring at me like I’m some kind of circus freak.

“Why are you just standing there? Didn’t you hear what I said? Hekidnappedme! Call the police!! GO!!”

A deep chuckle brings my attention back to the beautiful devil in front of me.

Before I can ask what he’s laughing at, he informs me, “Oh, la mia piccola gattina, no one’s going to help you here.”

“Why? Because you threatened to kill them if they did?”

That wipes the smirk clear off his face and his next words are spoken with so much hate, I feel it all the way down in my bones,

“No,dolcezza. I already told you, I don’t hurt women or children. They won’t help you because they don’t speak English. So that little show you just put on and that speech you gave about how I’m such amonsterwas all in vain. Now stop acting like an ungrateful child and let Sienna finish what she was doing so we’re not late.”

I have to admit, I’m a little taken aback about what he just said. All these people in this room, and no one speaks english? I really am all alone. Well lucky for him, this girl isn’t going down without a fight.

“If you think that I’m lettingSiennatouch me ever again, you truly are crazy. And, what are you talking about? What are we going to be late for? I’m not going anywhere with you.”

Once again, that cocky, hot as fuck smirk tips up the right corner of his mouth, making his lips look even more desirable. Then he crushes that desire with his next sentence.

“Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten already,fidanzata. We’re getting married,gattina. In two hours and twenty minutes to be exact. So, if you don't want to look like a wet dog who got caught in the rain, then I suggest you let Sienna or any one of these women finish getting you ready. I couldn’t care less either way. Get ready or don’t, but you will walk down that aisle, even if I have to carry you kicking and screaming the whole way.”

“WHAT? The fuck I am! No way in HELL would I marry you. Over my dead body!”

He’s in my face in a flash; a frisson of fear runs through my body with his next words.

“Have you not listened to anything I’ve said,gattina? Dante and his men are looking for you, and if I let you go, theywillhunt you down and find you. Again. They found you once – the same night that I did, actually – and they’ll find you again. They were there to kidnap you as well,dolcezza. The only difference is next time,Iwon’t be there to save you. So the choice is yours: stay alive and be safe by marrying me or play Russian roulette and walk out this door right now and see how long it is before Dante finds you. I can promise you, he won’t be as accommodating as I’ve been,gattina.”

All at once, my memories from earlier come rushing back to me and I remember now having this same conversation in my room. But it’s still a bit fuzzy, because everything went black after he told me this last time. Did he…did he drug me? Before I can even think about what my answer will be to what he just said to me, I need to know some things first.

“How did I get here? Did you drug me?”

He snickers at that comment and sneers at me with his answer. “I carried you here. And no, I didn’t drug you. You passed out and I caught you. Knew time was of the essence, so I brought you here to get things rolling.”

“I passed out, so you think it’s a good idea to kidnap me –again– and force my hand in marriage? Yeah, you’re really selling your case here, bucko.”

“I did NOT kidnap you by bringing you here. We haven’t even left my compound! I made a decision that I thought was best and had my team get to work. If you’d rather I leave a passed-out girl on the streets for anyone to pick up, that can be arranged,gattina.”

His nostrils are flaring, and I can tell that he’s ready to lose it on me. Well, you know what? So am I! I’m raging mad.

“Listen here, jackass, I refuse to let you oranyoneelse tell me what to do ever again. I will not be forced into a marriage to someone who clearly doesn’t care about me or want to be with me. It’s because of my ex-husband that I’m even in this mess to begin with, and I refuse to be a pawn in your game. Go find someone else to do your bidding, because it won’t be me. I’ll take my chances on this so-called ‘Dante’ wanting to hurt me.”

I cross my arms and give a small smile, calling his bluff. He’s never given me proof that this Dante person is even real. For all I know, this is just a lie, and I bet he does this kind of thing with other women. A twinge of jealousy moves through me at just the thought. Oh, my God, are there others? Is this some sort of cult? Could I be one of many?

That thought leaves my mind as he reaches into his back pocket, and for a second, I think he’s reaching for a gun and is going to shoot me. I involuntarily flinch, and the look on his face tells me he saw it and understood my reasoning, because he just shakes his head and pulls out his cell phone.

Moving closer to me, he punches something into the phone before extending his arm out to me with the phone still in it and says, “Here. Have a look for yourself.”

Staring at the offered phone in his hand for a few beats before intrigue wins and I take it. The screen is black, and before I can ask him what I’m looking at, he lifts a hand and taps it for a movie to play. A movie that I’m apparently the star in. A shiver runs down my body as I realize what he’s showing me. This is the CCTV footage from right outside my apartment the night he kidnapped me. But how does he have it? I’m about to ask when I see myself appear on screen walking up to my door. A man in black shows up on the screen next and I can’t watch myself being kidnapped. I turn my head and blindly hold out the phone for him to take it back, only he doesn’t.

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