Page 29 of Little Sparrow

“I’m not leaving,” Dante’s smooth voice comes from behind Marco, causing the latter to turn away from me.

“You have been warned to stay away from her, do as your father says.” Marco’s voice sounds cold, words laced with a threat. Will what happened to Antonio, happen with Dante? Tortured down into the basement. My heart races, I desperately want to reach out, protect Dante.

“I personally don’t believe she is safe with you, not with your little protection on.” Dante nods down to Marco’s hand that is resting against his gun. He’s not allowed to kill me, but he can injure me, why didn’t I think of that?

He turns to me, “Has he ever hurt you?” I shake my head in response, I want to say yes and see what Dante does to Marco, but I can’t lie to him. I saw what he did to Antonio. As much as I dislike Marco, I can’t have another person suffer and die because of me. Especially as I saw how uncontrolled Dante had been, the regret.

“Very well, let us enjoy our books by the fire.” Dante holds out his hand to me, I stare at it for a second before gingerly putting my hand in his rough palm. He pulls me past Marco and back toward the fireplace. He is not stupid though, he gives us distance while opening the first page of the book I gave him, I pick up one that had been left behind on the table and we both read. In silence, with Marco watching. I’m not sure how much time passes, but it feels nice to have someone my age to spend time with. With Gabriele as my only friend the last two years, it’s a relief to have a change. A smile spreads across my face and I try to concentrate on my book, but all I can think about is Dante touching me the way the characters are.

Chapter twenty-nine

Dante

Istaredownintothe ocean, darkened by the sunglasses covering my eyes. The sun glistens from the water's reflection and a breeze glides over my skin. Karalina passes me a glass of whiskey before sitting next to me on the white leather seats of our yacht that we only use to impress potential connections. I take the drink to appease my father. He's watching my every move, our every interaction. My jaw clenches as she sits closer to me, running her hand up my thigh. It takes everything in me not to push her away. “What’s wrong?” She asks; feeling me tense at the contact.

“Nothing, I’m going to swim.” Her hand brushes off of me as I stand abruptly. “I’ll join you,” she offers. I turn and roll my eyes and change inside, making sure I get privacy by locking the door. Desperation doesn’t suit anyone, but I can’t reject her in front of them, not until I have a full proof plan.

When I dive into the cool aqua water, I’m able to think clearer, the cold jolts me back into reality. The plans I need to make to set my mother free for good, if she’s still alive. Could she still be at the estate? Rose doesn’t know where she is, or at least she’s not telling me, but I need to get closer to her. It’s difficult with guards in almost every corner of the house.

My mind wanders back to Rose, would she love it down here in the water as much as I do? She rarely leaves the estate and when she can, she has guards around her and stays by my father’s side. She belongs by my side, I’m not sure when I decided it, but I don’t want to destroy her anymore. After seeing her suffer on the floor, doing everything possible not to kill me. It made me think, she is destroying herself by denying herself things she needs. Instinct tells her to kill but she still tries to avoid it. She’s not the monster she believes she is. Rose wants an escape, she is as much of a prisoner as my mother. She wants love. That's the proof I needed that she is still in there, the real Rose hasn’t been crushed under my father. She can’t die.

When my lungs burn from lack of oxygen, I push myself back up toward the surface, the shape of our boat shadowing above me. Dread fills me, and my father waits as I break the surface. This ridiculous wedding will take over my weeks here. I was supposed to kill Rose and find my mother, although she may not even be alive. I still need to try. Gabriele hasn’t heard anything either. Too many things have changed, my whole plan needs to change.

Will this arranged marriage be anything like my parents? Is that what they are expecting of me? No, there won’t be a marriage. Somehow I will get out of this. I’ll play the game, when he trusts me, I’ll take out the king. Our very own game of chess. Just like he had said before, every move I make matters.

My father leans over the railings when I’m lost in thought. “Time to talk business,figlio mio.” He gestures towards the short ladder at the side for me to climb back on the boat. Can I ever get peace? I want to stay under and swim far away, but I need to deal with my father and figure out what to do next.

Water cascades down my bare chest, all my tattoos on full display. Including the one I got in memory of Rose when I had thought she was dead. I did not tell anyone about her. Karalina used to reach out to trace all the lines of the tattoos and ask about each meaning behind them. I never gave any answers, everything is too personal, she cannot get that part. She thinks she knows many things about me, but I never truly reveal the important parts of myself. Karalina had always outstayed her welcome, I’d try to kick her out but she would always come back and I’d give in.

They place another glass of whiskey in my hand once I dry myself and put on a shirt. No matter my history with Karalina, I will do anything in my power to make sure she is not part of my future. She is just a minor bump on my journey here.

To take my father down, I need to go along with all of this. I had never wanted to be ruthless in the mafia, but it seems no one can ever run from it. I may as well use my skill set and limited power to take him apart from the inside. I just need to keep going along with this until I do it.

I sit on the white leather out on the deck, placing my right ankle over my left knee, leaning back to look relaxed, sunglasses once again covering my face. My mask disconnects me from their stares.

My father talks to them about Rose and his use for her. “She is a beauty,” I hear him say and my ears perk up, “the girl only has use for what she is. She is just something to play with right now. I’m not sure what age she will live to but surprisingly she learned her powers pretty quick.”

Karalina’s father responds quickly, “I’d like to try her out, see whatskillsshe has.” My grip on the glass tightens, my father touched her. His fucking hands have been on what should have been mine. He had taken what Rose had. Her father, her home, her virginity. It wouldn’t surprise me if he had been letting his friends have a turn and she just accepted it. Would explain the nice things she has.

“Try her out? She’s not a fucking toy.” I practically snarl the words at him. My father seethes at my outburst.

“She is a sex demon, Dante. What do you expect her to be for?” Karalina’s father says. He can’t see it but I’m sending daggers through these sunglasses, all different ways to murder them flashed through my vision.

“That doesn’t mean anything.” I grind out through my clenched jaw, I try to relax when my father examines me. I’m giving too much away.

“It means everything, she does what she is created for,” Karalina says from the door as she wraps a towel around herself. Giving me her biggest smile. Cruel bitch. I lean back, acting casual, when all I want to do is stab the fucker in the eyes so he can never look at Rose again.

The need to wipe his dirty touch off Rose flows through my mind. The last person who will ever touch her is me. If my father even tries to let anyone else near her, I will cut them open and make them suffer until they bleed out slowly. Every finger they touch her with will be cut off, just like I cut out Antonio’s tongue.

Chapter thirty

Rose

Gabrielehasbeentreatingme differently since Dante came here. I saw us as friends before, but now he keeps our secrets, and he comes inside my room to talk. It’s as though he doesn’t fear Leo or his rules anymore. He laughs and jokes with me. Even when he’s not alone, it’s nice to have someone. He is a decent guy, a friendly smile with a short beard and dark hair. He always used to tell me about the outside world when I’m not allowed to leave. He raises his voice for me to hear if my doors cannot open. I suppose he kept me sane all these years. I’m not even sure if he’s allowed to talk to me as much as he does. The only rules are that he doesn’t touch me, though, so I guess we will take advantage as much as possible. He is my only friend here, we have grown closer. No women are here to keep me company except for the revolving door of whores that the guards bring here. I swear this place could be a brothel sometimes. They don’t talk to me; they sneer.

Gabriele is the only guard I have ever liked, he was friendly before and has looked the other way most times. He never looked at me sexually, more of a sister and I will remember him always, he told me he grew up with Dante, and they were close friends. Well,brothersis the word he used, just not by blood.

Marco, the other guard he rotates with, is an arsehole. He’s always looking down on me like I’m trash. He is my other main guard, is an older guy. I think he has been here twenty-two years, about the same time as Maria. His greying hair doesn’t look as attractive on him as it does on others I’ve seen. He always looks miserable. Sometimes I tell myself he is only that grumpy because he will never have me. It passes my time in this room when I’m not allowed to have my sketchpad up here, I get bored and make up stories in my head.

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