Page 108 of Lies like Rubies, Part Two (Savage Jewels)

“I need a shower. Would someone please order breakfast?” I didn’t want to walk away from the planning, but if I were going to put on a confident front later, I needed time alone to pull myself together.

“Go,” my father said, smiling at me through tired eyes. “You’ve earned the right to walk across that stage, and I’m not going to let that fucker take that away from you.”

I didn’t tell him I didn’t give a fuck about the graduation ceremony. I didn’t tell him that I hated the idea of pulling resources away from the hunt for Mamma and Lizzie to protect our family at the college. I didn’t even remind him how against my education he’d been in the first place. Instead, I kissed him gently, then walked upstairs to the guest room we’d appropriated.

Dante followedme up the stairs. The minute we were alone, he slipped his hand into my pocket and grabbed my phone, unlocking it with a swipe of his thumb.

Instead of protesting, I waited silently as he scrolled through my calls and text messages. He wouldn’t find anything. Did he think I’d learned nothing as the daughter of a vicious mafioso? I stood there, my back ramrod straight and proud. Time and time again, the world had shown me that the only person I could rely on to take care of my daughter was myself. And whether he liked it or not, I was going to do exactly that.

He shoved me against the wall, staring at me before wrapping his tattooed fingers around my throat. “What are you hiding from me, slut?” He tightened his grip, just enough that I had to work to breathe.

“What?” I asked, widening my eyes.

“Don’t,” he snapped. “Don’t play those fucking manipulative games with me, Sofia.”

I darted my tongue out to lick my lips.

“Dante,” I breathed. “Sir.”

He leaned in, resting his other hand against the wall as he slowly cut off my breath. Shit.Shit.Stars danced in my vision before he abruptly released me, letting me sag against the wall. “Don’t fucking lie to me, Sofia.”

I hated that he was using my name, I hated that I’d hurt him and would hurt him again soon, I only had two hours—an hour and fifty minutes—left with him. But I’d told him once that I’d do anything for Lizzie, and I’d meant it.

Nick and Lorenzo slipped into the room, but Dante didn’t move, his fingers tightening enough to leave bruises. Istruggled to breathe, shocked to find my stomach fluttering, need rising again, despite the horror of our situation. Did they suspect something? It didn’t matter. They wouldn’t stop me. They wouldn’t be able to.

“I need to get ready,” I managed to whisper.

He released me. “Kneel.”

Trembling, then shaking, clenching my fists so he wouldn’t see the emotions pouring through me like water over rocky rapids, I sank to my knees.

“Dante—” Nick interrupted.

“Shut the fuck up,” Dante snapped. “This bitch is playing games, and I don’t like it. Crawl to the bed, Sofia.”

I hated that I wanted him to call me a slut, degrade me, take his pleasure from me. Even more, I hated that he wouldn’t.

“Up,” he snapped. “Lay on your back.” I settled backward on the bed, terrified of the monster I’d unleashed.

He pulled a brutal looking knife from a sheath at his waist. I froze. This was not like the games we’d previously played. “Dante,” I hissed.

“That’s Lord and Master to you, you lying bitch. What are you planning?”

He’d stop me. God, he’d stop me, and I couldn’t let that happen. “Nothing, sir. I swear.”

He gripped the collar of my tank top and sliced through it, cutting through the sports bra beneath, then did the same for my leggings and panties, leaving my chest and pussy bared to him. Twisting his lips, as if frustrated, he sliced up my leggings some more, baring my pelvis and my hip bones.

“Who do you belong to?” he asked. His eyes were so dark they were black in the soft light of dawn. Lorenzo and Nick stood on either side of the bed, staring down at me, their gazes just as intense.

“What are you planning, Sofia?” Nick asked, his voice raspy, as if his heart were breaking as I lay there, half naked, displayed to these men.

Dante ran a finger from my chin to my pussy, my muscles clenching as he traced a fiery path down my skin. “Nothing,” I gasped.

“Who do you belong to, Sofia?” Dante asked again.

Terror streaked through me. This hard and implacable creature standing above me had more in common with the furious and demeaning man who’d invaded my apartment six weeks ago than the demanding dominant I’d given my heart to.

“Y-y-you,” I stuttered. “All three of you.”

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