“When did we get on the topic of souls?” I ask, my head spinning as I try to keep up with her line of conversation.
Again, those pearly whites flash at me. “When I realized I wanted to help you.”
“You already helped me,” I tell her, referring to our last talk.
She laughs, pushing off the wall and coming closer to me. “You smoke, I talk,” she says, placing the cigar between my fingers as she presses her body up against mine. Involuntarily, heat flashes through my body and I don’t like it.
I take a step back.
Lucia waves a hand at me. “Don’t you worry, Winter. I want to fuck your mind, not your body. Now, like I said, smoke.”
I bring the cigar to my lips, listening to her as my heart starts to jackhammer in my chest. “As we discussed the other day, my cousin wants something from you. I’m not sure what it is, but I know he didn’t steal you to let you flaunt around this club in your pretty little outfits.”
It’s not the first time I’ve heard the sentiment or even thought about it. I’m not stupid enough to delude myself into thinking this is what I’m going to be doing for the rest of the year. Giovanni has something planned.
“I don’t think he’s going to kill you, at least not initially,” she muses. “He’s definitely going to toy with you, play with you, but you need to show him that you’re not the one to mess with. You need to take your power back.”
I blink. “I’ve never had power.”
She stops walking, turning to look at me. “We were all born with power, Winter. You just lost yours along the way, no, you let someone take it.” She rectifies. “Before you got here, someone had already broken you.” I don’t deny or confirm her suspicions. “My cousin decided he wants to crush those leftover pieces to smithereens.”
“But to make it this far, you had to have some fight in you somewhere. Otherwise, you’d be dead. You need to find that fight again.” She steps up in front of me. “My cousin will brutalize you if you’re too strong, but if you start showing little bits of fight, he’ll start to waver, start to hold more respect and concern for you.”
I bite my lip. “Why are you so intent on helping me? Isn’t this a betrayal to the family?”
She lets out a scoff. “I told you, I’m a Costa, but I’m also an independent woman. Because if you haven’t noticed, I have a vagina between my legs instead of a cock, and in this world, that means you’ll never be an equal, not willingly at least.” A dark look flashes in her eyes before her jaw grits.
“Things are going to get worse for you soon. As soon as the hit on your head is gone, my cousin is going to redirect to his original intentions for you. So, you need to act now.”
“And how do I act now?” I ask her.
“Well, for starters, you need to lean into the life, the chaos, the darkness. I know what happened with you and Maximo, as well as what happened with you and Giovanni.”
I press my lips together, not offering her a response.
“It’s okay, I’m not one to judge who someone’s sexually attracted to.” Her gaze wanders over me. “And I think it’s a good thing for you. You know why?”
“Why?”
“Because sex rules the world, buttercup. As long as you use it correctly, you’ll have people eating out of your hand, doing exactly what you want them to do, including Giovanni.”
I study her, licking my dry lips. “I… you seem to have a vendetta against Giovanni.”
Her eyes narrow. “I wouldn’t call it a vendetta, let’s just say that sometimes he forgets he isn’t the only calculated person in this family.”
She keeps her words simple, but I don’t miss the spite in her tone. It’s like she wants revenge on Giovanni, and she plans on using me to get it.
And I can’t say that the idea doesn’t interest me.
I pull the cigar to my lips, taking a drag. Her eyes sparkle as she watches me.
I nod my head, “Okay. Tell me more.”