Ryder's Claim (Mafia Heirs 2)

I don't voice my thoughts to the brunette, instead getting up and watching her from a safe distance where her poison can only hurt my heart. I repeat, "What do you want?"

"I want to tell you you've lost." Livia's eyes glitter with dark cruelty. "Ryder will never pick you now. He's gone."

I swallow thickly. Deep down I know she's right, but I refuse to admit it, especially to this bitch who thinks she owns everyone and everything. "Oh, and you think he'll pick you?"

"I'd watch that tongue if I were you." Livia's eyes narrow and she clicks her fingers, making a guard approach. "Don't give her food today. She's being a cunt."

"Yes, Signorina Livia," the guard mutters, shooting me an apologetic look as he leaves again. I gratefully remember the sandwich I hid yesterday, realizing just how mean and vengeful Ryder's ex-fiancée can be. She's determined to destroy me – that much has been obvious since she crashed the wedding. But I'll be damned if I let her get the best of me. Livia has met her match.

Except I'm behind bars and powerless right now – all I can do is listen to her threats and pretend they don't scare me as much as they do.

"You know Ryder and I were meant to be together, don't you?" She stares right at me with a look that could kill. "You were just a pesky little inconvenience on our way to a happy ending. And I'll get rid of you soon enough."

"Then do it," I hiss, surprising myself. "Just have me killed right here and now."

"If only." Livia's words fill me with a strange sense of hope. "For some reason, Ryder and Bruno want to keep you alive... for now. But don't think your death isn't imminent. You and your father are nothing but flies splattered on the windshield, and I'll gladly wipe the glass clean, with your blood if I have to."

Her words intimidate me, but I do my best not to let it show. "Ryder never loved you."

She tenses, her lips thinning into a line as she regards me. "That doesn't mean he won't in the future. I have my ways, little girl. I'm resourceful and much smarter than you'll ever be."

"You keep telling yourself that," I mutter.

"You sure are brave for a little prison bitch." Livia smirks. "Have no doubt about it, I always get my way. You'll be dead soon enough. Nothing but a bloody little memory for Ryder to forget about. It'll be as if you were never even here at all."

"Is there a reason you're here?" I demand next. "Or did you just come down here to torment me?"

"You catch on fast, little girl," Livia laughs at me darkly. "I do so enjoy grinding your gears. I can already see how it's getting to you. You're getting so nervous and defensive. But there's nothing you could do now to change our minds. We all know you're a traitor. A liar. A killer."

"I didn't kill anyone." I run my trembling fingers through my hair. "That wasn't me."

"You allowed it to happen," she shrugs. "An innocent young girl died because of you. You deserve to die for your crimes, and trust me, soon enough I'll get my way and you'll be under the ground."

I turn around and pretend she isn't there. With my back turned to the bars, I do my best not to show my emotions. I don't want Livia to see me crying. I don't want anyone to know just how much this is hurting me. I'll deal with my own problems. For now, my first priority is getting the hell out of this dungeon and explaining everything to Ryder.

He's my sole purpose now. The only reason I'm still breathing. If nothing else, I owe him an explanation, and to say all my feelings were real, I was real. And I truly love him, deeper than I’ve ever loved a person before. Maybe he'll find it in his heart to forgive me some day, though I'm not counting on it. I know he's vengeful just like all men I know are, but maybe I can convince him my intentions were never to hurt anyone.

Livia finally grows tired of throwing insults at my back and leaves in a huff. The moment she's gone, my shoulders sink back down with relief. I sit on the bed feeling deflated. Where do I go from here?

* * *

I've spent another two days in the dungeon without a single visit. My heart is being torn apart thinking of Ryder and how much he must hate me. Every night, I pray he'll come visit me, but he doesn't. But Bruno comes that day, standing by the bars and regarding me with cool indifference while I slowly pick myself up and make my way closer.