Finding Beauty in the Darkness

“I’ll call him and ask him myself.” I grab my phone from my back pocket, but it rings once and goes to voicemail. I try again and it does it again. “Fine. If that’s what he wants, then I’ll do it.” I leave the kitchen to go get ready and send Gio numerous texts, asking him why he would do this, but he doesn’t answer a single one.

Once I’m dressed and ready to go, I try to call Gio one last time, getting the same voicemail. “Hey Gio, it’s me. I’m about to entertain a new guest for you. Cecilia said you asked me to do it as a favor, but I don’t get it. I know we haven’t made anything official, but you asked me to quit working here. I just don’t understand. Okay, well, call me when you get this, please.”

I tuck my phone into my pocket in case Gio calls or texts and head downstairs to greet Stanley. Normally Edgardo tells us where to go, but when I get down there, Cecilia is waiting. “Room one, Aria.” She gives me a tight-lipped smile and I nod and head down the hallway.

I knock once before opening the door. At first, I don’t see anyone, so I walk farther into the room. The door slams closed behind me and when I turn around, I’m face-to-face with the man who has haunted me every night in my sleep.

“Help!” I scream out, hoping somebody will hear me. “Heeeellllpppp!” I scream again. Before I can scream for a third time, Weston’s hand comes down and hits me across my face. I try to run—where? I’m not sure—but he catches me and throws me onto the ground like I’m a ragdoll. The back of my head hits the marble floor and the room begins to spin. I will myself to fight. I kick and punch and at one point, I feel myself bite him, the metallic taste of his blood coating my tongue and lips. But he fights back harder. His hands grab mine, pinning them above my head, and I take the opportunity to scream again as loud as possible until Weston shoves a piece of material into my mouth, gagging me.

“Shut the fuck up, you slutty piece of trash.”

I try to kick, but his heavy legs are pinning mine down. His hand comes down to my breast and he violently grabs it, tweaking my nipple until I silently scream out. My vision goes blurry as my eyes bleed with pain. His hand goes to my silk shorts and he shoves his fingers into my panties.

Just as his fingers find my sex, light fills the room. The door swings open and Weston flies off me and into the wall. I scramble back, removing the material from my mouth and watching as Edgardo beats Weston into a bloody pulp. He punches him repeatedly in the face, never letting up. At some point, Rome and Caesar run in and pull Edgardo off Weston. He’s not even moving anymore. If Weston isn’t dead, he’s damn close to it.

“Come on, Aria. Let’s get you up to your room.” Rome lifts me into his arms, bridal style, and carries me into my room, laying me on the bed. I don’t let go of him, not wanting to be alone. My body is freezing and I’m pretty sure I’m going into shock. “I don’t know what happened, but I promise you we will get to the bottom of this.” Rome sits on the bed next to me, petting my hair gently. My eyes begin to close, the adrenaline wearing down, but they pop back open when images of Weston attacking me come to the front.

Once they start, I can’t stop them. My mind plays like a song on repeat. Him hitting me, attacking me, silencing me, grabbing me, trying to rape me. I don’t know how long these images run on repeat or for how long I’m crying, but suddenly I’m being picked up. I scream, scared I’m being attacked again, but Gio’s soothing voice calms me.

“It’s okay, Ari. It’s me. I got you, baby. I’m so sorry.” He holds me close to his chest, rocking me as one would do a baby. I feel him push a single pill past my lips and I swallow it dry, and in the comfort of Gio’s arms, I allow my body some peace, closing my eyes and letting it all slip away.

Chapter Twenty-Three

GIOVANNI

I was on a flight from New Jersey to Las Vegas with my phone turned off when the texts and phone calls must have started. I was so aggravated from dealing with Sebastian and his bullshit all day, I didn’t text or call Aria once. Sebastian thought he’d be slick and intercept a shipment coming in, thinking we were all on the other side of the country, but what he wasn’t prepared for was me being there to intercept him.