“No, you’re not bad.”
He wanted to kill his father. Overthrowing him wouldn’t be easy. Could he do it, even knowing what he did?
She stopped sobbing but he didn’t let her go. While he rested his back against the sofa, she leaned against him, and he stroked her hair that was once again soft. She was so pretty.
Time wore on and neither of them made any move to leave. She didn’t fight him.
“You can’t leave my apartment,” he said.
“What if he visits?”
“I’m always notified when he’s going to arrive.” He had men and women in place who hated his father.
Raphael was a man of two faces. The one he showed the world who was proud to be Giavanni blood, and the other who set about bringing him down. He knew what a corrupt asshole he was, and he’d been working night and day to align himself with people who were loyal to him, not to his father. He’d been careful not to screw up.
Giavanni had ruined enough people to last them a lifetime and Raphael would find a way to bring him down. Now that he knew what he’d done to this young woman, he had no intention of ever letting him live.
“Have you come up with a name yet?” he asked.
She shook her head. “A name. I don’t know if I want a name.”
He laughed. “Why not?”
“Because once you have a name, anyone can tell you what to do. If you don’t have one, then you’re not completely owned.”
He stared into her brown eyes and wanted nothing more than to kiss her.
He didn’t. Kissing her right now wasn’t the time.
He had a father to hunt and kill, and he intended to enjoy every single second of it.
****
Ground rules.
She couldn’t leave his apartment. Nor answer the door. She had to be quiet if someone did knock. If anyone entered the apartment, there was a secret compartment in his closet where she could hide. He’d also given her a cell phone for her to use in case of an emergency.
The fridge was open to her to use at any time. So was the television. She could cook or clean if she liked. There were also books for her to read as well. He’d given her a laptop complete with credit card details if she wanted anything.
So long as she didn’t call attention to herself, she was fine.
There was only one tiny problem. She couldn’t read or write. They were skills she’d watched other women have, but she’d never been allowed to practice. She tried. When she was sent to clean the library, she’d find a couple of quiet moments to open a book and scan the pages, but that was all she ever had time for.
Nothing else.
Words were something she craved but could never have. Staring at the open laptop, she didn’t know what to type, and so she closed it and moved toward his small collection of books. They looked neat, tidy, even. Running her fingers across the back of the spines, she smiled. They had words.
Pretty words, she hoped.
Picking one of the books up, she flicked it open and scanned the pages.
Nothing.
Closing the book, she placed it back on the shelf. She sat down on his large sofa and looked toward the window.
The outside world?
She took her time, stepping up to the window. At first, she peered around the curtain, afraid of someone catching her. At first, there was nothing to see, just other buildings. Getting a little more confident, she looked down below and saw cars, activity. People walking on the streets, and she smiled. They were all free. Free to live their lives.
What would it be like to know what words actually meant, to pick up a pen? To have a life? Would she ever be a mother?
She put a hand to her stomach.
Giavanni had never allowed himself to take her cherry. It was what he’d called it. She knew she was a virgin. The guards were ordered to stay away from her. From time to time, others would attempt to steal what belonged to her, but they would get punished. Raphael, in some strange way, was always coming to her rescue. Thinking about Raphael made her feel a little nervous and guilty as she’d lied to him, but that was what she’d been trained to do.
“You’re Giavanni property. Everything you are belongs to Romeo and that is exactly who I am when I’m here. I’m Giavanni and you’re nothing but useless.”
He couldn’t hurt her anymore, not here. She pushed the past fear away. Did Raphael believe it was his father who hurt her? With his questions, she got confused. She was always told that she belonged to Romeo and even if he didn’t actually hurt her, or even know everything that happened, she didn’t know if she could tell Raphael the truth.