Mia’s heart thumped with bewilderment and pity. What had Aldo done to the other girl? “Okay, how old are you?”
“Twenty-one.”
Perhaps, but she looked younger. “Your birthday?” Mia asked with a sinking sensation, unsurprised that the other Mia’s answer was the same as hers.
“February second.”
“Tell Mia your parents’ name, Spare.”
The girl jumped slightly at the sound of her new moniker, but immediately obeyed. “Vadim Kasilli and Olga Kasilli. My stepmother was Stefania Peretti, but she died a deservedly painful death after she helped me run away from my master.”
Mia gasped, once more turning to Aldo. “Did you kill Stefania?”
He snorted. “No, but at least her disease made her die in terrible pain. After forcing me to promise to leave you alone and hiding you from me for so long, it was what she deserved.” With a dismissive shrug, he said, “Don’t get me wrong. I would’ve loved to have smothered her with a pillow, but I couldn’t get rid of her without enraging my grandfather. The bitch got too sick to speak and died without breaking, but your father tracked you down for me even before she croaked.”
Mia closed her eyes, taking a moment to absorb the newest round of betrayal from her father, and to mourn the woman who had been like a mother to her. When she opened her eyes again, she felt a little stronger and hoped it meant the sedative was fading. “So, why’d you wait so long, Aldo? You’ve known where I was for a while now.”
He grinned, but it held no amusement. “I do like to delay gratification. It enhances the pleasure when I finally yield to my desires. I was simply playing with myself, Mia, tempting myself with you and seeing how long I could hold out. When Spare fell into my lap, it was a perfect way to ease my more demanding urges while still denying myself until the moment of ultimate pleasure.”
“How did she ‘fall into your lap’?”
He yawned. “I saw her one day in the museum. Her high school was there for a field trip, I suppose, and I had stopped to admire the Balthus collection again.” With a sigh, he glanced at a reprint dominating one wall of the small dining room. “There is no substitute for the beauty of the original Guitar Lesson.”
She grimaced at the painting, having seen it many times in his room when she had been forced to live in the same household with her disturbed stepbrother. “It’s funny how one pedophile attracts another.”
Aldo glared. “Don’t be crass, dear sister. He was a gifted artist and a true genius with the female form.”
Having heard his praise of the artist before, which had led her to learn more about him, she countered, “He was a sick man who enjoyed painting little girls. And probably touching them, too.” Sneering at the picture he so treasured, she sniffed. “And I’m not your sister.”
“Oh, Mia—”
“Yes, master.”
Aldo blinked for a second at the interruption before backhanding the other girl. She flew from her seat with a small cry and landed hard against the stone floor. “Spare. Your name is Spare. You will no longer answer to Mia. Do not forget yourself again.”
Spare curled on the ground, hand pressed to her cheek, and gave him a look of complete adoration. “I’m sorry to fail you, master.”
Mia nearly lost her battle with the nausea she’d been fighting at the display. “What’s wrong with you, Aldo? How can you do that to her? Is she even an adult?”
He looked unconcerned. “She was in high school when I collected her, and I’ve had her for three years, so probably.” With another shrug, he added, “It doesn’t matter. Soon enough, she’ll be unnecessary.”
She shook her head, sickened. “What does that mean? Will you let her go home?”
His look answered volumes more than his simple, “No.”
“I hope Selena is happy with her blood money.” She pressed her hands into fists as rage swelled inside her. Knowing Selena had been a victim didn’t excuse her for turning into a predator—or assisting one.
His laugh was full of genuine amusement that was even more chilling. “That fat little maid is dead. I don’t believe in loose ends.”
She stared at him impassively, not able to find a shred of compassion for the woman who had brought her back to Aldo because of sins her father had committed. “What happens now, Aldo? Will you be playing your waiting game?”
He smirked. “No, I discovered I waited too late.”
Mia didn’t expect it, so his vicious right hook slamming into her cheek caught her by surprise. Pain exploded behind her eye, and she whimpered as her chair rocked back, but didn’t spill her onto the floor.
His suave exterior was gone, replaced by the cold reptile within. “I discovered waiting deprived me of my property and the one treat I had waited years to enjoy.”
Her ear was ringing and she had a hard time concentrating on his tirade. “What?”
