“Let me tell you a secret, Mia.” He fisted her hair and dragged her head back so her ear was near his mouth. “I wouldn’t care if you were my biological sister. It would make it that much hotter, and I would have done this years ago. I wouldn’t have been able to stand not marking my property if you had the same last name as me.”
Hot tears blurred her vision. “You’re even worse than I thought you were. I’m going to kill you, Aldo.”
It was a solemn vow she made more to herself than to him. She would kill him.
“Only one of us will survive this relationship, I’m sure, Mia, but it won’t be you. I’m going to fuck you until you’re broken, and when I’m tired of you, I’ll get rid of you.”
She bit back a sob.
“You could have been my wife and stood at my side when I deposed that doddering old fool Sal. It won’t be long now before Gio does his part with the cartel and my plans come to fruition. He’ll soon be dead, and I’ll be the don. You would have commanded respect as my wife. My queen, if you will.”
If she’d been able to speak, she would have openly mocked him. Pain made it impossible to gather her thoughts or conquer the ability to verbalize at the moment.
“I would have honored you as the mother of my children and shown you due reverence. Instead, you ran away from that gift, and then you spoiled yourself with that Irish filth. You were once worthy to be at my side, but now you’ll find your proper place under my foot, and then in the ground. You have a lot to make up for, Mia. You owe me, and I’m going to collect the debt with interest.”
His words eerily mirrored what Shane had said to her that first night he’d kidnapped her, but the terror Aldo’s words inspired was so much worse than she’d felt with him. Even at his worst, she had never felt as fearful of Shane as she did Aldo. Knowing how sweet Shane could be to temper his dark side made her ache with longing for him.
Even knowing she was would be making it worse for herself, she spun herself around, angling her elbow to hit Aldo in the face. “You’ll never be the man Shane is and I will always choose him over you.”
She scurried away when he fell over with a shout, clutching his nose.
“You fucking bitch!” She tried to run, but he caught her before she even got off the bed.
And then the beating began for real.
Aldo was in a rage, not caring what damage he did as he hit her over and over. There was nothing she could do to protect herself from the pain. He was stronger and bigger and more enraged than she would’ve thought possible.
She fought not to lose consciousness, knowing he’d kill her if she did. But it was a losing battle.
At some point she must have started hallucinating, because she swore she saw a small cadre of dark-suited men burst into the room as Aldo brought his fist back for one last punch. They weren’t quick enough to stop him from hitting her hard enough that her head cracked against the bedroom wall.
Stars exploded behind her eyes and she slipped into darkness gratefully, hoping she would never wake up if this was her fate.
21
Sofia was a tiny little woman with a head full of white hair and dark eyes that appeared to catch everything. “More tea, Mr. O’Mara?”
He shook his head as he handed back his bone china cup to the woman. She must have been in her early fifties, but there was an air of fragility about her that made her seem older. Instinctively, he had treated her gently and with full respect, somehow biting back his impatience at her insistence on social niceties as he pried delicately to determine if she knew her nephew’s whereabouts. “No, thank you. As I mentioned when you first agreed to see me, I need to find Aldo. It’s urgent.”
“Yes, you said.” She folded her hands together on her lap and examined him. “What is your business with my dear nephew?”
He cleared his throat, trying to find an honest answer that wasn’t too honest. “I need his help to find my girlfriend.”
“Have you misplaced her, dear?” she asked with a twinkle of her dark eyes.
He bit back a sigh. “No, she was kidnapped. I think Aldo might have the contacts to help me find her.”
“Oh.” She frowned. “How distressing. I lost a lover once. Papa didn’t approve of him, so…” With a slicing motion that was incongruous with her elderly lady appearance, she took her finger across her throat. “I was upset then, but now I understand it was the right choice.” She sipped her tea. “He was never meant to be mine, you see.”
“Ah, that must have been difficult.” Shane strove for patience. “Do you have any idea where Aldo might be?”
“Who is your girlfriend, dear?”
He hesitated but remembering how fond Mia had been of Stefania and probably was of Sofia, he said, “Mia Kasilli, Aldo’s stepsister.” It left a foul taste in his mouth to utter the word, but he struggled to hide his disgust. Surely, the older woman would be more eager to help now.
She dropped her teacup onto the saucer with a clatter. “Little Mia?” Sofia scowled. “I had no idea she had disappeared. No one tells me anything.”
“It just happened, so perhaps Vadim and Aldo haven’t heard yet.”
