Page 8 of Traitor
“Give me these,” he grunted.
“No, please,” I said through my sobs.
He cracked his hand against my ass cheek. “Begging won’t save you now, you stupid bitch. Should’ve known your place from the get-go.”
I felt him slip my heels off my feet as he walked me back over to the doorway. The darkness that opened up beyond it scared the fuck out of me, but not nearly as much as the idea of spending one more second with Lorenzo’s hands on me. He placed me down onto my feet before placing his nose against my neck, sniffing deeply as my skin crawled with disgust.
Then, his lips found my ear. “I’ve got many people ready to pay a pretty penny for you because of the shit your mother’s done. And I can’t wait to make bank on your head.”
He shoved me down the concrete stairs and I tumbled into the darkness, lifeless and helpless to the pain that coursed through my body. My body twisted and contorted itself as I splashed into a puddle at the bottom of the steps with a stinging sensation working its way all across my body. I didn’t know which way was up. I wasn’t sure if I’d ever see tomorrow.
But, when I heard something crashing down the stairs, I scurried out of the way.
Until I smelled peanut butter and jelly wafting up my nose.
“Have fun eating what the snakes don’t get!” Lorenzo yelled down at me.
And as he slammed the door closed, I moved as quickly as I could to gather up the food.
I shoved it all in my mouth and chewed, ignoring the gritty feeling of the dirt from the ground I had retrieved it from. The smell of bog water was heavy against my tongue, as weird as that sounds, and I felt myself gagging. I forced it down, though. I forced the calories down, and with every bite I took I felt myself growing a little bit stronger.
Give him the same offer you gave Teo. Maybe he’ll let you work for him.
It was worth a shot, anyway.
After all, I was a very gifted lawyer, and I knew I could get Lorenzo out of any trouble he’d gotten himself into if he only gave me a shot. And with some of the knowledge I had regarding Teo’s inner workings of his own empire, I could leverage that information to get me into a more comfortable room. My hands worked their way around the puddle, picking up the scraps of food he threw down to me. And with every weary bite I took, a plan slowly formed in my mind.
Giving me the strength I needed to look ahead.
After standing to my feet and brushing myself off, I made my boldest move yet. I walked right up those stairs and started knocking on the metal grate. I knocked and I knocked, waiting for someone to open the door just beyond it. And after knocking for what felt like hours, the door finally whipped open.
Revealing Lorenzo’s pissed-off face.
“What?” he asked.
I clasped my hands behind my back. “I wanted to ask you a question, if that’s all right.”
He looked perturbed. “Make it quick. I’m on a call.”
“I think I might be able to help you out with some of your troubles.”
He blinked. “What kind of troubles?”
I shrugged. “The kind of troubles men like yourself and Teo get themselves into. I’m a very gifted lawyer, and I have information on the inner workings of Teo’s business that I’d be more than willing to hand over, for a price.”
His eyes fell down my body. “And what price is that?”
Perfect. You have him right where you want him.“A room, for starters. Doesn’t have to be a nice one, just one with a bed and a place to shower. And, three meals a day. Preferably with you, so we always have a set time where we can talk shop and I can keep you updated on things.”
He snickered. “And if I don’t take you up on your offer?”
I shrugged. “All the information I have at my disposal will go to whoever you sell me off to.”
He chuckled. “It’s cute that you think I don’t already have a lawyer working for me.”
“But, are they better than me? Because let’s face it, I’m pretty much the best at what I do.”
“Are you sure about that?”
