The problem was that he had firsthand knowledge of the devastation that that kind of life left a person in. Nothing more than a husk of who they could have been.
He just couldn’t walk away from that.
He couldn’t save them all, but he could save her.
It’s why he had sent Rosita in.
Rosita had been with the Mancini family in one way or another for many years. Presently she was working as a maid and cook for Dominic.
The woman liked to think of herself as a self-designated mom to all of them. She had been down in Mexico visiting family for a few months, but when he had needed her, she had jumped in to help.
It had been the perfect way to get an inside look at exactly what he was heading into.
After just a couple of reports from Rosita, he knew that there was no way that he could step away. If he didn’t act, the girl was going to end up being dead in a ditch somewhere.
Ernesto was playing a game with her.
Like prey and the hunter.
It was sick.
“Ahh there she is,” Ernesto called as he stood and first a guard, followed by Rosita entered the room. Behind them was the tiniest woman he had ever seen.
She was short, her tiny body so small that he feared she would crack in two instantly. Her bones stuck out sharply. And even with makeup on, dark circles were evident under her eyes.
He’s been starving her,he thought, remembering an incident in one of Rosita’s reports.
The girl had been hungry and had snuck down to get an apple. Ernesto had found her eating it and had dragged her downstairs, calling out all the staff to watch, as he whipped her.
His gut rolled with the thought of this beautiful little bird in any pain.
“My fiancé,” Ernesto said as he wrapped his fingers around her arm and dragged her to his side.
Mark watched as her eyes shut down, a blankness entering them as Ernesto leaned down and licked a path up her neck. She didn’t move, didn’t utter a sound, and he knew then that she wasn’t really here. She had escaped into the only reality she could.
Far into her head.
A broken little bird.
“You smell like oranges,” Ernesto said pensively.
He tensed as Ernesto’s hand reached up quickly, fisting her hair and whipping her head back. She cried out as fear filled her eyes. It took everything he had in him, to stay still and not react. He had to get her farther away from Ernesto and the guards before he could do anything.
“Have you been eating without my permission again?” Ernesto asked calmly, the direct opposite of the menace pouring off him.
“Sir. I brought a new perfume for her.” Rosita called, standing behind them, her eyes nervously bouncing from him and back to Ernesto.
“Hmm. We will talk on this later.” Ernesto threw his arm out shoving her away from him, sending her sprawling across the floor, her white, blond hair spilling from its decorative knot on top of her head.
Rosita met his eyes and with a slight nod, she ducked down, laying over the girl on the floor in the same instant that he pulled his gun.
Two shots and the guards in the doorway were dead on the floor, another two and the security cameras were out, all before Ernesto even realized what was happening.
Ernesto screamed, a high-pitched sound that in any other situation, would have been humorous. Mark calmly walked over to the man, who was looking around shocked.
Stupid fucker doesn’t even carry a gun.
Mark grabbed Ernesto’s hair and kicked his legs out from under him. His knees made a sickening crack when they hit the tile and Ernesto gasped in pain.
