Page 131 of Poison and Wine
As I rubbed my mouth against my shoulder, Carmine sneered at me. “Even after three years in the order, I see you’re still a petulant cunt,” he hissed.
Despite being scared out of my mind, I had to be strong. I couldn’t fall apart. It wasn’t just about protecting me. I had to think of my baby. “What do you want with me?” I demanded.
A maniacal gleam burned in his eyes. “Silly bitch, the same thing I wanted from you three years ago.”
I swallowed hard. “Just like then, you can’t have me.”
“Is that right?”
“In case you missed it, I’m married,” I countered.
“Yes, I heard of your wedding to that mick bastard, Kavanaugh.”
I bit my tongue to keep from lashing out at him insulting Callum. “If you were aware of my marriage, then why would you kidnap and try to marry me?”
“Because I’m a man who gets what he fucking wants.”
Shaking my head, I argued, “Callum and I were married by a priest, and the marriage was consummated.”
Carmine backhanded me so hard his ring cut into my cheek, scraping along the flesh. Tears blinded my eyes at the pain. Blood dripped from my face onto my lap. Pinching my eyes shut, I counted my breaths and tried to keep myself from going over the edge.
“Do not remind me that you’re no longer pure. The fact you’d spread your legs for that piece of shit almost made me reconsider taking you for a wife. It’s only for the alliance with your father that I was willing to overlook it.
As I popped open my eyes, I stared at him in disbelief. Could he be possibly be this deluded. “What are you even talking about? My father’s regime is dying. Everyone knows the true power of the Neretti family lies with Rafe.”
Carmine tilted his head at me. “Oh, aren’t you the smart one? Let me tell you something. You don’t know shit.”
“I know that the Kavanaugh’s are stronger than they’ve ever been, not just in Boston, but on the East Coast. Part of their strength comes from being aligned with Rafe.”
“Don’t worry. Your cunt of a brother is going to get what’s coming to him. There’s still enough loyal men to take him out along with Leandro and Gianni. It’s Step Two of my plan.”
Fear gripped me at the thought of any harm coming to my brothers, but I quickly masked it. “It will never happen.”
That statement earned me another gash to my cheek. Once my eyes finished watering, Carmine grabbed me by the shoulders and sneered into my face. “I’m going to enjoy shutting your smart ass mouth by filling it with my cock.”
Glaring up at him, I shouted, “You try it, and you’ll end up maimed so badly you’ll never be able to use it again!”
After reaching into his suit pocket, Carmine produced a gun. Once he released the safety, he pressed the gleaming metal into my temple. “You can choose to suck my cock, or I can blow your pretty brains all over the floor.”
Before I could open my mouth to protest, a voice stunned me to silence. “You will not speak that way to my daughter, Carmine.”
Just like with Carmine, it had been three years since I’d heard that voice. All my life I had feared it. As a child, I’d run from it. The mere sound sent me burrowing under my bed or locking myself into my room. There had never been a single time in my life when it had possessed kindness or love.
When I’d entered the Sacred Heart, I’d hoped I’d never hear it again. After he’d been behind the hit on Callum’s life, I prayed I’d never hear it again. But here it was.
As my gaze bounced around the shadowy areas of the warehouse searching for him, Carmine growled, “With all due respect, Alessio, she threatened to bite my cock off.”
When he stepped into the light, a cruel smile curved on my father’s lips. “Ciao, mi ragazza vivace.”
“Don’t you dare call me your spirited girl!” I spat.
“It’s the truth, isn’t it?” he questioned as he moved in front of me. Instead of replying, I merely glared at him. His eyes narrowed on my face. “Is this your handiwork, or did the soldiers do this?” he questioned Carmine.
“It’s mine,” he hissed in reply.
“I took you for a smarter man.” He tore his gaze from mine over to Carmine. “Only an uomo pazzo would marr what was valuable to him.”
Satisfaction flooded me at Carmine squirming under my father’s remark. “My apologies, Alessio.”