Page 14 of Ruthless Sinner
I hear what she says, but I’m not listening. The blood in my veins threatens to boil over. I am consumed by a seething rage that I am barely able to contain.
Enzo, who has been standing quietly in the corner since Tommaso left, clears his throat. “Dante, do you want to go for a walk?”
His voice cuts through my anger and gives me something else to focus on. “Yes, with Adalina,” I nod my head toward her. “You should see where you’re staying.”
A spark of surprise ignites her features, causing her face to light up in response. With a swift motion, she rises to her feet and gives a nod of acknowledgment. “Thank you. I appreciate that.”
I could never do to a woman what Adalina tells me her father has done to her. Maybe it doesn’t make me cruel enough. Maybe it doesn’t make me worthy of running the family. But I can take out my frustrations on a man like Tommaso does on his daughter. And maybe one day, I’ll have the opportunity to take them out on Tommaso Martinelli myself.
Chapter 14
Adalina
Before we leave the house, Dante escorts me to my room to retrieve a pair of shoes. Then, I follow him down a long hallway adorned with ornate tapestries and intricate paintings as we make our way to his room. The walls are painted a deep shade of green, with gold trim and accents scattered throughout. A plush rug covers most of the hardwood floor, and a chandelier hangs from the ceiling, casting a warm glow over the room.
I vaguely remember being in this room last night, though everything seems like a dream now. The large windows that overlooked the property are now draped with heavy curtains, blocking out any hint of sunlight. But I can still recall the breathtaking view from the window. As I glance over at Dante’s bed, I am reminded of its softness and comfort.
“Let me see your wrists.” Dante jars me from my memories.
I look down to see him holding a pair of handcuffs. “Is that necessary?”
He pretends to think about it for a second before nodding. “Yes, of course it is. You seem like the kind of woman that would hit me over the head with a brick and make a run for it.”
I guess, in the grand scheme of things, he isn’t wrong. “I don’t know where you think I’d go. Back home? You heard my father,” I roll my eyes. “He says I’m going to die a whore’s death.”
Dante’s rough hands move with precision as he expertly affixes each handcuff to my wrists—the cold metal presses against my skin, sending shivers down my spine. There is a faint clicking sound as each cuff locks into place, sealing my fate. A sense of dread and excitement washes over me, knowing I am completely at Dante’s mercy.
“Yeah, I don’t know what that means, but I’d rather be safe than sorry. Besides, these won’t deter you from hitting me with a tree branch or something. It’ll just make it harder and give me a better chance of thwarting your plans.”
“So you’re inconveniencing a little girl because you’re afraid she might kick your ass?” I tease.
He cinches the metal cuffs around my wrists with a sharp tug, the unforgiving edges digging into my skin. The pressure intensifies until I am acutely aware of every small movement and every breath, as if time has slowed down and each second is drawn out in excruciating detail. “Absolutely. I’m no fool, Adalina. I suspect you think I am, and you’re probably plotting something in that pretty little head of yours, but I’m smarter than you think.”
My mouth snaps shut, the retort I was about to deliver dying on my tongue as he leads me back down the stairs. My mind frantically searches for a clever comeback, but I come up empty-handed.
“Enzo will be around if, for some reason, you get the jump on me,” Dante explains as he pushes me through the front door. “And if you manage to escape him, there’s a camera system on the grounds that’ll track your every movement, and the fence around the perimeter is ten feet high. It’ll be tough to break out, but if you make it, I’ll probably let you go. However, I don’t recommend trying.”
His words hang heavily in the air, dripping with an implied threat that I can’t quite decipher. “Why am I even on this stupid walk?” I groan.
Dante releases me as we linger near the gardens. “Because I want to get to know you, Adalina. I’d hate for us to be long-term roommates and for me to effectively know nothing about you.”
“You already know enough about me,” I reply between gritted teeth. “You know about my father. What else is there?”
A low, gentle chuckle escapes his lips as he crouches down, his eyes lingering over the vibrant rose bushes that line the garden. His fingers delicately graze the smooth petals and sturdy stem before swiftly plucking one from the bush. He turns on the ball of his foot to show it to me; the white rose glistening in the afternoon sun. “I think you’re like this rose,” he begins. With careful precision, Dante delicately peels off each layer of the rose, revealing the soft, velvety petals underneath. “There are all these outside layers that the world sees. They’re big and bold and do a good job hiding your interior.”
Slowly, petal by petal, he strips the rose. “But then there’s who you are inside. And make no mistake, there is a deeply hidden part of you, Adalina. I can tell by the way you use jokes and sarcasm as a defense mechanism. You are not just an abuse victim or your father’s daughter or even some piece of eye candy that men like me trip heels over heads for. There is someone deep down with hopes and dreams and longings and desires. You want adventure and fulfillment; you want more than the life you’ve been forced into. That’s the woman I want to know.”
I reach down to grab what’s left of the rose, holding the tightly wrapped bud in my hands. There are a few petals remaining, the ones that haven’t unfurled because the flower was picked too soon. I crush it in my hand and drop it to the ground before digging the toe of my shoe into it. “You can’t fool me with your cheap words and charming smiles, Dante. I haven’t forgotten what my father said back in the dining room. You can talk about wanting to know me all day and night and make as many pretty metaphors as you want, but I haven’t forgotten you’re engaged. So do us both a favor and stop trying to win me over with your speeches. I’m a prisoner, and your captive to do with as you will. You don’t have to flatter me to get what you want. Just take it.”
Dante’s smile stays, but it pulls a little tighter. “So much for stabbing at vulnerability,” he says with a tense chuckle. “If this is the game you want to play, I’m not opposed.” With no warning, he grabs me by the ankles and yanks hard. I fall onto my back with a thud that knocks the breath out of me. “But when I play games, I don’t play fair. And I don’t let others make the rules.”
Dante crawls on his hands and knees on the grass until he’s hovering above me. I squint against the bright sun behind him as he grabs the thin chain between the handcuffs and hauls them over my head. “Now, be a good little girl and take Daddy’s cock before I really get mad.”
Chapter 15
Dante
The little minx spits in my face. She’s certainly her father’s daughter.