Page 47 of Ruthless Sinner
“She’ll kill him,” Enzo’s eyes roll lazily as he lets out a loud yawn, his body slouching in an uninterested manner.
Luciano’s fingers curl and uncurl, the knuckles on each hand making a loud popping sound as they move. “No, she won’t.”
I wouldn’t put it past her. She has so much built-up rage toward her father. If I were the betting type, I’d wager a fortune on Adalina. “If we gave her a baseball bat or a gun or something, I bet she would.”
“Yeah, but anyone could kill a guy with a bat,” Luc rolls his eyes.
As we discuss the possible outcomes, Adalina’s energy wanes. Her cast is covered in blood, but I’m pretty sure it’s Tommaso’s, not her own. Her breaths come in thick, heavy bursts, and each blow becomes slower than the last.
“Alright,” I nod toward Sal, “pull her off.”
Salvatore gleefully inserts himself into the fray to grab Adalina around the waist and pick her up. She fights for a second, startled by the intrusion, then realizes who it is and goes slack. “I wasn’t done,” she replies, her voice cracking from the dry air and exertion.
“You’re done,” I tell her, “at least for now. Christ, we’ll have to have Silas look at your wrist.”
Her eyes linger on the cast as Salvatore gently lowers her to the ground. The edges, once crisp and clean, are now frayed and discolored by blood. “It’s fine. My wrist feels fine.”
I grab her arm, and she winces; I don’t believe she’s fine. “Right,” I reply skeptically, “it’s fine.”
Adalina’s face twists into an angry scowl as she jerks her arm out of my grasp. Her eyes narrow and flash with frustration. “Don’t touch me.”
Dealing with her is like playing a game with a rattlesnake. Every move you make must be calculated and precise, with the right equipment and antidote at the ready. But even then, one wrong move or moment of inattention, and she’ll strike, sinking her fangs deep into your flesh, injecting her poison into your veins. And yet, despite the danger, I can’t help but be drawn to her beauty and complexity. It’s a dangerous love, but one I can’t resist.
“How about you rest for a second,” I glare at her, “and let us get in our blows. We’ve got a bone to pick with Tommaso, too.”
She takes a few steps back, leaning against the wall and mumbling something indecipherable under her breath before she crosses her arms over his chest.
I turn back to the scene before me to find that Enzo has righted Tommaso in his chair. The man’s once personable features are now marred by a black eye and a crooked nose that oozes blood. A few teeth hang precariously in his jaw as if struggling to stay intact. But the most prominent marks on his body are the purple and blue bruises peppering his skin like a macabre constellation. Frankly, I’m proud of Adalina. With a bit of training and two good wrists, she probably could have inflicted some serious harm on her father.
“Tommaso Martinelli, do you know why you’re here?”
His swollen eyes stare up at me with a mixture of anger and defeat. A tense silence hangs between us for what feels like an eternity, broken only by the sound of his labored breathing. Without warning, he closes his mouth and gathers spit in the back of his throat before forcefully hocking it in my direction. The glob of mucus and saliva lands with a wet splat at my feet, along with a small tooth and flecks of crimson blood. “Fuck you, Terlizzi. You kidnapped my daughter, but somehow, I’m the one catching a beating.”
The corners of my mouth turn upwards into a condescending smirk. “Is that really what you think happened?” I’m truly baffled. It astounds me that this is how Tommaso sees the timeline of events.
“I figure somewhere in there, you defiled my daughter. She probably told you a few lies and cried about how she’s disciplined at home. That’s why I’m here, isn’t it?” Tommaso’s laughter bursts out, a mixture of exasperation and mirth. A second later, he chokes on his own spit. He sputters and coughs, taking a moment to regain his composure before continuing his thought. “I’m here because my bratty daughter is tired of getting her ass beaten every time she fucks up. But in my day, you could discipline your kids however you wanted.”
Adalina, who stays against the back wall, interrupts Tommaso before he can continue. “Keep talking about me like I’m not here,” she warns, “and I’ll remind you that I am. I’m not under your care anymore, Father. I’ll kill you in cold fucking blood. Keep talking.”
The atmosphere crackles with tension as I wedge myself between Tommaso and his daughter. Two sets of eyes lock onto mine, one filled with fear, the other with smoldering rage. Years of unspoken grievances hang in the air like a thick fog. But tonight, everything will come to a head. Tommaso’s time is running out, and he must pay for his sins before the dawn breaks. He won’t have the luxury of saying sorry or making amends. It’s too late for that now. The reckoning has arrived, and there will be no mercy left in the morning light.
“This all began because you borrowed $250,000 from my father and refused to pay him back in a reasonable time frame. If you had, you wouldn’t be here right now.” At the end of the day, he is responsible for the place he’s in. Not my father, not me, and not Adalina.
“I told you I would have paid him back eventually.”
As I bend my knees and lower my body, the ground seems to rise up to meet me. Tommaso’s dark, intense eyes are now level with mine, reflecting the light in the room. “Eventually isn’t good enough, Tommaso, and you know that. So, to properly motivate you, because it didn’t seem like you took my threats seriously, I kidnapped your daughter. To be fair, she made it very easy. She came to my home of her own volition, and what happened next was a mix of faults: yours for your crimes against my family and hers for trusting a stranger. Mostly yours, though, Tommaso.”
“I knew she was a slut,” he shakes his head. “How many of my guards did you fuck so they’d take it easy on you?” He snarls at Adalina, baring his teeth and causing the fresh wound in his nose to gush blood. “I bet you lined up to take them like?—”
Enzo’s fist connects with a resounding thud, striking Tommaso in the temple. I didn’t ask my bodyguard to step in, but he has his own feelings about Adalina, and he’s just as protective of her as I am. “You don’t talk to Adalina like that anymore, you hear me? You’ve put that girl through hell, and your last words aren’t going to put her through more.”
Tommaso’s eyes flutter and struggle to stay open; the force of the blow to his head has left him disoriented, and it takes several seconds for his mind to catch up with reality. His gaze darts around the room, trying to make sense of his surroundings. Then, his head turns slightly as he tries to make eye contact with Enzo. The world around him is spinning, colors blurring together into a dizzying picture. “I never touched her.”
“You gave the orders to the people who did.” Adalina steps forward, her eyes shining with tears. “You might not have put your hands on me, but you are still responsible for what happened to me.”
“What you did to your daughter wasn’t discipline, Tommaso; it was torture and abuse.” I stand up, looking down on the man who made Adalina the woman she is today. I hate him to my core; I despise him with every fiber of my being. “She deserves an apology.”
He looks like he’s weighing his options, but if he thinks an apology will set him free, he’s wrong. He will never be above ground again. His body will be moved to the catacombs further underground, and he’ll be left to rot. No one will shed a tear for him; no one will remember his name. He will simply become another forgotten soul in the darkness below—a fitting end for a man who caused nothing but pain and suffering.