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“He took my clothes. Stripped me bare. Touched me in a way he didn’t have permission to.” My eyes are locked on Briana’s. “He raped me over and over. The harder I fought, the more he hurt me. It was a goddamn sport for him, Briana.”
I hear Nicoli curse behind me, and my heart constricts, but this has to be done.
“He raped me until my mind broke, until I was no longer in my own body because he was busy tearing it apart.”
“Stop it,” Briana snaps, her bravado wavering. “Stop lying.”
“You think he loves you, that his love earned your loyalty to him, but you’re just another pawn in his sick game. Do you really want to sacrifice yourself for a man like that?”
Briana’s eyes flicker between me and Nicoli, her thoughts clearly racing. Her defiance might be wavering, but she’s still clinging to it like a lifeline.
“I don’t believe you,” she spits.
“Show her,” Nicoli says behind me, and I look at him. “Show her what he did to you.”
Our gazes lock, and Nicoli silently urges me to do what needs to be done, to unearth all the ugliness to further our cause in ending this.
I step closer to Briana who watches me warily, and I slowly lifts the hem of my skirt. She slants a brow, pulling her lips in a cocky grin. “Are you flirting with me, Mrs. Del Rossa?”
“Hardly.” My fingers brush against my leg as I bunch up the fabric, revealing the ugly scar that snakes its way up my thigh. “That’s him,” I say softly. “That’s all him.”
Her grin falters. “Nunzio likes to play rough.”
“He also likes to rape women. And when their pussies aren’t wet enough for him, he does this.” I point at the scar. “He cut me, smeared his cock with my blood and raped me while I vomited from all the screaming and the crying.” It takes everything in me to get the words out, to not let my voice crack as I say out loud what that monster did to me. I refuse to show weakness. I refuse to crumble beneath the weight of my trauma. I’m not just a survivor, I’m a fighter, and I’ll fight the memories for the rest of my life, and never give up.
Briana diverts her eyes, licking her lips as she presses her back against the wall as if she’s trying to get away from the proof that Nunzio isn’t close to being the man she thinks he is.
“Look at it,” I command, my words dripping with steel. “This is what your precious Nunzio does to innocent women. How long before he starts doing this to you, before he hurts you? Or even worse, kills you?”
Briana’s gaze shifts from the floor to my scar, and I can see a hint of uncertainty creep into her eyes.
“Is that enough proof for you?” I ask. “Or do you need more evidence of the monster you’re protecting?”
Briana glances back and forth between us, her defiance wavering. “You don’t understand,” she murmurs, her voice barely audible. “He saved me once. I owe him.”
“Saved you?” I snarl, my patience running thin. “By dragging you into a life of crime and violence? By asking you to put your life in danger for him? Tell us where he is, Briana, and I’ll make sure you never see the side to him that I have.”
“He’ll kill me if I talk.”
“We’ll protect you. Tell us what we need to know, and you’ll have the Dark Sovereign protection. No one in this fucking city will touch you, I swear.”
She purses her lips, her brows furrowed as she contemplates my offer. My heart is beating wildly, my pulse racing. We’re so close to finding Nunzio, I can fucking taste it, and all I want is for this to be over.
Briana licks her lips and lifts her chin. “It is what it is,” she sneers. “I will not betray him.”
My heart sinks into my stomach, and my anger spikes. “Fine,” I hiss, struggling to keep control. “But know this. If you continue to protect him, you’re no better than he is. And if you don’t tell us what we need to know, I will kill you myself.”
* * *
NICOLI
I yankBriana by her arm and force her to sit in the wooden chair. She offers zero resistance, like she’s not the same woman Maximo pulled out of his truck. Briana’s eyes flicker between Mira and me as I tie her arms, fastening her feet to the chair. I can sense the growing unease in her posture as she takes in what Mira said. It’s clear that Mira’s strength is something she hadn’t anticipated, and I can’t help but feel a swell of pride for my wife. Through all this, I’ve seen a side to Mira I never knew existed. Or maybe it was just my male ego that made me blind toward it, not wanting to see that my wife doesn’t need my twenty-four-hour protection. She doesn’t need me to be her avenging angel because she’s her own. But no matter how obvious it is to me that she can handle this, there’s still a stubborn-ass man in me who would do evil, brutal, and savage shit for the woman he loves. I’ve been protecting her since she was four years old, and it’s not something I’ll ever be able to switch off. Maybe just…tame it. A little.
As I finish restraining Briana, I lean a little closer, breathing down the side of her neck. “Wewillkill you,” I growl, keeping my voice low and menacing. “So the way I see it, you only have one chance of getting out of this alive, and that’s by taking your chances with us by telling us what we need to know. My wife offered you protection, and we will give it. But no matter what decision you make, you’re Dark Sovereign property now…whether we bury you or protect you.”
Briana’s breath hitches, and I notice her knuckles whiten as she grips the armrests of the chair she’s tied to. She seems unsure of herself, and that’s exactly what I want. The doubt gnawing at her is an opportunity we can use to our advantage—a chance to break her resolve and get the information we need.
“I’m not beyond torturing a woman when it comes to my wife, Briana. I will throw my one last goddamn moral out the window and I will fuck you up for her. I swear to God.”
