The Throne of Hate: A mafia romance (The Romano's Book 2)

by Stella Andrews

  He thrusts inside and I scream his name. He grazes his body against mine and I can’t move. He is relentless, rough and dirty, and I can’t appear to get enough of him.

  This is what I wanted; I keep on telling myself that because he doesn’t stop there. He carries on torturing me for hours. He fucks me, flogs me, beats me and loves me and it feels like nothing I’ve ever experienced in my life. Dante Romano owns me and it’s just never enough, he always wants more and I love every sordid minute of it.

  Chapter 32

  Dante

  I know I’m going too far, but I can’t stop. Isabella appears to love every moment of this, and it feeds my desire. I am so wired and out of control and never really knew how much I had bottled up. I’ve been treading a fine line these last few months and now she can see every sordid part of me, the monster I am and far from screaming in terror, she’s screaming in ecstasy. Isabella has multiple orgasms, but I hold back. I need to push myself, deny the pleasure I crave because it’s what drives me on. I need to be relentless because she has to see what I’m capable of. I make sure she has the ultimate experience of a life she should never have to experience first-hand. Thinking of what she should have, takes me to the edge, a loving home, a decent husband and text book children. With me, she gets the nightmare, but I’m a selfish bastard and I’ll never change.

  She’s almost wrecked when I help her dress and we leave the dungeon. I don’t miss the knowing smirks on the faces of everyone we pass, as I hold her up because she is so exhausted. I’m still wired though because I would not give in to my own pleasure. This is all about her, and I know the next part of our tour may break her. I have to be prepared for that because despite everything that happens tonight; I have her best interests at heart.

  She falls asleep in the car and as I drive through the night; I wonder if I’m doing the right thing. Should I have shown her how low I fell? Will she hate me for what happens next? I can’t dwell on it because she won’t know this, but she needs what happens next. She has to see this through to face the future with no regrets or memories of pain to drag her down.

  Tonight, Isabella will face her demons as I do every day. She may hate me but ultimately will thank me, yet there’s still that fear inside that wonders if this is a step too far. Will it drive her away, it might, and I’m not prepared to even think about what that will mean for me?

  We pull up outside the warehouse I brought her to the last time. Once again, we are met by Tony who looks at her with curiosity as she rubs her eyes and stares at the scene in front of her in surprise. “What’s going on, why are we here?”

  Her voice shakes as I help her from the car and wrap my arm around her protectively.

  “We have unfinished business here - family business, your family.”

  Her eyes are wide as she stumbles against me, and I pull her along, giving her my strength that she will need because the next few hours will be difficult for her to cope with but she needs to see it through if she wants to fully understand me.

  We head inside and the moans reach us before the view. As she stiffens beside me, I say firmly, “Don’t let the fear in, Isabella, you need this.”

  “What’s happening?”

  Her voice shakes and as we round the corner, she sees a man strung up as before in nothing but a soiled pair of boxers. The stench is unbearable and she gags as she sees the full horror before her.

  Tony has been prepping our victim and the blood pools beneath him where he’s had his nose broken and one eye hangs loosely from its socket. Isabella’s hand flies to her mouth and she gags as I stop and hold her head to face the man screaming in pain.

  “This man killed your parents, Isabella, he used them, drugged them and then killed them. He took their money and made them fall so hard they broke. He cost you your family, and what happened next was because of him. Now it’s your turn to decide his fate because you have that right. His soul is yours and whatever you decide, we will make happen.”

  She begins to cry and I bury the pain the sound drives to my heart. I’ve done this, I’ve let the madness in and shown her the pain of this life we are consumed by. These are choices we make every day, and that is what makes us the men we are. Bastards, killers, ruthless demons, who no decent person should ever have to face.

  Her sobs break my heart all over again, and I wonder if she’s strong enough for this. Did I make a huge mistake in bringing her here and will I ultimately pay the price?

  Chapter 33

  Isabella

  It’s too much. All of it, I can’t deal with it. I wanted to see the man behind the one who lies beside me at night, but I’m not prepared for what I found.

  Now this, the man who made my life the nightmare it is. The man who caused my parents to die a horrific death and here he is being sacrificed in front of me. What does Dante want from me? I can’t even look at him, let alone have any part in this.

  But Dante doesn’t agree and hisses, “What do you want to happen to him, Isabella? Say the word and we end his miserable life.”

  “I… I… can’t.”

  I hide my face in my hands and start to cry, tears of frustration mixed with fear. The horror of what’s happening is breaking me apart and mixed with that is the image of my parents dying unnecessarily and not being able to say goodbye. As their faces swim into view, it’s almost as if they’re here with me, comforting me, holding me and making things ok in their own unique way. But things were never ok again because of this man. He stole their future along with mine, and as Dante stands between me and the man responsible, a feeling of calm washes over me. It’s as if they are holding my hand and telling me everything will be ok.

  Dante whispers, “You don’t have to do anything, baby, I just wanted you to face your pain. We can release him, or we can end him. It’s your choice, whatever you want will happen. It will always happen because you’re a part of this family now, my family. You never have to face things alone because I will do anything to make your life easier. Happy and perfect. Just deal with the past and if you decide to do nothing that’s fine too, just leave it behind in this room with this man and move on and be amazing. He took something important to you, it’s up to you if you want revenge, or are free of it.”

  “Will I ever be free of it though?”

  I whisper the words I fear the most. “Are you free of your demons, Dante, because I’m not so sure?”

  He pulls me close and I feel the emotion tearing him apart. I know he suffers; I know he’s had to face a lot and somehow carry on. Is this the answer? I’m not so sure.

  “Isabella, how can I ever be free of demons that resurface on a daily basis? They may have a different name, concern a different person, or a different situation but being a Romano means you are forever surrounded by demons. It’s how you deal with them that counts.”

  Looking up into those dark eyes, my breath hitches as I see the emotion in them. It looks as if the world is about to end and I wonder if I’m responsible for that. The man behind him is screaming in pain and it surrounds us like the tortured souls of hell. Tony stands to the side like the grim reaper, watching, waiting, eager to do something that brings him pleasure. But not me. I’m better than this, so I look past Dante at the man who brought about my parent’s ruin and see a devil, a monster and a bastard. But he will have to live with that, I will not make this easy on him, so I say in a confident voice, “My parents made their own choice. They chose to live the life they did; they chose to steal and they chose to drag me with them. They may not have told me any of this, but I know it’s true. They were the worst kind of people as it happens because they hid behind sunshine and happiness, disguising the monsters they really were. They had money, more than they could ever spend, which makes it worse. They chose to heap misery on others, and I will never forgive them for that. They deserve what happened to them because even when they had everything, they wanted more. They stole from the hand that fed them and changed the past to suit their future. So, no, Dante, I don’t w
ant to face my demons and use this man to cleanse them away. I want to walk away and leave the past behind me. I want to be free from it and make something good happen out of so much bad. You may use violence to try to forget, to deal with pain by inflicting more, but not me, I’m better than that.”

  I take one last look at a man who represents so much of what’s bad about society today and leave the memory locked in this room. I’m not sure what happens next because Dante follows me without a word and even the screams of the man probably taking one of his last breaths don’t bother me. I’m not afraid of him, my parents, my grandmother, of Dante. I have a life to live and it’s up to me to make it the best one I can and I know what that involves for me.

  The door slams behind us and I take a deep breath of the night air. I know Dante is probably wondering what’s going on and I’m not even sure of that myself, so I turn to face him and see the uncertainty in his eyes as he struggles to understand what’s going on in my mind right now. I just smile and reach out and take his hand. “I think you’ve shown me enough for one evening. Take me home, it’s been a long day.”

  We make the journey in silence and it suits me. I’m so tired and I was right, it has been a long day and I need to sleep, to process the information I learned and understand what it means for my future. So, when we reach the mansion, I turn toward the pretty bedroom Dante arranged for me and say sleepily, “I need some time, Dante, let me sleep on it.”

  He nods, but I know he’s destroyed. He did what I wanted and showed me every part of a man who fell so far. It physically hurts my heart to walk away from him, but I know I must, for me, my own heart and my own healing process. How can I make such an important decision lying next to him? I need clarity and space and hope he understands that.

  I leave him standing there and close the door softly behind him. As the sun rises, I’m still sitting on the little window seat in the prettiest room I have ever seen, with the past and present, battling to decide my future.

  Chapter 34

  Dante

  I went too far. As the cold light of day lights up the shadows, it brings with it the realization I got this all wrong. Isabella isn’t like me, she’s better than that. I should have known that showing her the darkest part of me would leave her running toward the light. I wish I could join her, but it’s too late for me.

  I can’t sleep and just sit at my window and wonder how I got it so wrong. I’ve scared away the only good thing in my life by daring to think she would accept who I really am and join me in this madness like Riley did Lucian. No, Isabella isn’t Riley, she’s something better. She deserves her freedom to live above us and forget the pain and misery our life involves. I can’t believe I got it so badly wrong and can’t deal with what that means, so I pull on my gym clothes and head off to work out my pain and frustration in the only way I know how.

  She wants space, so I must honor that even though I want to grab her and hold on tightly. I want to chain her to me forever and make her stay. It burns the thought of her leaving, and I worry about what that will do me inside. To have something so good, so pure and so amazing, only to lose it because I’m just not good enough hurts like hell.

  As I punch out my frustrations on the bag, my heart sinks as I see my brother Romeo leaning on the door watching me with a smirk on his face.

  “What the fuck are you staring at?”

  “Someone who’s obviously got out of bed the wrong side, what’s the matter brother, the little nanny decided she’s had enough? Things not working out, shame, never mind, plenty more where that came from.”

  “What did you say?”

  A feeling of calm washes over me and my eyes glitter dangerously as I advance toward him. Romeo stands his ground and looks interested. “I see.”

  “You see what?”

  “Dante has actual feelings and it looks as if they aren’t returned, man that’s got to hurt. Never mind, maybe I can see if I have more luck.”

  He doesn’t see the punch coming, and as Romeo’s head snaps back, I relish the feeling of release. The most annoying thing about punching bags is they don’t fight back, and now I have the most satisfying one. My brother. He’s a worthy opponent and if I didn’t know better, was spoiling for a fight himself and so, as we trade blows and blood, nothing is left untouched in the gym that is set aside in the grounds of the mansion. There is nobody to stop us, they wouldn’t dare, nobody to pull us apart and it feels amazing. This fight was long overdue because it’s been building for months. Both of us treading a fine line around Lucian, nonna, the business and not really being able to lose control. Romeo’s words were designed to provoke, and he caught me at the perfect time.

  There are no winners in a fight between brothers and this is no exception, so as we slump against the wall, battered and bloody, we declare a truce. Romeo starts laughing and I can’t help but join him. That’s more shocking than the fight because we never laugh. There is no lightness to our spirits, but this fist fight has cleansed away the demons much more than words.

  As Romeo reaches for a water bottle, he offers me a first swig and as our fingers brush, I see his knuckles torn and bleeding matching my own and laugh. “That felt good.”

  “It sure did. Remind me why we haven’t done that before, I mean we did it regularly as kids and it worked then?”

  “We use a different kind of release these days.”

  “Oh yes, that’s why? So, are you gonna tell me what’s bothering you?”

  “Are you?”

  “Who said anything was?”

  “Cut the crap, Romeo, you forget who you’re talking to. Something’s eating you and has been for months now.”

  He sighs and takes a gulp of the cool cleansing water before tossing the bottle in his hands and saying in a cool voice, “Don’t you get sick of it all? The family business. It’s just an endless round of problems and shit. Sometimes I just want to go to sleep and wake up a different person.”

  His words surprise me because like Lucian, Romeo seems to thrive on this life. We all do really, even Lorenzo our older brother likes to deal with shit in his own way. We love fighting, it’s part of our soul and yet Romeo appears at a crossroads I never knew he reached. “You need a break.”

  I reach for a towel and he nods. “Maybe, I need something, I know that. So, anyway, tell me about Isabella, I know it’s her that’s got you all worked up, I thought things were good there.”

  “Were, I’m not so sure anymore.”

  “What happened?”

  “I let her inside my head and she saw the madness. I think I’ve scared her away and I can’t deal with that.”

  “She’s still got six months before she can leave, it may change, show her a different side to you.”

  “There is no other side, I tried that. I’ve been shielding her from the monster, but not anymore. I can’t hide behind fear, Romeo because it’s destroying me. She has to accept who I am, or she must leave because I can’t pretend to be something I’m not, I’ve learned that. Maybe she’s wrong for this life, maybe she needs her freedom and who am I to make her stay? I want what Lucian has with Riley, someone who understands every part of him and loves him for it. Someone to go home to who understands and makes it all worthwhile. I don’t think Isabella is strong enough for that, and I’m afraid she’ll ask to leave.”

  For a moment there’s silence and then I say as an aside, “Why do they always leave, Romeo, why do they get to choose?”

  He doesn’t have to answer because we both know the reason why? First our mom left us because it was too much to live with—our father, this life, us. Then Ava left, taking Luca with her and destroyed the only memory I had of actually loving another human being. She took that love and threw it back at me, leaving me with a haunted memory in the shape of my son who she abused in my name. Now Isabella, the one good thing that has ever happened to me, has seen the side of me I should have kept hidden. She was disgusted, repulsed and will probably never look at me in the same way again and i
t’s because I don’t deserve love. Fate is telling me that, so all I have to look forward to is a future filled with pain and loneliness and meaningless sex with women as lost as I am.

  Strangely, Romeo reaches out and takes my battered hand and for a moment we sit side by side, connecting with each other as only brothers can. I feel strangely emotional as I know I’m not alone. I have him—my brothers and Luca. Nonna is still the central force we move around and that will only change when she takes her last breath. Through all this shit we have a fucked-up family that may be dysfunctional but is worth so much.

  Then Romeo stands and says gruffly, “I’m going to shower and I suggest you do the same. You stink, bro, and if that little nanny sees you, she’ll be turned off, not on, by the stench, let alone the fucked-up face that I’m feeling quite proud of right now.”

  I can feel my face throbbing, still raw from the pain he inflicted on me, and I laugh. “You should see your own face, not so pretty now. Shame you’ll not be attracting anyone anytime soon.”

  He smirks, “Who says I attract them, I take what I want even if they don’t want me to.”

  “You’re fucked.”

  “Maybe but they beg for it in the end. I’m not saying I take them against their will, I take them against their daddy, husband, boyfriend, hell, girlfriend’s will. They all come willingly though. What can I say, I’m considered quite a catch?”