Dirty Revenge

by Ella Miles

  Then, my first phase will be complete. I’ll be able to monitor everything he does and be able to make my move on Dante whenever I want. Once I confirm what I already know about Dante.

  And then I can steal Gia.

  No.

  I can’t steal her. It will ruin everything.

  But I have to have her.

  My inner conflict never stops. Not since I had her in my grasp.

  Today, I need to focus on my job. I’ll decide what to do about Gia tomorrow.

  I knock on the door and am surprised when Dante opens the door. I expected one of his guards. Did he jump the gun and take out all his men himself? I do not doubt Dante is capable enough of doing the job. It doesn’t matter to me. Killing demons like Dante’s men pleases me. I’ll admit it. But I’m just as happy to have someone else do the bloodshed, as long the task is done.

  “Mr. Conti, come in,” Dante says, not giving anything away.

  I see his men out of the corner of my eye. Dante told them I was here to work on the security system I installed a few weeks ago. It’s a lie. My security system is running flawlessly. Right now, it’s allowing my team to know the precise location of Dante’s men, so they can all be taken out at the same moment.

  I follow Dante into the living room with Terence and Adela following behind me.

  I freeze at the entrance when I see Gia. I wasn’t expecting her. It is clear from the security tapes that Dante never allows her to leave the room she was locked in. But today, she’s lying on the black leather couch. A rope is tied around her hands and legs. She’s naked and bruised, but not broken. I’m not sure if anything can truly break her.

  I can.

  I don’t know why Gia is here, but she’s going to distract me, and most likely Dante, from doing the job.

  “Want to put your whore away before we get to work?” I ask Dante, not liking using the word ‘whore’ to describe Gia. She is anything but a whore. Warrior, gorgeous, precious, angel. All those words describe her so much better.

  Dante laughs. “Don’t worry. She won’t distract us from our job. I want her to watch.”

  My lips thin, but otherwise I don’t give away my disgust. Dante wants Gia to watch, in an attempt to break her. If she sees the carnage, it might scare her. Death has a way of doing that to people.

  I suspect Gia isn’t one of those people. For one, she seems completely prepared for her own death. And two, she’s a Carini. My understanding about Carinis is they are as ruthless as Dante. She may not have killed anyone with her own hands, but she’s seen death before.

  And she won’t care if men, who have held her captive, die. In fact, she will rejoice at the sight.

  I nod and glance at my ready sister behind me. I stare at Dante, letting him know this is his last chance to stop this.

  He smirks and sits down on the couch next to Gia, pulling her into his lap. Using her as a shield in case this goes badly.

  Coward.

  He won’t partake in what is about to happen, and he’d prefer his whore get shot, rather than him, if a bullet goes awry.

  He doesn’t think I’m the best if he thinks that’s even a possibility of that happening.

  “Dante, I’ll get to work then,” I say, giving my team the signal.

  All at once we reach for our hidden weapons and begin taking out our targets one by one with silenced pistols. Most of Dante’s men shout out and surround him. That’s why my best people are with me. I take out three as I head toward the kitchen, knowing there are two more in there.

  A bullet whizzes by my head as I duck and shoot the bastard dead with one quick shot to the head.

  Another gets a bullet to the heart.

  I hear my team all confirming their targets are down, but it doesn’t make me drop my gun. Not until I get the all clear from Steward, my man monitoring the security system to ensure every man is down.

  “You have one more in the hallway,” Steward says.

  My heart races, and my lips curl into a wicked smile. I enjoy this more than I should.

  I move to the wall as I slink down the kitchen counters to the hallway where my last target awaits his death.

  I turn the corner and fire before he has a chance to move or shoot. I watch his body drop to the floor in front of me.

  “All clear,” Steward says.

  “And our team?” I ask, hoping my team has kept our flawless record of being injury free.

  “All good. No injuries reported.”

  I let out a deep exhale. I take pride in not losing anyone on my team.

  I walk back to the living room where Adela and Terence are waiting for me.

  “It’s done?” Dante asks.

  I nod. “All of your men have been taken care of. I’ll have my team dispose of the bodies and get your new team ready to go within the hour.”

  Dante grins as he fondles Gia’s breasts much too hard. She doesn’t move or flinch, if she notices his touch.

  “What do you think, sweetheart?” Dante asks Gia, calling her an endearment for the first time; his tone conflicting with the dead men covering the floor.

  “I think you are a coward.”

  I smirk. I can’t help it. I agree with her assessment.

  Dante doesn’t notice. He’s too intrigued by his plaything to notice me.

  God, I have to have Gia.

  It will fuck up all of my plans if I steal her from Dante. Plans I have been working on for years. I no longer care.

  I stare at my sister out of the corner of my eye. I will need her help. I can’t do this without her. She will hate me for doing this, but I can’t help myself. And in the end, my sister will do anything for me.

  But will I make her?

  Yes.

  I stare at the stunning brunette, who deserves so much better, but she will never get it.

  I will steal Gia. I just have to be careful, so Dante doesn’t realize I’m the one who stole her. And then, when I need to get in Dante’s favor, I will return her. Pretend some other bastard was the culprit of her disappearance.

  But how can someone steal her and my security team not be blamed?

  “I’m taking my whore to my work while you finish. Call me when it’s done.”

  I smirk. I have to steal her. Now. I’m not responsible for his security at his office. I have no cameras or security set up there. He can’t blame me.

  Dante forces Gia up. I don’t know how she’s standing. I’m pretty sure her legs are broken. She’s fucking amazing, that’s how.

  And she’s mine.

  Gia will think I’m saving her when I steal her from Dante. But really, she’ll be trading in one monster for another. One with the power to actually break her.

  6

  Gia

  Worthless. That’s what Dante thinks I am. That’s what my brain tells me my body is. My legs, my arms, my eyes; all broken, futile, and useless.

  It’s not the first time I’ve heard the word used. Enrico used to call me worthless all the time. I was no use to him. I was a daughter, not a son. I wasn’t built for this world.

  Enrico said I’m too stupid to understand the business.

  Not strong enough to handle the bloodshed.

  Not powerful enough to control a team of men.

  Not smart enough to make high paying deals.

  And I’m too pretty to be taken seriously.

  My entire life I’ve been ‘worthless.’

  My brothers never said it, but they kept me out of the business as much as possible.

  Now, Dante is saying the same things. I’m worthless. Nothing but a whore.

  My mind believes him. I’m too broken to remember any of the reasons I am worthy. All I can think about is my faults. My body doesn’t work. I’m so bruised and beat up no one would consider me beautiful anymore. I don’t have a college degree. I don’t have a career. I don’t even own a house or car anymore. I live off my inheritance. Inheritance I gained from a father who never loved me and brothers willing to do anything to keep
me safe.

  I should be defeated, but every time I hear the word ‘worthless,’ it sparks something in my heart. Something that keeps me alive. Makes me fight.

  I think Dante knows what the word does to me, which is why he keeps using it.

  Dante had his entire team killed in front of me. It was a warning. The same fate awaits me if I don’t do as I’m told. But it didn’t scare me.

  It just made the fire in my heart grow with the need of my revenge. I don’t know what the men did to deserve death, but I know if they willingly worked for Dante, they deserved their fate.

  It didn’t make me sad. It made me happy to see their karma repaid.

  And now, I have a chance at freedom and my vengeance.

  Dante is in the driver’s seat of his white Maserati while I sit in the passenger seat with my head against the window, soaking up every drop of sunlight hitting the window. I won’t move my head no matter how uncomfortable the crick in my neck grows, or how much my forehead burns from the light. Dante thinks I’m resting my head against the window because I’m too weak to move my head, but I’m drawing as much strength as I can from the sun’s warmth, preparing for the coming battle.

  This is the first time I’ve been out of the house since Dante stole me. He doesn’t have any guards with us. They are all dead.

  He didn’t use any ropes to tie my arms or legs.

  He carried me to the car because I can’t walk.

  We are headed to his office so he can enjoy me, while Conti and his team prepare a new security system and team of guards.

  We will be alone. I may not be able to walk, but I’ll fly when the opportunity arises for me to escape.

  I sigh. Large trees block some of my sunlight as we drive through a wooded portion of the road, but it doesn’t stomp my hope. The trees are picturesque Italian. The vines climbing up their trunks remind me of my homeland. I was never meant to be an American like my brothers have accepted. I’m meant to be an Italian. Whatever faces me, at least it will be here, in the motherland.

  My eyes begin to drift shut, but I force them to stay wide. I don’t want to miss a second of the beautiful countryside or the quaint cottages we’ll pass on the side of the road. I try to memorize the path we are taking. All the houses and villages we pass become ingrained in my mind. If I get a chance to escape, I need to be able to find my way to help.

  Dante pulls the car to a stop in front of a row of office buildings, and my heart sinks. Surely, there are going to be people everywhere. I won’t have a chance to escape. I could make a run for it now, but I have no shot against Dante, not in my state.

  He would punish me worse if I ran. And I don’t think I can handle any more broken bones.

  Dante gets out, without a word, and then walks to my side of the car, opening the door and lifting me gently into his arms.

  I let my body remain limp. I will not use an ounce of energy that isn’t necessary. But I don’t know why he is acting so cautiously with me. Are we being watched?

  I look around for a sign of a video camera I can make a plea for help to, but I find none.

  No, Dante wouldn’t work at a place where there are video cameras he doesn’t own.

  He pulls a key out of his pocket and unlocks the glass doors.

  Why does he need to unlock a door, if this is an office building full of people?

  “Don’t worry, whore. It’s Saturday. The building is closed on Saturdays. We are all alone. No one will hear your screams.”

  I bite my lip as if he’s going to make me scream right now. He’s not. He’s gentle so that when he beats me, it will make it feel so much worse.

  My arms and legs dangle as he pushes the door open, and we step inside the building. The smell of paper and air fresheners overwhelms my nose. It’s such a stark difference to the smell of blood and musky men.

  This place is clean and sterile. Dante doesn’t bother to flick on the lights as he carries me down the hallway. He doesn’t look at me or speak as he stomps. He’s a man on a mission. I don’t have to look into his eyes to know the carnage that happened only minutes ago turned him on. Dante loves the blood, the pain, the wrath. It’s who he is. He enjoys killing.

  He wants to take that all out on me. All of his lust and aggression.

  Just as Dante said, we don’t pass anyone as we head down two hallways, then into an elevator, and up five floors. I don’t know what Dante does to make his money. This building doesn’t add any clues. But if I had to guess, Dante’s business is similar to my own family’s business. Dante just isn’t as good at selling weapons as we are. This building is a front; something he can point to when his more nefarious dealings are revealed to the police.

  It’s stupid. The police will never believe him. He needs to have the cops on his side as the Carinis have for years.

  Dante opens a glass door to a large office. Glass walls surround us, while large windows open the office up to the outside light.

  My eyes widen, and my mouth hangs open, as I stare at the office. It’s so normal, bright, and airy. This cannot be Dante’s office. He likes dark. He likes to hide in a cave. He would never work somewhere so open.

  I glance up as Dante’s eyes are searing into my body. I’m wearing clothes for the first time in weeks. It’s just a T-shirt and his boxers, but I’m still thankful to be wearing clothes instead of being naked. But I know from the look in his eyes I won’t be wearing them for much longer.

  My body stills as he tosses me onto a leather couch. He removes his jacket, slowly, as he walks over to his desk. He’s going to rape me again. I can’t take it. Not even one more time.

  My eyes scan his entire office in seconds, looking for a weapon. Scissors, a knife, a hidden gun. Even a stapler. I’ll take anything I can use to inflict pain on this man.

  Dante begins rolling up the sleeves of his crisp white shirt while he stands behind his desk. He bites his lip, and his entire face tightens as looks at me. But he’s not really looking at me. He’s envisioning his sick fantasy in his head. I’ve seen the disgusting look before.

  I pull my legs up against my chest, wrapping my arms around them. It takes a lot of effort to move this little, but it’s worth it to bring myself some level of comfort.

  “Oh, so many things I could do to you, whore,” Dante says.

  My bottom lip trembles as his eyes go wild. I bite my lip, stilling it.

  I will not be afraid.

  Dante opens a drawer at the bottom of his desk. I try not to focus on what he’s pulling out. It’s meant to frighten me, as is everything he does around me. I will not let him win.

  I try staring out the beautiful glass windows, filled with the warmth of the sunlight from the cloudless day. But I still see the items out of the corner of my eye, as he lays them on his desk.

  A whip. Metal handcuffs. A butt plug. A ball gag. And a knife.

  The knife is the only item that makes me react. He used it before on my back. It terrifies me. But it also excites me, for some reason.

  My breathing speeds to unthinkable levels. My eyes water with both fear and excitement at seeing a weapon I could use against him. And my hands tremble in my lap.

  The day he used the knife was the worst day. Unlike the pain of broken bones or rape that I can easily hide away within the cloud of overwhelming pain. The sharp edge of the blade can’t be hidden. When it pierces my skin, there is no escape.

  I cried. I screamed. I begged.

  It was Dante’s best day. My lowest point.

  I can’t relive it.

  But it’s a weapon. If I was able to get hold of the knife, I could kill Dante. I could get free.

  I purse my lips and let all of the air out of my lungs, sinking into the couch and allowing all my muscles to relax. I haven’t sat on anything this comfortable in weeks. I’m going to savor it.

  I hear Dante’s footsteps getting closer from behind the desk. I should pay attention to his movements so I can react and try to prevent an injury. My reflexes aren’t wh
at they used to be, though. So even if I know a punch or kick is coming, I can’t move out of the way fast enough. I’ve learned to not spend any energy on avoiding his movements.

  “We have hours together, undisturbed. We have an empty building. And new toys to play with.”

  I see Dante spin the knife in his hand. It’s bigger than the last one he used.

  Good. It will be easier to kill him with it.

  A haunting song jolts us both out of our fantasies as his pocket rings and vibrates. He reaches into his back pocket and pulls the phone out. I think he’s going to end the call without answering.

  Instead, he answers.

  “Perfect timing. I need an update before I turn off my phone for a few hours,” Dante says, his lips curling up into a wicked grin to match the darkness in his eyes.

  I grab the throw pillow on the couch and place it in front of my stomach, squeezing hard, like the pillow will somehow protect me from the dangers ahead.

  Dante smirks, lifts the phone from his ear, and says, “That pillow won’t save you, whore. I need to step outside to take this call. When I return, I expect you will be naked, and your cunt dripping wet, waiting for my cock.”

  I grimace as a low growl escapes my stomach.

  Dante’s stare intensifies. “If not, I will punish you.” His eyes shine with a new level of hatred as he speaks. It would ruin his fucking plans if I were naked and my cunt was dripping for him.

  He steps out the glass doors, and I almost consider stripping and doing everything possible to make my pussy wet for him. It would be worth it to see the surprise on his face, but he’d probably punish me anyway.

  I watch as Dante paces outside the glass door. Stupid, fucking glass. What was so beautiful a minute ago has quickly lost its appeal. If it was sheetrock, then I could slink across the wooden floor to his desk and retrieve the knife without him noticing.

  Maybe I still can?