Page 75 of Vow of Darkness
I want to shout at her that Gabriel is not hers but I can’t speak around the rag in my mouth.
Ginevra continues to slap me, causing more and more pain each time. She only laughs as she does it. Tears stream down my face. Is Gabriel all right? Is he alive?
Or is he… dead?
If Gabriel were to die, then I’d be completely free of the man who made me his prisoner.
But Gabriel and I were past that. I was no longer his prisoner. I was his wife.
Iamhis wife. Gabriel’s not dead. Not yet. I refuse to believe it.
I have to stay strong for him. For my father. I have to keep on fighting.
Giovanni’s guard finally pulls up in front of a large mansion. Just as beautiful as Gabriel’s but a lot less gothic. Despite that, this place is much more horrifying because I know I am going to be tortured here.
The guard drags me from the car and into the house. Giovanni and Ginevra follow behind. The eagerness in both of their eyes turns my stomach to ice. What kind of people are these? How evil can you be to delight in someone else’s pain?
When I taunted Ginevra tonight, it was to prove a point: Gabriel is mine. But I never wanted Ginevra to be tortured and yet, that’s exactly what she is going to do to me.
I’m brought to a basement. It reminds me a lot of Gabriel’s own dungeon. How ironic. Maybe this is the price I have to pay for falling in love with my captor. Maybe I deserve to be punished.
The guard unties my hands before he throws me onto a hard, slab table. It knocks all the wind out of me and before I can react, he wraps straps around me, binding me to the table.
Ginevra looks down at me. “You wanted to have fun tonight? You wanted to rub it in my face that Gabriel is yours? Then so be it.” She grabs the clasp at the front of my dress and rips it, tearing my dress and making it fall open, exposing my naked body underneath. “You deserved to be tortured. Raped even. This is what bad girls get.” She nods at Giovanni. “Do your worst to her.”
He walks over to a table where a large array of knives are. The smirk on his face as he picks one up makes me shiver. “I plan to. Gabriel is either dead or if he’s alive, then he’llfeel the pain of his wife being tortured by my own hand. I’ll kill you, little girl. Anyone who associates with Gabriel deserves to die.”
I still can’t speak with the gag around my mouth but I don’t think begging would change anything.
Giovanni lifts a knife up. “Shall we begin?”
Gabriel
I wake up in a hospital bed. It takes my mind a moment to remember what happened before it hits me like a truck. Giovanni kidnapped Aurora. My worst fear came true.
And it’s all my fault. I hosted that party. Ginevra was bitter and jealous and I claimed Aurora right in front of her. I didn’t fucking care because Ginevra doesn’t mean anything to me now.
But I should have known my actions have consequences. They always have consequences.
“Hey, boss.” It’s Leo. “You’re awake. Me and Rocco rushed you to the hospital. You just barely survived. You were lucky. The bullet didn’t hit your heart but it was close. You were in surgery now. For hours.”
“Surgery?” I croak out. “How long have I been here?”
“Just a day. Don’t worry. Me and Rocco have been out looking for Aurora. All of your men have been.”
“It’s taken us years to find Giovanni. It might take another ten years to find him again and then Aurora will be dead.”
“We’re out looking.” That’s all he can offer me.
“I have to leave. I have to find her.” The thought of losing Aurora breaks my fucking heart. I cannot lose her like I did my family. I opened myself up to her after closing myself away for so long. I will not let Aurora be my weakness. I have to use her as my strength. For the first time in my life, I was happy and then Giovanni took her away from me.
“You have to rest. You just had surgery on your chest. You’re going to be down for the count for a while.”
“I can handle it.” I grit my teeth as I force myself to my feet. It’s like a heavy weight sits right on my chest but I can bear it. If it means getting Aurora back.
“Boss, be careful. I don’t need you dying.”
“I have to get her back. Take me back to my home. Now. We’ll start looking for her.”
