Page 69 of Vengeful Devotion
All I can do is shrug. There’s a lump in my throat stopping me from speaking.
Balor walks closer, picking up the chairs I knocked over before sitting in one and gesturing for me to sit in the other. But I don’t. I only agree when he holds up a fresh bottle of whiskey.
“We’re going to find her, Declan.”
I scoff. Like I don’t fucking know that. But the information does nothing to soothe me. I twist the lid off the bottle and take a long swig. If he’s going to sit in here, I’m going to drink.
“I know you’re hurting, Declan.”
I roll my eyes. “What’s your point, Balor?”
“I need you to focus, Deck. This is not the time to lose your head.”
Nodding in acknowledgement, I look out the window in time to see the sun blossom. Gemma has been gone for eighteen hours. Eighteen long, agony-filled hours.
“I’m not losing my head, Balor. I’m losing my mother fucking soul. You have no idea how it feels to know the woman you love is scared and alone. You don’t know what it’s like to sit with that knowing you can’t do a damn thing about it. So don’t act like you do.”
Balor raises his eyebrows, tilting his head like he’s challenging me. “Yeah, Declan, I do. I’ve been living without my soul for three years. I know how bad that fucking hurts. Every night, I think about killing myself just to stop the pain. But I don’t. Why? Because one day, that woman is going to come back, and I need to be here when she does. Gemma needs you, Declan. She needs you to focus and get her ass back here.”
I flinch. Balor’s words landing their punches. He’s right. Gemma needs me, and destroying my office will not help me do that.
“Balor, I’m sorr—"
He puts a hand up to stop me. “Don’t you dare feel pity for me. Just do what your woman needs.”
I nod my head. We fall into a comfortable silence as we watch the sun paint the landscape in pinks and oranges. Gemma never leaves my thoughts. She should be here with me. She will be here with me soon. I’m never giving her up. I don’t give a fuck if I have to raze the earth to find her.
The door to my office bursts open, Dean’s heaving body standing in the doorway. I can see the news by the look on his face.
He found her.
CHAPTERTWENTY-FIVE
Gemma
I bite my tongue,barely containing my screams as bleach settles on my skin. The air is turning toxic with the fumes. Making this warehouse office smell cleaner than a hospital. Lonny throws a bucket of ice-cold water on me before the burns can get too hot. I thrash in the seat, but the rope around my wrists and ankles constricts my movement. The chill washes the bleach away but does nothing for the pain. I thought nothing could be worse than the scorpions. No pain could be worse, but I was wrong. The sting radiates from all over my naked body. How did I let myself end up here again?
“You must be cleansed, bambina. I can smell him all over you,” Lonny says, before letting another gallon of bleach fall over my head. “You must be punished for giving him what wasn’t yours to give.”
The bleach splashes over me, climbing into my throat and burning me from the inside out. Tears stream down my face as my will to keep them at bay falters. No matter how much stronger I feel after finding Declan, it’s not enough. I don’t know how much longer I can hold on. Lonny smirks at me before pouring more water over me. The bucket rattles to the ground as he tosses it.
He hooks a greasy finger beneath my chin, forcing me to look at him. “You’ve caused me so much trouble, Gemma. But all that ends now. You’ve had your fun. You’ve made me chase you all over this fucking country. It’s time for you to come home.”
I shake my head. “I’d rather die.”
“You always played hard to get, Gemma.”
He leans down. His breath reeks of alcohol and cigars. It stirs the bile in my stomach. My uncle presses his lips to mine. His mouth muffling my screams. I curl my hands into fists, pulling against the rope. Rage flares inside me. He’s taken so much from me. I won’t let him take anymore.
I open my mouth, holding back a gag when Lonny’s tongue slides into my mouth. But the moment it’s in, I bite down as hard as I can.
Lonny rears back, his hand coming across my face in a sharp slap. “You ungrateful little bitch. I’ve done everything for you. Every goddamn thing since you were a little girl. I was there when no one else wanted you! The least you could do is obey me.”
The side of my face throbs beneath the heat of his slap. A choked sob escapes me, and I hate it. I hate the smile it creates on his face. I fucking hate him.
“You think that piss poor excuse of a mafia boss will want you? He won’t, Gemma. You’re not a keeper, you’re the girl men keep on the side. That’s who you’ll always be. You’re not worth the effort it would take to rescue you. Not to him. Not to anyone. Anyone except me. I’m all you got, bambina. Might as well accept that.”
Something in me snaps. There’s nothing I can do about my situation or the fact that I’m more likely to end up dead than rescued. But that doesn’t mean I have to go quietly. I don’t have to stay silent anymore. Even if no one ever believes me. I know what happened in that room and I can’t hide from it anymore.
