Page 21 of De Luca: The Sinister Game

Pulling back from me, her eyelashes flutter lightly as she lifts her gaze to mine. “It’s not a want, it’s a need. I need to cut. It dulls her voice. I can’t explain it, but it lessens the pain.”

I take her face in my hands. “If you need pain, I’ll give it to you without risking your life. There’s an artery in that beautiful arm of yours. You won’t do this again. Give us your pain, every fucking ounce of it. If you still need to cut someone, you’ll cut me.”

Dante grabs her hair and yanks her head back. Pressing his mouth to her neck, he growls, “There’s no way that you believe her, Sunshine. No fucking way a woman as beautiful as you could ever buy into those vile words.”

She whimpers from the sting from him pulling her hair. “You can convince anyone of anything if you tell them the same things repeatedly.”

Natalia isn’t wrong. I witnessed it with my brother Domenic’s wife, Giada. Abuse is damaging and lasting. The ramifications of it don’t disappear when the abuse stops. Did it stop? Or is this ongoing?

I glance at Dante, and he nods as if I said anything. I didn’t, but that’s the connection we have. Silent conversations became our expertise years ago. He gets out of the shower as I shut the water off. After I help her stand, he wraps a fluffy warm towel around her body and lifts her into his arms and carries her into the bedroom.

Once my brother and Natalia are in bed, I climb in on the other side of her. She lies on her back, her eyes wide open but glazed over like she’s not here. She’s somewhere else deep inside her mind. Dante kisses her neck, but she doesn’t respond at all. I need to find out more about what her sister has done to her. It’s obvious that it’s a different family dynamic than the one I have with mine. I know she doesn’t want us to hurt her sister. The only reason she’s here with us right now is to protect her. Yet, I cannot comprehend why. Her sister has been cruel enough to her that she cuts herself. Why the fuck would you protect someone like that? Anybody other than Natalia would’ve simply told us to kill her. It confuses me and intrigues me at the same time.

After she falls asleep, I motion to Dante silently that I want to talk to him. We both get out of bed, leaving her sleeping peacefully, and grab sweatpants and pull them on. I glance back at Natalia quickly. She lies on her back; her lashes flutter slightly as she breathes softly through parted lips. She is so fucking stunning. I shake my head at myself as I walk to the kitchen with my brother behind me. Natalia is fucking with my head. I want to punish her, yet I want to protect her. There’s a strong urge for me to destroy anyone who has ever hurt her, starting with her fucking sister. I shouldn’t care. I just wanted to fuck her. But I do care, far more than I’m willing to admit.

Dante stands staring at me when I call Benji telling him I want fucking everything on the Grant family. Every single piece of information on the sister and her parents. No stone is to be left unturned. I need to know every way she’s been hurt. Once I have that information, people will pay.

“She’s going to be really pissed if you kill Nicole.”

I shrug nonchalantly, like it doesn’t matter because it doesn’t.

“She’ll get over it. If her own fucking sister hurt her enough to make her cut herself, she needs to die. We both know there isn’t another option. Anyone that causes harm to what’s ours is dealt with in the same way. Her family will be no different.”

Dante grabs two glasses from the cabinet and pours us both two fingers of whiskey. He hands me one before leaning against the counter. “Agreed, but you better be prepared for one pissed off woman. She might actually cut you.”

I grin while I imagine our sweet woman losing it on me. That’s exactly what I want from her. Natalia exploding and fighting for herself is exactly what I’m hoping for. I know enough about her family already to know she takes whatever she’s given. She doesn’t stand up for herself, and that pisses me off.

“I fucking hope she does.”

Dante chuckles lightly, “She’s right, you are a psycho.”

I don’t inform my brother that it’s not about wanting her to cause me pain, but about her standing up to fight for herself instead of bottling everything inside. I don’t particularly enjoy pain, but I am not afraid of it either. When I told her I’d rather she hurt me than herself, I was being sincere. She’s different from the women I normally fuck. My normal type is beautiful like she is, but not damaged and not good. She’s so fucking good. Natalia is good to everyone except herself, and it drives me fucking crazy.

He sets his empty glass on the counter. “So what’s the plan?”

“We’ll start with the sister. If we don’t get what we need, we’ll move on to the parents.”

While I’m not planning to kill her parents, things could change depending on what I find out. If we determine they have hurt her, then they will also die. The information we’ve gathered on Natalia isn’t enough. There are more holes than a slice of swiss cheese. If she won’t be forthcoming with the information, I will find it through other means.

CHAPTER 18

NATALIA

Sleeping between two dangerous men shouldn’t have been possible. Fear alone should’ve kept me awake all night long, yet I slept like a baby. Opening my eyes, the first thing I see is Drake, pressed against me, but I feel Dante against my back. I try to get away from both of them, but Drake tightens his hold around my shoulders, pulling me against his chest, while Dante's fingers dig into my hip.

“Pretty Girl, you aren’t going anywhere,” Drake says against my neck. His voice is dark and husky, but it’s his breath on my skin that causes shivers to roll down my spine. Drake’s lips graze my neck while his brother’s tongue travels down my back. Drake turns to his back and pulls me on top of him. “Straddle my hips. I need to get inside that pretty pussy.”

I move into the position he wants me in, feeling slightly sore from last night, and he grabs my hips and slams into me, causing me to yelp from the intrusion. I jump slightly when Dante rubs circles around my asshole. He chuckles lightly, “Has anybody fucked this beautiful ass, baby?”

“No,” I nearly yell with urgency, “I don’t want-”

Drake smacks my ass. “We take what we want, Natalia. If my brother wants that beautiful asshole, he’ll take it. Understood?”

A tear trickles down my cheek as I glare at him before nodding, “Yes. I fucking get it.”

He wraps his arms around my back and pulls me onto his chest, gripping me firmly so I can’t move as Dante spreads my ass cheeks, causing me to whimper with fear.. Drake spreads his legs and speaks to his brother, “If your balls fucking touch me, I’m cutting your dick off.”

My giggles are short-lived when Dante pushes another finger inside me. I cry out. Drake holds me down firmer in a near crushing grip. Every muscle in my body tenses when I feel the head of his cock pushing inside my ass.

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