Page 38 of De Luca: The Sinister Game

Bebe tries to move her arms, but of course it’s not possible. She groans in pain, saying, "It was at Walt Disney World." Your mother fell to the ground during some kind of medical emergency. Without thinking about it, I grabbed your stroller and took off with you as people ran to help her. I was gone before anyone noticed you were missing. Henry never wanted you, but he knew if I returned you, I’d go to prison. So we kept you. Even after we realized you would never fit in with our family. It was like constantly playing a game of which of these things does not belong. At that point, we were stuck with you.”

“Is my mother alive?” Natalia asks in the smallest voice I think I’ve ever heard her use.

Bebe laughs, “I don’t know. Honestly, I don’t even know her name.”

“Anything else, Sunshine?” Dante asks.

She shakes her head, “No. Wait. Yes. Why did you take me?”

“I thought you were the missing piece I wanted. You weren’t. I’ve regretted it every day since I brought you into our lives. Now, tell these assholes to let me go.”

Stepping forward, I watch my new favorite fucking sight. I’ve been waiting for Natalia to stand up for herself. To stop acting like a goddamn doormat. She glares at Bebe with a fierce expression. “No. If they kill you, my only request will be to watch.”

Turning to me, she smiles, “I’m ready to see Nicole now.”

* * *

Natalia

I hold my head high and walk out of the room, ignoring her vile words. In the middle of a deep, cleansing breath, Drake grabs me by the throat and pushes me up against the wall. “Jesus Christ, Pretty Girl. I knew one day you’d show us how fucking strong you are.”

A whimper escapes from my mouth as his lips descend on mine. Dante groans while he watches his brother practically fuck my mouth with his tongue. Drake breaks our kiss with a chuckle. “Are you ready, baby?”

I nod breathlessly because I’m ready to get this over with. Neither of my so-called parents have been kind to me through the years. However, no one has been more vicious than Nicole. She has always been my biggest tormentor. The voice in my head telling me how worthless I am is hers. I have taken it for years, hoping she’d one day mature and realize what a monster she has been and things would magically change. I longed for a sister, that relationship you hear about between siblings. To find out she’s not even related to me is mind-boggling.

“I need to find my parents,” I say to both brothers as we walk into the room where Nicole is being held.

Dante assures me, "I'm on it," while I observe Nicole, her arms chained above her head, just like Bebe. I have always been a good person. I try to do the right thing. I’m not one of those people that go out of my way to hurt people. Unlike Nicole.

Yet here I am, staring at her miserable face, tears streaking her cheeks, and instead of feeling bad for her, I think I might be elated. Yes, I’m taking joy in her misfortune. For once, I have the upper hand.

Drake says, “Do you have questions for her, baby?”

There is one burning question I’ve had for years. It’s stupid because I already know the answer, but ‌I want to hear it from her spiteful mouth.

“It was you, right? You’re the reason I can’t dance.”

As always, she denies it, “I didn’t touch your knees.”

I glance at Drake, since Dante appears to be busy texting on his phone.

“Can you make her tell me the truth?”

He grins in response. “I thought you’d never ask.”

Pulling a remote from his pocket, he presses a button and Nicole screams as her arms are pulled up, the chains on her wrists moving further up to the ceiling. Interesting.

“I know it wasn’t you that hit me, but you’re responsible for it, right?”

She hangs from the ceiling, her feet just above the floor, and I know her arms hurt as she’s being unnaturally stretched.

“Yes. I had him do it.”

Drake says to me, “Do you want her to tell you why?”

I shake my head, “No. I already know the answer to that. Nicole was never as good of a dancer as I was. The only way she could dance the lead was to take me out.”

Dante pockets his phone and asks me, “What else do you need, Sunshine?”

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