Page 109 of His Tesoro

“You’re lying.” Rage danced in Angelo’s eyes, and I was terrified he would attack Domenico and get shot. Just then, his phone rang.

“Romeo,” Angelo said, relief washing over his face as he answered. The rest of the conversation was completed in rapid Italian. I only caught a couple of words, but the horror in Angelo’s eyes was all too easy to understand.

He hung up.

“Sofiya,” he said, his voice gentle.

“No,” I croaked, shaking my head. “What’s happening? Don’t leave me here.”

My bodyguard looked anguished. “It’s just until the Boss returns. It shouldn’t be long.”

“Please,” I begged. “Please don’t do this.”

Domenico grabbed my wheelchair, pushing me into the cell. Noodle whined, refusing to leave my side.

“Get out.”

Before I could process Domenico’s command, he tipped the wheelchair forward, and I cried out. I managed to grab onto Noodle, who steadied me and prevented me from hitting the ground too hard.

The enforcer grabbed Noodle’s leash and started to pull. Tears spilled down my cheeks as I shouted at him to let go. But he just sneered and dragged my crying dog out of the cell, slamming the door behind them.

The room was shrouded in darkness.

And I was alone.

I didn’t know how much time had passed when the door opened again. Domenico entered, dragging a metal chair in one hand and holding a flashlight in his other. I peered around him, trying to spot Angelo or Noodle, but the door shut with a loud clang, leaving me alone in the small room with the enforcer. I clenched my jaw hard to keep my tears from falling.

“You thought you were being quite clever, didn’t you?” Domenico asked, flipping on the flashlight. It cast threatening shadows along the walls.

“I don’t know what you mean.”

A sinister smile spread across his face as he leaned back in his chair. “I’m going to enjoy watching the Boss get information from you. When I first saw him torture a man, I’d never seen anything like it. That man was a traitor, too. The Boss kept him alive for a full week, slowly carving away his fingernails and then his fingers and then his limbs. Every part of his body was so mangled by the time he finally died, he barely looked human. It was… inspiring.”

Chills wracked my body, and my armpits grew damp. “I’m not a traitor.”

Domenico snorted. “At least you have a couple hours to practice your acting.”

Anger flared in my chest. “I’m not acting.”

“We’ve known for weeks that someone was feeding intel to the Albanians. The Boss certainly didn’t expect that it was you, but the evidence is overwhelming.” His eyes darkened as they raked over my body, and I suddenly felt horribly naked. “I wonder if he’ll start with waterboarding. It’s incredible what he can do with such a small amount of water. Or maybe taking each of your pretty little toenails. If I’m lucky, I’ll get a turn.”

My mind rejected his words. Matteo cared about me. He would never hurt me. Domenico must have gone rogue.

But then… Angelo had confirmed the order with Romeo.

Panic flared in my chest. “This is all a misunderstanding,” I said, but my words sounded weak.

Domenico just laughed. I moved as far away from him as I could in this tiny, disgusting cell. The concrete floor was cold and dirty, and my position made me even more vulnerable in front of the horrible enforcer.

“Goodbye, Mrs. Rossi. Not that I’ll be calling you that for much longer. I hope you enjoy your stay.”

The room was blanketed in oppressive darkness, making it impossible to know how much time had passed. I curled my body around my knees, trying to generate heat. But it was futile—the damp cold of the concrete floor and walls felt like ice through my clothes. My chattering teeth broke the silence, but nothing could distract me from the pain in my bladder.

I half-scooted, half crawled to the metal door and banged my hands against it.

“I have to go to the bathroom. Please let me out.” My voice was hoarse from the hours I’d spent screaming for help when I was first put in here. I finally slumped against the door as tears streamed down my face.

I was alone.

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