Page 13 of Bound in Sacrifice

I enter the cell and he locks the door behind me. As I turn and face him, another man’s terrified plea for help rings through the corridor and I gasp in fear.

“Father!”

“No, it wasn’t your father,” he says to me.

“What? How--how do you know for sure?” I sob.

“Because, The Beast always keeps his word,” he answers. “He said he wasn’t going to kill Mauro.”

“Sorry if I am not reassured by that statement.” I roll my eyes at him.

He turns, taking a step down the corridor, back in the direction from which we came.

“Wait! Please! Can you talk to him? Can you let him know that he can’t just keep people locked up like this? If he wants to sue us, then by all means!”

“Sorry,” he says, and for some reason, I actually believe he means it. “When The Beast has his mind made up, there’s no talking him out of it.”

The Beast.

I’ve been referring to him correctly these past two days; it’s not hard to see why people call him that.

“It’s a rather fitting nickname,” I glower.

“You’ve got that right,” he snorts. “Look, I shouldn’t say anything, and if you tell anyone I did I’ll deny it until the day I die, but you’re not in danger here. I know it feels that way but The Beast, well,sometimeshe’s more bark than bite.”

“Sometimes. That’s just as reassuring as the last bit of information you gave me,” I scoff.

“I’m Luca.” he offers me his hand through the bars of my cell door.

He just locked mein a cell, and now he’s offering me his hand in a polite gesture? I’m confused. Is this a way to lure me into a false sense of security so I don’t go straight to the police should he decide to let me go one day? Why is he all of a sudden being nice to me and acting like he’s trying to become friends?

Reluctantly, I take his hand in mine. As soon as our fingers meet, I feel my body relax a tiny bit, as if he's sending me calming vibes. I want to believe that he’s a nice guy, and he does seem like it, but I also need to be careful when it comes to hope.

“Rosabelle,” I say.

“Nice to meet you, officially. I’ll have some extra blankets brought down for you. It can get cold in here at night.”

“Thanks,” I mutter.

This time, when he begins to walk away, I let him. I can feel the tears forming again, and I would like to cry in private for the first time tonight, rather than in a room full of pig-headed men.

Dejectedly wandering over to the bed, I lift the blanket to my nose, praying it doesn’t smell old and musty. I brace myself for a worse smelling version of this dank basement that I am in and inhale lightly. I’m shocked by the smell of roses that wafts into my nose.

The pleasant smell relaxes my body, or perhaps my body is finally crashing in response to the over-stimulating events of today. I climb on top of the bed and settle myself with my back against the wall. I don’t know how long I sit there sobbing through my grief, but eventually, I lull myself into slumber.

Chapter Seven

The Beast

What a fucking night this has been.

I rub my fatigue-filled eyes as I watch over the club from the catwalk above it. It feels like a week has passed since I found out about the theft. It’s hard to believe it was only last night, but at least the loose ends are tied up, for now.

Reggie, the money-skimming scoundrel, is currently sinking to the depths of the ocean at the base of the cliff La Tour sits on. We made it look like he was some drunk asshole walking near the edge and fell off of it, just in case the bastard washes up anywhere. We lucked out that it was dark; Cohen’s body shape and size are similar to Reggie’s, so the dark silhouette wobbling across the screen on the security footage will be believable.

Mauro is out of my club for good. No more will that cheap, sloppy-ass, good-for-nothing, drunk vagabond, who doesn’t know how to keep his motherfucking hands off of what doesn’t belong to him, be invading in my space.

And the biggest shock of all, I’ve got my little lamb in a cell in the basement. When I told Dex to bring me Mauro’s most prized possessions, I never expected that they would show up with a person, let aloneher. I’m still not sure what I am going to do about her, yet. I know I’m a piece of shit for locking her away, but I need to make sure she’s not a flight risk before I let her roam around freely. I can’t have her running off to find her toxic Daddy.

---