Page 13 of UnWholly Angels
His eyes darted to the suitcase that sat neatly packed on my bed, and he smirked. In his slight moment of distraction, my hand shot out and I took a chance, slicing my freshly manicured nails down the side of his face. At least if he killed me tonight, there would be enough DNA under my fingernails to prove it. Not that anything would be done anyway; Rocco was untouchable.
A pained groan left his lips as I was dropped to the floor. I cried out as more jagged pieces of broken glass sank into my tender flesh, causing a repeated, searing pain. Wiping the blood from his face, Rocco ran his tongue across his top teeth while simultaneously wiping his hand over the top of his pants. My gaze moved to the floor, tears welling in my eyes while I tried tocatch my breath. I hoped he would be done with his little tirade, but that was a gift I would never be given.
Instead, he kept going with a mocking tone, as if he were scolding a child. “Then you come home wearinghisjersey, hiding it in the closet like an idiot. Like I wouldn’t know where you were tonight, or how you acted like a whore, throwing yourself at him,” Rocco spat.
“I’m only acting like the person you groomed me to be, so what’s the problem?” I snapped back. His face flushed a deep shade of red, and I knew I had fucked up. I knew better than to talk back, especially when he was already in a mood.
Rocco’s bottom lip jutted out as he shook his head with disdain. My hand flew to my face as I crawled backward to the closet, already knowing what would come next. He was too fast, faking me out as he lunged, just before straightening up and stepping past me to rip the hidden jersey from the top shelf.
“What are you doing?” I panicked, trying to snatch the jersey back.
Reaching into his back pocket, Rocco pulled out a shiny mental lighter, one that adorned the seal of the Vitale family. I’d never forget that damn seal. A Bloody hand holding a goat head in the palm. My eyes darted between the piece of fabric and the monster in front of me. I’d take the physical abuse over and over again if it meant the mental anguish would stop. The flame danced angrily, almost mocking me. “Please don’t. Why can’t you just let me go?” I cried.
His laugh sent shivers down my spine. “Why? So you can go and find him? He didn't want you, Maya. He left you bloody and battered back then, don’t you remember? I found you and picked up the pieces. Clearly, I’ve spoiled you too much over the years. Gave you too much freedom.”
“You’re lying!” I shouted. His cologne permeated the room, burning my nostrils as I swallowed the bile down beforereaching for the jersey. “I hope he makes you suffer before he kills you! He’s going to flat out castrate you, and I'm going to let him!” The change in octave startled me as my voice rose higher, sounding hoarse from the rawness I felt. But I meant every word.
I only had a moment to register his hand before it whipped across my face, sending bright red liquid to the floor. My ears rang, the high-pitched noise ricocheting through my ears before silence encapsulated the room, aside from my quiet sobs. Blood dripped from my nose and pooled onto the carpet in droplets. Wiping it away with the back of my hand, vomit rose and spilled from my mouth down onto the floor.
The lighter flipped open again, and I sucked in a breath, watching as the flames licked at the jersey until it dropped to the floor in a fiery heap. Riley’s last name was barely visible through the red and orange hues. It almost reminded me of the sunrise we watched years ago.
“Your days are numbered…he can’t save you any more than you can save yourself,” Rocco snapped. Stopping just short of the doorway, he turned back to me with a Cheshire grin. “If you ever threaten me again, Maya, I’ll lock you in your cage and parade you around as my personal circus act.” He spat at the floor with the threat before walking out of the room.
Once he was out of earshot, I slowly crawled to the jersey, glass crunching under my fingers as I moved painfully across the carpet. The smoke alarm blared in the hallway, but that wasn’t my focus. The fabric twisted beneath my slender fingers, and a disgusting mix of blood and tears fell in droplets onto what remained.
“I’m sorry for leaving you,” I whispered into the darkness. It smelled like sulfur and ash, burning the baby hairs in my nose, but at that moment, all I wanted was to be in his arms again. “I should've told you who I was. I should have told you I needed help.”
Pushing myself to my feet, I let the fabric fall from my fingers before walking toward my vanity in a haze. I stared at my reflection, hiccupping and allowing more tears to trail down my battered face, disgusted at the person I'd become. There was no other choice if I wanted to live. It was time to get out of here.
Reaching into my drawer, I pulled out tweezers and held them up to my face, inspecting them. I wanted to make sure they were sharp enough for what was about to happen. Scanning the smooth surface of the vanity, I searched for something to bite down on. Ripping this godforsaken tracker out would be painful, but I could handle it.
I had never wanted to be sliced and diced, to be turned into Rocco’s perfect little doll. After the assault, I had learned to love my scars and would have been happy to keep them. But when he found me, Rocco insisted I get plastic surgery to restore my beauty. My nose was completely reshaped, scar removed, and you could barely see my freckles anymore. Sometimes I wanted to dig my nails into my face and rip it off, but it stayed there like an iron mask, leaving me forever trapped in skin that didn’t feel like my own.
Taking a deep breath, I placed my arm on the vanity and began feeling along my skin. My fingers poked and prodded, searching for the hard mass before finally finding the small piece of metal. “There you are, you little shit,” I laughed to myself. Using the sharp edges of the tweezers, I wasted no time digging into the sensitive flesh.
Blood pooled around the wound, and a painful squeak erupted from my throat, but I couldn't stop now. My leg shook anxiously, beating a rushed pattern into the floor. The searing pain almost caused me to pass out, my eyes rolling back from the intensity.
Finish this, Maya, you can do it.
Finally, the small, flexible shape sat between the claws of the tweezers. I couldn’t believe how something so small could be sopainful. Red painted every inch of my arm and splattered against the white of the wood. With an angry fist, I placed the tracker on the vanity and smashed it into pieces, finally separating Rocco from my body. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t be long before he was notified.
I rose from my spot quickly and grabbed a small bag, knowing I’d have to run and wouldn’t be able to take my suitcase. Making sure to throw my phone and charger into it, I added a few changes of clothes before pulling the strings closed. Sweat dripped down my chest, mingling with the drying blood. The thunderous sound of footsteps crept into my ears from down the hall as I took off for the stairs.
“Maya!”
Adrenaline rushed throughout my body; it was now or never. Rocco knew now, and there would be no going back. I wasn’t just running; my life depended on how fast I could go, and how far I could make it. No one within a ten-mile radius would go against Rocco. They needed what he had to offer: women and drugs. Helping me would never be worth the risk.
Footsteps barreled down the hallway rapidly. They were coming fast, and it would be impossible to outrun them. This would need to be calculated; one wrong move and I’d be dead by dinner. As I reached the bottom of the stairs, my eyes hurriedly searched the room for a covert place to hide. I hurled my body behind a few disgustingly expensive statues, bending my body into a tight ball. My shaky breaths threatened to give away my location.
“I saw her run in here,” one of Rocco’s men said gruffly, knocking my handmade porcelain angels from the decorated table.
“She needs to pay for her indiscretions. He needs her phone, too. Who knows what’s been recorded,” another shot back, a lowwhistle rumbling from his lips. “Wait until he gets his hands on her.”
“Maybe we’ll get a taste before he ends her. You know it’s coming. He’s getting bored. Once he takes Kingston out, he has no use for her,” the other replied in a sinister tone that sent shivers down my spine.
The sight of a foot snaking between each of the statues caused my body to tense, and I held my breath. They were getting closer, and the thought of what punishment I would face if caught fueled my fight to get out safely. If Chloe could find a way to escape the abuse, so could I.
Peering slightly over the head of a weeping angel, I realized they were heading into the main dining area. I quickly grabbed a branch from the Christmas tree I’d yet to take down. It was a stupid act of defiance to not clean up from the holidays, but now Rocco could lift a lazy finger and do it himself. Working fast, I scraped the edge of the branch against the base of the statue, forming a small yet sharp point. It would be the perfect form of protection and cause a small distraction to help me escape.
