Page 46 of Tortured Hearts
“Youcoglione! I told you to control our guest, not fuck her. Put your dick away and get out of my sight before I blow your head off.”
All the color drains from Henry’s ruddy cheeks. Lowering his fist, he quickly shoves himself back into his jeans as an older bald man descends the stairs, one handtucked in his pocket, the other holding a gun by his side. I know who he is in an instant.
Marcello Marchesi.
Everything about him is dangerously familiar, from his blank stare to his lethal smile. He’s not here to save me. Still, I can’t help but breathe a sigh of relief as he fires a warning shot at Henry’s feet, causing him to leap halfway across the basement.
“Was I unclear the first time?”
Henry doesn’t offer a glance back at me before taking the stairs at a hurried pace, the door slamming behind him.
Gianni’s father stares at me with disgust. “Little Rebecca Reese.”
Swallowing my panic, I lift my chin. “It’s Dr. Brennan.”
His low laugh echoes throughout the empty room. “Saying something doesn’t make it true,tesoro mio. Gianni could’ve told you a name is something you can never outrun.”
I had every intention of not succumbing to this family’s mind games, but the moment I open my mouth, the same bitter accusation drips off my tongue. “You killed my mother.”
“Not personally. I don’t get my hands dirty, Rebecca. I’m a fixture that shines when needed. However, leaving you alive appears to have been a mistake.”
“Then why did you?”
“The Irish prefer a slow death to a quick one. Of course, I don’t have to tell you that, do I?”
The man is evil incarnate. There’s no humanity in his eyes, only hate.
“Is that why you branded me with the mark of my mother’s killer … some sick idea of entertainment?”
“My dear, everything I do is based on profit, not pleasure.”
“Go to hell.”
A low chuckle rumbles in his throat. “Gianni was right. Youtruly are Eve.”
How does he know Gianni called me that?
“A temptation for all men,” he explains. “As for how I know my son made the comparison…?” He smiles at the contempt I know is burning my face. “I have cameras in every corner of my house,tesora.” Pursing his lips, he gives me a bored shrug. “I have trust issues.”
I bite back nausea. Cameras mean he saw what happened between Gianni and me as well.Everything that happened.“Some would call that paranoid.”
“You say that as if it’s an insult. After all, my so-called ‘paranoia’ just saved your ass, didn’t it? That wasn’t my intent, of course. I have you under surveillance for a specific purpose.”
I glare up at him. “Because you’re a psychopath?”
A shiver skates down my spine as his smile widens. “Because you’ve dedicated your life to the art of manipulation. You’re a master of twisting minds and bending them to your will. You did it to my son. I’d be a fool to think you wouldn’t attempt the same with my men.”
“You don’t know a damn thing about me or what I do. I didn’t twist Gianni’s mind. I helped heal the damage you did to it. Unlike you, I care about him.”
There’s a pause. A beat. A whisper of silence that chills me to my core.
“Tell me, Rebecca, will you still ‘care’about him after learning about hisfiancée?”
Shock paralyzes all four limbs. I try to speak, but the words refuse to take flight.
“Mmmm, speechless. I can’t say I’m surprised. My son has an unfortunate history of putting a ring on one woman and his dick in another.” Marcello drops to his haunches, and I cringe as he brushes a lock of hair off my forehead. “I’d say I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but after all the trouble you’ve caused me, that’d be a lie. So, I’ll be brutally honest; you psychiatristsprefer that, no?”
I bat his hand away, his taunt jerking me out of my haze. “Just say it.”
