Page 1 of The Sicilian Heir
Chapter 1
Eunji
The time was finally here, Rosalina Picone and Nicolo Falcone's wedding day. We were all in Philadelphia because Rose wanted to have a small wedding at a hotel in her home city. It would be the very last time she would see the city. To appease Nick's family, Rose had chosen her dress in New York. Vittorio, Rose's brother and my kidnapper, forced me to go there to get my maid-of-honor dress. I wouldn't admit that I had a good time. There, I met the rest of the Picone famiglia. Any time a brother got close to me, Vito appeared and dragged them off. It was weird.
I had changed over the last few weeks. Ever since that dreadful night, the night of my first kidnapping.
The first thing I felt was pain. So much pain in my abdomen. I opened my eyes to feel the glare of a bright light wreaking havoc on my eyes and shut my lids quickly. A tiny sound came from my right and I whipped my head toward it. Romano waltzed into the room. He sneered at me and undid the shackles on my wrists. I rubbed them while eyeing him warily.
"Get up; you've got work to do." He didn't give me a chance to listen to him. He grabbed my hair and pulled me off the cold metal table. It had only a light sheet on it and was hard against my back. There was a stabbing pain in my lower stomach, and I could feel a substance trickling down my sides.
"What are you doing?" A well-dressed man stopped Romano just outside the door.
"Taking this bitch," he spat in my direction. It hit the side of my face and I shuddered.
"She won't heal properly. You need to let her have bed rest for a few weeks at least." The stranger must have been a doctor.
"Fuck that. My men are waiting." Romano dragged me by the hair, down the stairs to a large open area. There were a ton of men. All different shapes and sizes. They were all fair skinned and speaking in a different language. It sounded like Italian, but off.
Romano barked instructions and motioned toward me. It was then I realized I was naked. Completely naked in a room full of strange men. Their eyes showed the hunger and lust from drinking in my body. There was smoke in the air from cigars. Laughter from the men who were drinking. Romano approached me and said one word that forever changed my world.
"Kneel."
I shook the memories out of my head. This was Rose's day, and I wasn't going to ruin it for her. I might have healed on the outside, but my inside was very broken. No one would tell me why I couldn't return to Texas. It was always brushed off and pushed aside, which only served to piss me off more. If I wanted to leave, I should be able to. This was why I called Vito my kidnapper. The man was sexy as sin, though. It was hard to hate him when he had a body made for loving.
"Eunji, why aren't you dressed?" Rose screeched in my ear. She had been a bit of a bridezilla since Nick proposed.
She was sweet, but I thought her inner mafia princess had come out to play and it was not pretty.
"I don't need that much time to slip into my dress. By the way, have I said thank you for letting me wear my combat boots? If not, thank you kindly," I drawled.
If there was one thing I knew how to do, it would be buttering up a person. I would only do that for Rose. I had been on my best behavior, hoping that Vito would get tired of me and send me back home. That didn't seem to be the case. If anything, he was even more enamored by me. I was going to have to show him the real me if I wanted to get away from this life anytime soon.
"Yeah, you thanked me. Now get dressed, tiny." Since Rose had been given a nicknamelittle thornby Nick, she'd taken to nicknaming me tiny.
The thing was I was only slightly smaller than she was. I, however, didn't enjoy her names and repressed a growl.
We were getting ready in a hotel suite at The Monaco, in the heart of Philadelphia. The reception was going to be held in a ballroom, while there was a cocktail hour beforehand on the rooftop. I was excited for the cocktails. There was no way I would be able to be surrounded by these families without getting drunk.
My dress was laid out on the bed and it was just me and Rose in the suite. We were drinking mimosas and eating strawberries while waiting for the hair and makeup women. Rose didn't want to go all out. This was a small affair, but looking around, everything still screamed money.
"How are you coping?" Rose sank back onto the bed, resting her legs up on the pillows.
"I'm fine," I snapped.
I reached below my chair and grabbed hold of my favorite knife. It was a balisong, a beautiful butterfly knife with a black galaxy print on it. I always kept it on me. It was razor sharp and a comfort. I picked my nails with it, an awfully bad habit that I couldn't seem to break.
"I don't believe you," Rose sighed.
I knew she was frustrated with me. I didn't want her to be upset on her wedding day. It should be a happy time. Anyone with eyes could see that she and Nick were one of those couples that just belonged together. They just oozed happy-go-lucky vibes. If I were a better maid-of-honor, I would be able to be happy for my friend. But I couldn't. I was homesick, being held against my will and forced to stay in a place where I wasn't comfortable.
"Do you think you could have Nick try to reason with Vito?" I knew it was a long shot, but I had to try.
"You don't want to be here?" Rose tilted her head at me in confusion.
Sometimes she could be so dense. Maybe it was because she was born into this life.
"Rose, the compound is cold. It isn't my home. I don't know anyone here. I'm healed for the most part. I want to go back to Texas." I spoke as if she were a child. Sometimes she acted like one if I was being honest.
