Page 85 of The Gilded Cuff
Antonio laughed even though she had not given him the reaction he would have wanted. “You must not have cared much for her.”
“I care, which is something someone like you will never understand.”
She got to her feet, slowly and carefully. She wasn’t going to let him do anything else to her, with his words or otherwise, not without a fight. Gone was the frightened child on the playground. There was no innocence left in her to destroy. For once she was pure strength.
Antonio’s black eyes filled with wicked glee. “You aren’t frightened, are you.” It was a statement, not a question.
“What’s there to be scared of? An assassin who couldn’t even kill two eight-year-old boys? You had twenty-five years to kill Emery even though he’s been here all along. Yeah, you’re terrifying.” Sarcasm dripped from every word. The flash of anger on his face made her grin inside. He reigned in his temper, though.
“You expect me to kill you quickly, if I lose my temper. You’d miss the fun of torture. Smart girl. I see why Emery is so anxious to get you back.”
Finally something had gone right. Emery didn’t love her and wouldn’t be entering a certain deathtrap to rescue her. It was a small reassurance.
“He won’t come.” She relaxed, confident. Whatever would happen would be between the two of them. She could brave him and his cruelty, but Emery had to stay away.
“You’re wrong. He’s on his way. You see…I was the one who convinced him you’d been keeping the news about Fenn a secret to hurt him. And he hurt you back, didn’t he?”
Her face betrayed her pain and the malevolent delight he took from her expression made her stomach turn.
“He’s always been easy to manipulate. I used Fenn as a way to control him when I had both boys. They used to gang up on the two men I hired to help me. They were spoiled little brats and they fought so hard to escape, so many times. But I figured them out. All it took was separation. Emery would cower and do whatever I wanted if I hurt Fenn. It actually proved rather fascinating. I used to put Fenn in another room and torture him. He never made a sound, but Emery did. He had no way of knowing what I did to his brother but he would scream in pain each time I sliced his brother’s flesh.” Antonio pulled a hunting knife out of his boot and held it up for her to see.
“I’ve had my suspicions, you see, that those boys had some sort of connection to each other. I’ve spent the past twenty-five years fulfilling other contracts—”
“Kills, you mean,” Sophie spat.
“Yes. I kept tabs on Emery. He never once showed signs he was communicating with his brother. It took me longer to find Fenn on my own. But I did. The funny thing is, he can’t remember a thing. He’s been raised by strangers and has no clue to who he really is. It will be so much easier killing him. He’ll never see it coming.”
Sophie slowly got up, easing out of her black pumps. The concrete was cold and rough beneath the soles of her feet, but it was better than being in heels. She’d break an ankle if she wasn’t careful.
This is no different than the last time. You got out alive that time too.Her inner voice tried to encourage her, but she knew chances of her survival were slim. Sometimes one had to go down fighting and take the enemy down with them if they could. If she died and took Antonio with her, it would be her last act to save Emery.
“Have you decided you’d like to play, then?” He flicked the knife in the air and caught it.
She kept her steady gaze. Over the years she’d learned how to deal with men like him. They enjoyed power, and their ability to hurt others. If she presented herself as weak, he’d kill her immediately and it wouldn’t give her any advantage to die now. Any shift of her eyes, any slight indication of her thoughts or plans would be seen. He’d pick up on them and stop her. That left only a few options. She needed him to put the knife down.
“I think I’ll leave you in pieces for him to find. Cut you up and scatter your little bloody bits all over the mansion. It will destroy him and when he’s barely able to breathe, I’ll come in and finish him off.” Antonio studied her body like a butcher eyeing a fresh carcass.
Breathe in, breathe out. It’ll be okay. She summoned her last bit of control and plastered a cool smile on her face.
“I guess the joke is on you, too. I never really loved him, you know. He was an easy target for my story.” She crossed her arms over her chest, hiding her shaking hands with a false bravado.
He raised one brow in challenge.
She continued. “What, you thought I really loved him? You’re just as gullible as he is. I played into his fantasy. A quiet, repressed submissive, looking for a master to open up her world to the darker side of the bedroom. It was only too easy and the poor sucker bought it hook, line, and sinker. He told me everything. I’ll be famous when the story hits the papers.” She eyed him speculatively. “I suppose I have you to thank for it. If you weren’t such a pathetic psycho I’d be tempted to say we should team up. But I don’t like you, so you’ll forgive me if I don’t offer to split the fame and fortune part of this deal.” She continued to talk, her tone nonchalant, attempting to sound amused by the situation. Her eyes roved the room, using the momentary distraction of her voice to check for anything she could use as a weapon.
He still watched her through narrowed eyes, but he lowered the knife a few inches.
“You love him. I saw it when you looked at him tonight.” He didn’t seem as certain as before, though. His brow furrowed slightly.
Sophie pressed her advantage.
“Right, because women can’t act.” Her tone dripped with sarcasm. “You have no idea what I’m capable of. It was all a lie. He fell for it, and so did you. Never try to beat a woman when it comes to mind games. We’re better at it. It’s just simple evolution. Thousands of years of manipulating men to get what we want.” She kept his attention by brushing a cobweb out of the way just a few inches from her face while her eyes swept the cellar, her gaze settling for a second on a large shovel. It was ten feet away, and she had no clue how to get past Antonio without him attacking. He held the knife loosely but that could change at a second’s notice.
“Well, it doesn’t matter whatever you’ve intended. He still loves you and killing you will hurt him, especially if he never knows your true feelings.” Antonio’s pronouncement forced her heart into her throat.
Time for plan B?Her inner voice was shaky. Sometimes no matter what you did, the deck was stacked against you. How often had her father said that when she’d get upset over something? She wished he was here now, so she could apologize for not calling more often, for not coming home to visit. There were too many things she’d failed to do in recent years…but she wasn’t going to let this one man destroy her world so easily.
Screw the deck, screw the game. There was only one option.
