He watches me closely, clearly not entirely fooled by my state of deadness, but not sure enough to be certain. Maybe he thinks I’m just sleeping, too exhausted by hunger and the whole kidnapping experience to keep myself conscious.
He steps closer to the bars, his eyes narrowed and watching me far too closely. My pulse thunders and the sound is deafening in my ears, but I keep myself still. I’ve come too far to lose the game now. Besides, I want to see the day when Roman, Levi, and Marcus rule over this bastard and make his life a living hell.
“You,” he spits, clearly not remembering my name, assuming he’s even been told it before. But considering he’s Giovanni’s brother, I can only imagine what type of fun-filled conversations they’ve had about the princess locked up in the giant castle with her three devils keeping guard. Though one thing is for sure, in every story that has been told, Giovanni has underestimated me, and I can’t wait for the day that comes back to haunt him.
Felicity’s hair itches against my cheek as her rotten stench stings my nose but I keep myself grounded, focusing on the better moments as I watch this man stare back at me with his hand pressing against his junk, slowly rubbing.
A lump forms in my throat and I have to force myself not to gag. “I’m talking to you,” he growls, pressing so close to the bars that his fat caves around them.
“She’s dead,” Ariana spits from her cell, her tone wild and shaking, making the younger version of Giovanni pause and look back. “Your brother strangled her two days ago.”
His lips kick up into a wicked grin before his tongue rolls over his bottom lip. “There you are,” he taunts, making it clear that she had been his target all along. “So impatient. Don’t you worry, I’ll make my way to you eventually.”
“You’re fucking sick, Phillip.”
He just laughs as though it was his greatest compliment before turning his attention back on me. “Ever fucked a dead body, Ari? They don’t scream. Don’t move. They can’t escape you and you’re free to do whatever the fuck you want.”
Fucking Ariana. Set me up to take the fall again.
“Fuck her all you want,” Ariana says through gritted teeth, “though you and I both know your nephews will be coming for her, and if they find her tight little body defiled by your grubby hands and limp dick, they will personally see to it that they end your life, and you know how they get when they’re emotional. They wouldn’t be able to resist using those two precious daughters against you.”
Phillip’s eyes flash with indecision, knowing damn well that she’s right. The boys will slaughter him just for thinking about defiling my dead body. His eyes brighten with a sick desperation as his hand digs into his pocket and pulls out an old, iron key. “They’ll never know it was me.”
“Look around you, asshole,” Ariana laughs, indicating toward the four corners of the room and pointing out the four cameras that most likely don’t work. “You really think Giovanni isn’t watching his little toys? You know how he doesn’t like to share. Despite how much he hates me, I’m still his wife, and she is his only weapon against his sons.”
“Oh, really?” he laughs with a confidence that sends shivers over my skin. He glances back toward Ariana and shuffles himself across the dirty floor just in time to miss the way his sick tone has my hairs standing on edge, giving me away. “You may still be his wife, but he’s more than happy to share.”
My stare flicks back toward Ariana’s, watching as horror settles over her face, realizing at the same time as I do that he’s whoring out his wife for a quick buck. “He sold me?” she demands, sucking in a sharp breath filled with the worst kind of betrayal.
Phillip laughs as he drops his gaze over her body, but the way she quickly glances back at me with a knowing sadness deep in her eyes tells me that she had been expecting this, and honestly, I’m not surprised. She was forced by Giovanni’s side for years. If anyone knows just how sick and twisted his mind is, it would be her.
“You’re damn right, he did,” he slurs, distracted by her body as he pulls off his suit jacket to reveal a sweat-soaked button-down shirt that rides up at the front, showing off his greasy, hairy stomach below. “Surely you didn’t think he was just going to let you sit and rot here when he could be making money off your tight little cunt.” He quickly glances back at me, too far away to see how my eyes are opened to narrow slits. “Shame the bitch is dead though. He would have made a nice profit off that one.”
His chunky gold chain dangles around his neck and the matching bracelet clangs against the metal as he pushes the key into the lock. I shake my head, watching with tears filling my eyes, knowing without a doubt what’s about to happen, but what can I do? I’m trapped in here and screaming at him only ensures that I’ll be hurt too.
“If you fucking touch me …” she says, trailing off, her threat clear as day.
Phillip laughs and releases his belt from his suit pants before sliding the door open with a loud BANG that makes me flinch. He stands imposingly at her cell door, his intentions crystal clear. “Don’t act like you don’t want it,” he says. “You’re a fucking whore for DeAngelis dick. From what I hear, you’ve been making your way around the family. Fucked a few of my brothers. My nephews. Even Antonio got up inside that dried up, used cunt of yours. It was only a matter of time before you came begging to me.”
Ariana laughs despite the fear in her eyes, showing just how strong she can truly be. “You don’t think us Mafia wives talk? You don’t think your wife has told me all about your little … shortcomings. We laugh about it all the time. So trust me, I would have never come begging for you, not when the only time your wife has ever come was when you were sleeping beside her.”
Phillip storms into her cell, dropping down over her and slamming his hand to her mouth while I’m all too aware of the keys he’s left dangling from the cell door. “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll shut the fuck up,” he seethes through a clenched jaw, her words clearly ringing true to garner such a feisty response out of the joke of the century.
She glares up at him, buckling beneath him, trying to get his stench-filled body off her, but the wild, erratic movements only work against her. “Calm down,” he taunts. “There will be plenty of time for that.”
Ariana rages at him, her words muffled by his hand on her mouth, and though I know I should close my eyes, I can’t seem to look away from the horrors unfolding before me. Phillip presses his weight over her, keeping her pinned as he brings up his other hand and forces her wrists together. Taking his belt, he binds her wrists before pulling up and dragging her across her dirty cell while she struggles against his violent hold.
He loops the belt around the metal bars, ensuring she can’t get away, and tightens until her fingers turn a sickly shade of red before losing color all together. Phillip reaches for her dirty clothes and starts yanking her pants down her legs as she tries to kick at him and do what she can to save herself, but it’s too late. I can’t help her like this, and with her wrists bound and locked against the bar, I don’t see how she could possibly help herself. This is going to happen and there’s nothing that either of us can do about it but wait until the abuse is over.
Her pants fly across the dirty cell, and he tears her underwear from her body, leaving her more exposed and vulnerable. “Don’t fucking touch me,” she spits, horrified as he releases the button on his suit pants and pulls his dick free.
She kicks up, narrowly avoiding his junk as Phillip springs back to avoid crushing his balls, immediately slamming a foot against her ribs. Her cry echoes through the whole basement. The sound cripples me and a tear rolls down the side of my face, the dead body beneath me all but forgotten.
Phillip drops down, his knee slamming against her inner thigh with all his weight. “Try that shit again and I will slit your throat and then fuck you. Is that clear?”
Ariana whimpers, and even from across the basement with the shitty lighting, I can see the big tears fall from her eyes. My heart breaks and without a doubt, this horrendous torture is worse for me to take in than having to endure Lucas’ torture. Hell, even Roman and Levi’s.
The night in the old industrial area, I came close to this same shit with Draven Miller, but I knew that the boys were close by. Even back then, I knew they wouldn’t allow him to hurt me, but Ariana has no one. No white knight to swoop in and save her. Hell, we’ve both been lucky that the bastards upstairs haven’t already tried this shit on us.