Chapter 61

**Lily**

It was the middle of the night, and I was standing on a field with Tommaso. His arm kept me in a headlock by squeezing my windpipe, and he kept his gun to my head. I clutched onto his arm, trying to get more oxygen in my body. I knew I must look like shit after the punches I received, and after how many tears I have cried.

Matteo was standing opposite of us, weapon in his hand and several men behind him. I didn’t register what they spoke about, I was just so scared. I really wanted Matteo to save me from Tommaso. I was trying to catch his eye, but he wouldn’t look at me. The longer we stood there out on that field with that gun to my head, the less hope I had remaining. Matteo didn’t glance at me even once.

All the words that Tommaso had been telling me in the past hours started to resonate in my head, and I started to question myself. Does he care about me at all? Was it all an act? Was he here to save me, or to save his business? Had he even meant anything he said before? I shook my head as much as I could with Tommaso crushing my windpipe in reaction to it, I needed to do something to get Tommaso’s words out of my head. I focused on Matteo again, but still no sign that I mattered to him. I tried to scream, but no noise came out of my mouth.

My hope to get out of here was hanging on by a thread. I know I should keep faith that Matteo really loved me. After all he said that he did, but then the ghosts that Tommaso put in my head continued to fight my belief.

“You get Nero back, we get Lily back.”, Matteo said, and a spark of hope came back in me. And then chaos happened. I heard Tommaso laugh loudly in my ear. I saw panic cross Matteo’s face, and I saw Ennio charging forward, but being stopped by two men I didn’t recognize. Ennio kept yelling profanities at Tommaso, but he only laughed louder hearing them.

It was only then I realized that Nero had been shot dead. Seeing the panic, it must have been someone loyal to Tommaso who shot him. It was the only leverage that Matteo had. It was also the hope I was clinging onto, and it was now gone. Matteo was not going to give up the keys to his business.

Tommaso was laughing like a madman, and it was terrifying me. If I wasn’t getting out of here tonight, then… I didn’t want to think about what would happen if I didn’t.

I saw panic in Luciano’s eyes, and hatred in Ennio’s. I saw nothing in Matteo’s.

“You know my terms. Let me know when you are ready to concede.”, Tommaso said, and he dragged me back to my prison. I screamed, squirmed, and trashed against his hold. I did everything I could to try to get free, not understanding why the entire Esposito team didn’t do anything.

“Matteo!”, I yelled as loud as I could. “Help me!”, I yelled to anyone out there. I fought Tommaso the whole way back to the inside of their safe rooms. It wasn’t far, but I tried. Opposed to them.

I guess Tommaso was right after all.

I was lying down on a thin mat on the concrete floor. I was shivering, but it wasn’t because of the coldness of the floor. I was nervous and terrified. And that was when the box I stored in the back of my mind was opened again. I was still pregnant. I was sure it was going to be worse than it was before. I was hungry and thirsty, because they didn’t give me anything after we came back from the confrontation out on the field. There was also no toilet in this cell. Peeing in a corner and having to sit and sleep in the stench was a very effective way of humiliating a human being, I know that now. But I would try to fight for that baby. Even if Matteo didn’t love me for real, I did love him.

The door flies open and one of Tommaso’s men walks in.

“Boss needs you.”, he grunted, and he grabbed my arm. He didn’t wait for me to get up, he just dragged me with him by my arm.

“Asshole!”, I yelled, as I was stumbling to get on my feet. He stopped, and he slapped me across my face. It stinged, but strangely I’m used to the feeling after yesterday. The man continued his way to wherever his boss was.

“Good. Hang her there.”, Tommaso said after a glance at us when we entered. The man cuffed my wrists together and hung me on this hook from the ceiling again. Like I was a piece of meat at the butcher. I knew he wouldn’t kill me because I was the main piece of leverage Tommaso had. The unknown was whether Matteo cared about me enough.

I was hanging by my arms when I looked around for a bit. Tommaso was sitting behind a computer, and that was when I noticed the camera directed at me. Was he really that much of a sadist that he wanted to record me beatings to get off later?

“Bellisima.”, he said, caressing my face with the back of his hand. I spat him in the face. He slapped me in the face immediately.

“You bitch!”, he yelled, as he harshly grabbed me by my chin with his hand. One of his lemmings got him a towel to wipe my spit off his face. I felt a spark of joy and victory at that. I noticed he had to take a deep breath to control his anger. Tommaso turned the camera a bit and looked for the guy behind the computer to give him a cue.

I took this time to look around the room we were in. It really seemed like a butcher’s place: empty, tiled, a drain in the center. A shiver ran down my spine when I realized that this must be their torture room. Their easy to clean out torture room. And I was hanging in the center of it!

“Well, hello Matteo. How kind of you to join me.”, Tommaso mocked in front of the camera, ripping me from my thoughts. I heard Matteo through the speakers, his voice cutting straight to my soul.

“Tommaso.”, Matteo grunted.

“You may be wondering why I set this up.”, Tommaso said smiling brightly. “You are already aware of my demands. Your suppliers for dearest Lily.”

“Show her, I want to know she is still alive.”, Matteo stated through the video call. Tommaso laughed his maniacal laugh.

“Oh, she is alive.”, Tommaso said, and he turned the camera back to me. I must be visible on Matteo’s screen right now.

“Matteo! Help me!”, I yelled, and immediately I was punished for it by a slap in my face by one of Tommaso’s cavemen.

“No! Stop it!”, Matteo yelled through the video connection. Tommaso hushed him.

“Now, now, Matteo. You are not in the place to make any demands.”, Tommaso said condescendingly. “I want to give you some extra motivation to give in to my demands.”

The caveman bound a piece of cloth through my mouth again to shut me up. As soon as I recognized what he was about to do I trashed against him, but he was so much stronger. And he wasn’t restrained in any way.

“I will keep motivating you, and I will keep the video steaming until you decide it is enough and you are ready to give in to my demands.”, Tommaso said with a devilish grin on his face. Tommaso stood and rolled up his sleeves.

I had a bout of nausea running through me, either because I couldn’t stomach the idea that I had once fancied this man, or because I was simply pregnant. Inside of me terror was running wild.

“Oh, dear Lily. How cute! Are you scared of me? You weren’t when I was making you cum.”, Tommaso said. That made me gag. He stroked me down my body. He harshly grabbed my breasts, and he fondled it painfully. I closed my eyes in fear, and I felt tears flowing down my cheeks into the cloth.

He ripped off the little piece of my blouse that was still hanging on my body. Still not satisfied, he also ripped my bra off.

“Looking good, bellisima.”, he purred. Then he pulled my pants down, without even bothering to open them. I guess it didn’t matter anymore anyway. Tommaso groaned when he didn’t see any panties anymore, caveman had already ruined those before. He forcefully pumped his fingers inside of me. It hurt even more than when caveman was doing it, but it was like an outer body experience. I didn’t seem to feel much anymore.

“You bitch!”, I heard Tommaso yelled, and I jumped out of my thoughts again. Just in time for him to punch me hard in the stomach. “You will not shut off; you will stay present for the ride. I will make you!”

Tommaso punched me a few more times to prove his point. Then he shoved his fingers back up my cunt, not caring what he ripped when he did so.

“God, so tight. I see why Matteo kept you around, bellisima.”, he grinned viciously. “It’s all you’re good at after all.”

It seemed hours, but I guess Tommaso hadn’t even started yet. He told one of the guys to get me off the hook and tie my wrists behind my back.

“Remove the gag, use it as a blindfold.”, he ordered. Next thing I knew was that I didn’t see anything anymore, which heightened my fear. What are they going to do?

And when was Matteo going to save me from this animal?