Chapter 20
Chapter 20
Set in Italy, on Via Santa Lucia — inside the hidden lair above Bar La Lupa.
Colina Rosetti’s trembling form stands shackled in the dimly lit room. The leather whip in my hand slithers like a serpent, grazing her skin as I circle her slowly.
“Do you have any idea what it did to me—seeing them dead?”
My voice is low, cracked with something dark. Pain. Rage.
She flinches, gasping sharply when I tear through her clothes from behind.
“Please, Santino… stop…” she pleads. Her sobs echo off the stone walls, but I’m unmoved.
I run the whip gently across her spine. Her body tightens. My fingers graze her back, the heat of her skin tempting and infuriating.
“I gave my loyalty to your family. I fucking bled for them. And they left me in ruins.”
Her wail rips through the silence as the first strike lands.
“You betrayed me,” I snarl, lashing her again. Crimson welts bloom against her skin.
“Sant—Santino!” Her voice is hoarse. But I don’t stop.
“They murdered my blood, Colina. My family. Matteo… my brother!” I spit the words, nearly shaking from fury.
Her wrists strain against the chains with every blow. Sweat and tears soak her face, her body arching under the pain.
I pause. She looks up, her amber eyes wide, terrified—and damn it, even now, they still make something in me burn. Not pity. Hunger.
I brush a lock of hair behind her ear. She trembles. I kiss her—violently. Possessively.
Her lips break under mine. Blood. Sweet and metallic.
She pushes against me, whimpering, “Let me go… please…”
But I’m not listening. Not really.
My hands wander lower, sliding into her jeans before I realize what I’m doing. Her skin responds, betraying her.
“You want this,” I whisper against her neck. “You’ve always belonged to me.”
She gasps. Moans. Cries out. My fingers push deeper. My thumb presses against her clit. She jerks—helpless and wet.
“No one else has had you, have they?” I growl. “Who else touched you, Colina?”
“No one…” she says between breaths.
The idea of someone else inside her fills me with something primal. I fuck her with my fingers harder, watching her break. Watching her body betray her mind.
Just when she’s on the edge—I stop.
She gasps, furious and breathless, as I pull away and taste her on my fingers. I want to ruin her. I want her to remember me—only me.
“This isn’t finished,” I mutter and walk out.
⸻
Colina
He left me—stripped, chained, and humiliated.
Tears burn my face as I whisper, “Please… let me go.”
But no one hears me. No one will hear me.
He came back hours later. Eyes cold. A robe in his hand. He unlocks one cuff, and I try to fight—but I’m no match. He pins me down, growling threats I’ll never forget.
“If you try that again, my men will have their turn. You’ll wish for death.”
My heart cracks. I hate him. I hate how I still feel him.
“You’re a monster,” I hiss.
His smirk disappears. He cuffs my hands in front of me and leans in. “You’ll be gone… just like Matteo.”
My breath catches. Matteo. My brother.
He—he killed him.
“You sick bastard!” I scream, choking on grief. “I’ll kill you. I swear to God, Santino Romano, I’ll end you!”
His hand wraps around my throat, squeezing. My feet lift off the floor.
“You remind me of him—weak and soft. Just like when I put a bullet in his chest.”
He drops me and walks away without another word, leaving me shaking, broken, and burning from within.