The Don: Sebastiano (Stud Mafia #1) (24 page)

I jumped off the couch I had been sleeping on, pounced across the room and grabbed her shoulders, pushing her roughly and forcefully against the wall. I made sure I got right in her face menacingly. You didn’t grow up in a mafia family without learning a trick or two. 

“What the fuck have you done,” I spat.

She shook her head and dropped the eye contact we previously had. “Nothing.”

“Don’t make me take you to the basement.”

She knew as well as I did, once someone entered that basement they wouldn’t make it out in one piece or even alive. It all depended if they talked and how quickly they did it. She looked at me as if I had some sort of answer written on my face. She was probably trying to work out if I was bluffing or not.

I wasn’t.

I had no idea what she saw in my face, but it didn’t make her change her story.

“I did nothing.” she said adamantly. “
Nothing bad
. Lasciami andare, Lorena!”

“Damn it, Mother.” I grabbed her by her ridiculously coloured blonde hair and dragged her to the basement. She put up a good fight, but she was getting weaker with age, or with the amount of drugs she consumed, more like it.

It was easy for me to keep her under control. She wasn’t going quietly, though; she kept screaming at the top of her lungs. This was such a complete waste of breath and energy.

The Morassi mansion was completely soundproof. Most of Daddy’s men were with him searching for Sierra and those
stronzos
who took her. There were only a couple of guards Daddy had left behind, and Vincenzo to keep guard of me. Vincenzo wouldn’t care what I did to my mother. I was sure he’d love to get in line.

I loved to flirt with Daddy’s men and when I did, it was purely for the fun of it. Well, apart from Riccardo, of course; he was different. Watching some of those men squirm was extremely entertaining, but that was not why I did it. When you have a bunch of tough men not giving you any freedom, watching every move you make, like being under this bullshit ‘house arrest’, could make you go insane.

Sometimes, I needed to get them as far away from me as possible. I flirted and they knew I was too much of a temptation. If any of them made a move on me, Daddy would kill them without a second thought. So any screaming they heard, they would only assume it was a movie I was watching, or the usual bickering when Mother decided to ‘pop in’, rather than coming to investigate. 

Once I reached the door to the basement, I pulled it open, shoving her in front of me and down the stairs. She stumbled down the last few steps, landing in a heap on the floor.

“Lorena, baby. Don’t do this. Don’t be like that monster, like your father. Don’t let him make you a monster, too,” she begged me, now desperate and frantic.

“Tell me what you did and I won’t have to do anything,” I countered.

Tears filled her eyes as she shook her head. “No, I can’t. He’ll kill me.”

“So help me, Mother,
I
will fucking kill you. Sierra is my friend. If anyone has hurt her…” I didn’t finish my sentence. There was no need. We both knew what would happen.

Grabbing her by the bicep, I pulled her off the floor and placed her in the chair. I secured her in place using the manacles already attached to it. This place had seen a lot of pain. Everything I needed to get her to ‘talk’ was within arm’s reach.

Never had I planned this when I came down here. I honestly thought she would have caved. I just wanted to scare her. Looking at the weapons on the bench beside me, my eyes landed on the cigar cutter. Riccardo liked to call them his clippers, and I knew how to use them effectively. I had seen Riccardo use them before. He’d taught me a few things, without my father knowing.

I laid Mother’s left pinkie flat on the arm of the chair and lined the cutter up with it, ready to cut.

“What. Did. You. Do?” I asked her, emphasising every word.
Her eyes were on her pinkie when she answered. “Nothing.”

Something inside me snapped. I didn’t think about what I was doing or what I was about to do. All I could think of was the need to get Sierra back. Back home to where she belonged.

Click.

Fuck
! This cutter was sharper than I expected, and I met no resistance. If it wasn’t for the blood, I would have been worried I hadn’t had the finger in place. The ear-piercing scream was a good sign it had done the job, too.

“What did you do?” I asked her again. All she gave me was a menacing stare. 

Even in pain, she was a bitch. I lined the next finger up.

Click.

Her scream wasn’t as loud.

“What did you do?” With no reply again, I changed weapons. I needed to get Sierra back and I was wasting time. I grabbed the sharp carving knife and put it to her throat, pressing it hard enough to have blood bubbling between knife and skin.

I was beginning to get sick of asking the same question, but it was the only one I had.
“Ma, please,” I begged. “Don’t make me do this. What did you do?” I pushed the knife in harder. I had to concentrate not to go too deep. Her skin was so soft; it was like cutting butter. So smooth.

“Okay, okay,” she rasped in pain. “I told
Antonio about that little bitch. He’s been watching her. I told him she was special to Sebastiano and to do something, anything to get rid of her. I thought with her gone, your father might forgive me. Oh, God, I can’t believe you are hurting me like this. I’m your mother!”

“Oh, so
now
you’re my mother? Isn’t it a bit too late to play the ‘mummy’ card? Where did he take her?” I demanded. When she didn’t answer, I pressed harder with the knife.

“
Gesù Cristo,
Lorena,
per favore…
you are hurting…me. I…can’t…breathe.”

Just as I thought, she was going to pass out from the pain. She whispered in a barely audible voice, “Antonio took her. A farmhouse in…”

“Where, Mother?” I was frantic and desperate for her to talk. I pushed harder with the knife. Droplets of blood fell onto my hand. “Talk!” I screamed at her.

“T…told you…a f…farmhouse in…the country…Staple Street. The turnoff…is near the old warehouse in Burra. It’s too late, Lorena. Antonio is giving her to his men now, and they can do as they like with her,” she said with an agonising smirk. 

Holy. Shit.

Antonio Bertucci had Sierra.

Fuck. Gang rape is what Antonio’s men usually have fun with.
Sierra might be tough, but she wouldn’t live through that. They wouldn’t let her. They played with their women until they were dead. 

I needed to tell Daddy. In extreme anger and rage, I didn’t realise I’d pushed the knife in harder. Blood poured down her neck, covering my hands. I had a choice.

Do I save my mother or save Sierra?

It wasn’t an easy decision. I wasn’t that much of a heartless bitch. Sierra was the innocent one in all this. Decision made, I dropped the knife, and my mother slumped to the floor as I ran up toward the kitchen where I knew there was a phone. Grabbing it, I dialled my father’s number. 

“Lorena,
bella
. I don’t have time for calls now, sweetie.” He sounded beat, almost defeated.

“WAIT, Daddy, please wait! Don’t hang up, please!” I shouted into the phone before he could hang up on me. “I know where Sierra is. Antonio has her!” I relayed the address, and I heard him passing it on to his men as he hung up.

I placed the handset back in its cradle, noticing my bloody hands. My next phone call was to Riccardo.

He answered on the first ring. “Yeah, babe, I got the message. I was with your father when you called. Lorena, you still there…?” he asked.

“Um… Riccardo, you know how you showed me how to use that cigar cutter a while back? Well…umm…I think I got a bit carried away and I need you to take care of the mess I’ve made in the basement.”

Moving to the sink, I switched on the water and began to wash my hands methodically. Repeatedly I washed them, but there was just too much blood.

I tried to convince myself what I did was justifiable. It had to be done. It was what was right.

Fuck, I killed my own mother.

I couldn’t help but think,
I really am my father’s daughter. 
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

SIERRA

“Wake up, little whore.”

I could hear that voice again, but I still couldn’t place it. Maybe if I saw his face, I’d be able to piece it together, but I was too scared to open my eyes.

I realised my hands had been released from the ring but my whole body ached. God, the pain in my arms was pure agony. There was not a part of me that didn’t hurt. I moaned, pressing my hands to my head only to be stopped as my arms were jerked back. Opening my eyes, I groaned again from the pain. My head hurt so badly I felt nauseous.

“You should stop moaning, bitch. It makes me wonder how much moaning you’ll be doing when I fuck you!”

I forced my eyes to open, trying to see who it was. Shooting pain unlike anything I’d ever felt before made me close them again. I still didn’t have a clear visual of everything. I turned my head toward him, trying with all my might to bring myself to open my eyes one more time, even though the pain was too much.

Fuck. It was that man from the club that day. The one Sebastiano had kicked out only moments after I was speaking to Ronnie. He was the one who was staring at me. Oh, shit, he was considered the family’s worst enemy. I was still struggling to recall his name.

He turned to talk to two other men. My eyes were still adjusting, but I could hear them clearly.

“Boys, what do you think of our little gift from Morassi? I bet she’s a fucking legend in the sack and always willing to put out. If she’s fucked Sebastiano, she can easily take on two or three of us at the same time.”

“Fuck you.” I tried to jerk out of his arms as he pushed me down onto the makeshift bed behind me. I managed to face him and slapped my palm across his face. “Don’t you touch me, you fucking pig!” I yelled and spat in his face.

He didn’t even flinch. With a wicked laugh, he wiped the spittle from his face. Then he backhanded me, sending me flying off the bed and to the ground.

I had to remember not to make him angry.
I can’t fuck this up. Sebastiano will save me. I know it. He will ‘cut his balls off’ as he always says. I have to bide my time and stall them somehow.

“Don’t even begin to deny you’re a whore.” He kicked me hard in the stomach. Oh, God, it hurt. I coughed up blood and crouched over in agony, clutching my stomach. I didn’t think I could handle this torture anymore, and it had only just begun.

“Don’t piss me off again, bitch. There’s more where that came from. You’re The Don’s whore. Don’t tell me he doesn’t rough you up a bit. He has a reputation for liking it rough.” He moved closer to me.

“Get away from me! Help!” I yelled. “Somebody help me.” There was no one to come to help. I only saw the sneers from his men who were laughing and mocking my pathetic attempt to scream for help.

He grabbed my hair to stop my screaming, pulling my head back.
Gee, so much for me trying not to make him angry.

“I know how The Don works. I know Sebastiano will have something planned for me because I took you. I’m not stupid. If there’s one thing I know for sure, he won’t be sitting at home twiddling his thumbs. He’ll come and I’ll be waiting. Then the party can really start.” He licked my cheek.

“If you hurt me, he’ll kill you. You know that.”

He laughed at me and yanked on my hair, sending electric bolts of pain through me. Tears stung my eyes, and I tried to follow the action of the guy holding my hair but the pain was unbearable.

“Oh, it’ll hurt, baby girl. That’s a promise,” he breathed into my ear. The foul odour of his breath made me gag. I was about to vomit. I needed air. I needed to get the hell out of there.

“Hey, Antonio.” Finally, one of his men called him by his name. I’d heard Sebastiano talk about him, and it was confirmed. I’d been abducted by The Don’s arch-enemy.

“Don’t forget you promised us guys a piece of her arse.” I heard laughter amongst them all. “She looks mighty hot.”

Antonio’s hand went around my throat, choking me. I cried out, clawing at his hand.

“No wonder he’s kept you.” Antonio released my throat and caressed his hand down my side. “You’re some fucking classy whore. I’m dying to sink my dick in your wet hole.” He palmed me through my underwear. “I’m thinking I might just have to keep you all to myself and not share you with my men. I’ll show you how to suck a real dick.”

“You put that thing anywhere near my mouth and I’ll bite the fucker off!” I said vindictively as I pulled away from him.

He lunged for me. I struggled against him, kicking him in his chest with my feet. “Leave me the fuck alone!” I screamed as he backhanded me for the second time.

My head hit the wall as I fell backward, my head spinning. My last conscious thought was of Sebastiano. I prayed he would make these bastards pay. I wanted my monster to come out full force.

My monster would save me.

***

SEBASTIANO

I was going insane imagining what Sierra must be going through at the hands of Antonio. He was a twisted fuck. I had to find her.
How the fuck did this happen?
Stefano was one of my best men. They must’ve blindsided the poor bastard.

Riccardo was acting strange ever since he received a call from Lorena, saying my ex, Teresa, showed up at the mansion, creating havoc. He wanted to go to Lorena himself. He told me she asked for him but I couldn’t let him go. I needed him with me. I sent Paulie instead. He sure wasn’t happy about that.

Lorena would be fine. She’d dealt with her psychotic mother many times. As my daughter, she’d know what to do. At that moment, I had to focus all my energy on getting to that farmhouse in time, before Antonio did something sadistic to Sierra.

I promise you, Sierra, I will fix this. I won’t let him hurt you.

I was hoping she could hear me, read my thoughts somehow.
If that bastard so much as lays a finger on her, I’ll kill him.