POV: KATHERINA
Dad grew up in Positano, a village on the Amalfi Coast. Being a native Italian, he grew up with culture and long tradition.
Bridgehills offered a better lifestyle for him to get married and settle down. Being the only son of his parents, he was showered with love.
His father did everything he could to get his son to do hotel management and live his dreams before he fell victim to cancer and died at the age of sixty-eight, leaving my Grams alone.
She refused to leave her village to come and live with us.
We would take yearly trips to Positano, either for Christmas or Easter, but this year, Dad wanted to surprise Grams and decided to visit her for Thanksgiving, which is today.
Italians don’t celebrate Thanksgiving, but since Mom is an American, it became a tradition for all of us.
Today also marks the third month of my captivity, and things haven’t changed since the incident in front of Luca’s hotel.
Luca has become very busy since his face started to show up in papers and news almost every day.
He leaves early and comes back late, sometimes drenched in someone else’s blood, sometimes in his own.
If he is wounded, I get a few days off his radar since the house is filled with his gangster friends and nurses.
I observe his busy life, not knowing what he does outside the house or in his office when he’s on bed rest, but whatever it is, it’s illegal, and Luca keeps me clueless.
He doesn’t even want sex these days. The last time he fucked me was two weeks ago. This is the longest he has gone without touching me, but I can’t be sure he doesn’t get his pleasure elsewhere.
I haven’t smelled a whore on him or seen any signs that he’s done a girl before coming back home and snuggling to me in the middle of the night.
Since he’s a bastard, I don’t believe he wouldn’t do it, and neither do I care because I like the little freedom I get due to his busy schedule.
I’ve gotten familiar with the maids of the house, but they are all so loyal to the bastard that they won’t spill any useful information that might come in handy to me.
Instead, they try to persuade me by saying sweet things about Luca and warn me that escaping him will only make the situation worse for me.
All the maids were orphans or had a bad past from which they ran away. There’s one lady and her daughter who are a family. The rest all have no one in their lives.
In spite of the maids being friendly and comfortable around me, I know they watch me for Luca, so I never gave them a sign that I’m working to find information about my parents and escape him as soon as I can.
The maids had planned a Thanksgiving dinner since I’ told them some time ago that I celebrate Italian and American festivals, but Luca had other plans and asked me to be ready by evening.
I was glad since Thanksgiving with Luca would be hideous and downright comical to me.
I got dressed in a red maxi with thin sleeves and a deep neckline, matching it with a pair of cream wedges.
I’ve lost weight in the past months, and some of the wounds on my body have turned into scars, the longest one being on the right side of my head, leading to my temple.
I was applying a layer of lip gloss and staring into my reflection when the door opened, and Luca walked in.
His face was dusty like he’d been rolling in the dirt, and since he was wearing all black, I don’t know whether he really did or not.
I remember the times I used to fear this man so much that I would almost pee my pants, but now I hardly care what he’s got in store for me.
I died the moment he took me away, and I realized it when he put a gun to my temple. So nothing makes me fear this man anymore. I would gladly help him pull the trigger next time.
He stared at me in the mirror before approaching me. He took an appreciative look at my reflection before wrapping his arms around my waist and placing his chin on my shoulder.
“You look beautiful, cara mia,” he said softly and placed a kiss at the crook of my neck. “We’re living under the same roof, and yet it feels like I haven’t seen you for ages.”
I didn’t reply. Taking one last look at my reflection, he sighed and went into the washroom. I released a breath I didn’t know I was holding before going down to the living room to wait for him.
The maids were talking about celebrating their Thanksgiving together as a family tonight, once Luca and I left.
I smiled at them, remembering the Thanksgivings I’d had with my family and friends over the years.
When Luca came down the stairs, my breath was knocked out of my chest. He wears casuals all the time, so seeing him in a suit is fucking gold.
He was wearing no tie, and the top three buttons of his white shirt were open, revealing the ink on his skin.
The black coat and trousers fit him so well, and his hair was gelled and perfectly combed to the side.
I got up from the kitchen stool, unable to take my eyes off him. He was buttoning his cuffs and hadn’t seen me yet. I quickly composed myself, wiping the amazed look from my face.
“Ready?” Luca asked, and I nodded.
Wrapping his arm around my waist, he led me out to his car, and like a gentleman, he even opened the door for me. We buckled ourselves in, and he took off.
I looked out the window at the city bathed in light. My town and America would be celebrating the joyful holiday.
When the car came to a stop, I got down to look at the tall building that was screaming money.
A casino.
Luca wrapped his arm around me and led us inside. I was awestruck by everything since I had never visited a casino before.
They were some of the games I recognized and some I didn’t. Men in rich suits chatted and gambled their money with beautiful women serving them drinks.
Luca walked among them, capturing everyone’s eyes. The men greeted him with respect, while some looked away in fear.
We were making our way toward the elevator when a group of men in suits stopped us to greet Luca.
They laughed and talked for a while, and I stood to one side, picking my nails until they decided to capture my attention by nodding their heads at me and talking to Luca.
“È lei il uno?” A man asked, looking directly at me. I don’t know what he said, but all eyes turned toward me, taking in my form avidly, which made me nervous.
“Lei è l’unica,” Luca replied after a few seconds in a calm voice.
“Right,” he replied, and everyone looked at me, giving me their best smiles.
I looked away from them, and Luca took my hand, bidding them goodbye before entering the elevator.
Luca pressed the sixteenth floor. His hand was still wrapped around mine, and I looked up to see him watching our reflection on the elevator door.
“Like what you see?” he asked.
I didn’t reply and turned away. His grip tightened around my waist.
“I’ve always liked elevator sex,” he said in a humorous tone, but there was a hint of desperation.
I clenched my teeth hard, but the heat made its way to my cheeks anyway. It was his voice. His voice alone could bring me to my knees.
“Offer stands. We’re still on the third floor,” he said, smirking widely at me.
I shifted my legs ever so casually, as if just for the sake of doing it, but he noticed and chuckled.
“You hate me. But sex with me is amazing,” he said proudly.
I wrapped my arms around me and looked down at the floor.
I’ve liked the sex, but I’m not going to admit that to him, and the mere thought of doing it in here where the elevator can open anytime and anyone could catch us is oddly exciting.
I heard him curse under his breath, and I looked at him. His eyes were hooded with lust, and the hunger in them made my knees buckle.
“Let’s do it, Katherina, please.”
The desperation and the begging turned me on even more. Since when did he ask for my permission?
I couldn’t help the smile that made its way to my lips, and that was enough for him to lift me up and push my back on the wall, capturing my kips for an urgent kiss.
His hand lifted up my maxi, making me wrap my legs around him comfortably. He kissed me like his life depended on it and left a trail of kisses along the valley of my breasts.
“I was a drug addict, baby,” he mumbled as he pulled the sleeves down my shoulders.
“But once I found you, I stopped using. And I didn’t need anyone to keep me in check or get me to rehab. I left it like I used to leave whores when I was done fucking them.
“It was that easy for me because you were more addictive and more pleasurable.”
I could only stare at him. I never wanted to take the place of his drugs.
When the elevator moved to the tenth floor, I reluctantly pushed him off me. He placed me on my feet, and I adjusted my clothes.
“You’re in a good mood,” I mumbled.
He released a deep breath and craned his head upwards, eyes closed in relief.
“I feel free,” he said softly. “It was such a pain in the ass to hide from the CCTV’s, the cops, and the people. It felt so wrong, it made me look like a pussy, but I had no choice.
“After that little scene in front of my hotel, I’ve gone back to the way I’ve always been.”
“Why did you even hide?” I asked.
“Because I was dead? Didn’t the fucking Sheriff tell you?” He turned toward me with a smirk on his face.
“How do you know?” I asked, frowning.
“I know everything.”
The elevator stopped and opened on floor sixteen. We stepped out into the chilly night.
Tables stood in the corners, and people were drinking and eating. Once their eyes settled on us, they twinkled with happiness and greeted Luca.
Luca nodded his head and led us to the table where I saw the familiar faces of Rick, Emmalyn, and… Cruz.
I stiffened when Cruz’s eyes fell on me, and he gave me a sinister smirk. I held my head high when his eyes raked over my body, not backing down from him. It was clear that Luca had told him nothing.
“Hey, man,” Rick stood up to hug Luca, and then we sat opposite Cruz and Emmalyn.
They were two other men sitting across from us, who I hadn’t noticed before. One had white-blonde hair while the other had brown hair.
“What took you so long, man?” The blonde man asked.
“Everyone was so eager to see you. After all, the party is for you,” The brown-haired one said, pointing his finger at Luca with the champagne glass in his hand.
Luca simply nodded and took a miniature drink from the table.
“How is it that you always look beautiful?” Rick’s hushed voice came from beside me.
I smiled at him, and he poured me a drink, throwing a wink at me. Taking the drink from his hand, I moved closer, our knees almost brushing.
“Who are they?” I asked, pointing at the two foreign men.
“The brown-haired man is Parker, and the blonde-haired is Edward.”
“And what party?” I asked, recalling Parker’s comment.
“It’s for Luca,” Rick replied with a smile. “Everyone officially learned that he’s alive, so we decided to throw a party. It was supposed to be sooner, but the cops gave us a hard time.”
I nodded and refilled my glass a few more times, watching the people gathering at our table. I watched Luca open a bottle of champagne with a knife, making them go, “Ooh.”
We remained on the terrace for a while longer and later went down to the casino where Luca played some games and gambled his money with his fellow men.
Cruz was over the moon, dancing and even singing for his best mate. Luca was enjoying all the attention and the party, and not once did he search or look my way.
It made me sick to watch the scene unfold. A party for coming back from a long hibernation?
I rolled my eyes and quietly left the crowded and noisy casino, walking out to the backyard, the voices dying out as the silence of the night surrounded me.
The backyard was almost empty with people around. I sat on a long bench under a tree that had lanterns hanging from the branches. It was so beautiful.
I sat there for a long time, watching the clear sky. I think of my past life and my family every single day, but today I seem to miss them more deeply than I ever have, and my eyes filled with tears.
I’m getting used to Luca, much to my dissatisfaction, and I can’t seem to do anything to prevent it. He was right when he said he was getting into my mind and soul.
I’ve fallen victim to his sick possession, and I believe I may have overlooked situations that might have turned out in my favor.
I can’t help but blame everything on myself since Luca seems to know what he is doing and thinks he’s right, so there has to be someone who takes the blame for both of us.
I blame myself for going to his club that night, and I blame myself for not telling my parents when the driver first took me to Luca.
I blame myself for disobeying and escaping him, which led him to break Chris’s legs. I blame myself for wanting Luca.
“Tesoro?” Luca’s soft voice startled me.
I quickly composed myself and turned around to see him.
“What are you doing here, out in the cold?” He sat next to me, his eyes shining under the lanterns.
“Too crowded, I felt dizzy,” I replied and looked away.
He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and rubbed the back of his hand on my cheek. I remained still and looked ahead.
“Today’s Thanksgiving in America. I believe you celebrate it,” he said.
I nodded quietly.
His hand dropped, and I heard him turn to me before taking my hand in his. I looked at him as he kissed my knuckles and palm. He has folded one of his legs on the bench, angling himself to face me.
“I don’t know about Thanksgiving, Katherina. In fact, I never thanked God for any fucking thing I have in life.”
He squeezed my hand and looked at me with a smile on his face. “But now, at this moment, I can’t thank him enough for giving you to me.”
I swear it was the alcohol in his system, making him blabber this shit to bring me to his knees, but nevertheless, I kept quiet. Luca took out a small box from his trouser pocket and gave it to me.
It was bigger than a ring box, so I took it with relief and opened it. Inside was a beautiful necklace with a thin gold chain and a small diamond at the center.
“It’s beautiful,” I said softly.
“It’ll look even more beautiful on you,” Luca replied.
He took the chain from the box and came behind me. I lifted up my hair, and he put the chain around my neck, fastening it with a soft click.
He looked at my neck with satisfaction and leaned down to kiss my cheek.
The moment was interrupted by Cruz, who was screaming as Parker threw a piece of cake at him, along with Emmalyn. Luca muttered something under his breath before making his way to them.
I looked at Rick, and he waved at me before coming over.
“Hey, what are you doing here?” Rick asked before sitting down where Luca was a few seconds ago.
His eyes fell on the chain, and he gave me a wide smile. “I helped him pick it out. He never bought jewelry for a woman before.”
I said nothing and looked over his shoulder to where Luca was talking to an elderly man called Benjamin, who ruled England with his illegal activities.
Cruz was having fun with his friends. The guy almost raped me in London, and Luca said nothing to him about it.
“Katherina, are you okay? Don’t you like the necklace? We can exchange it if―”
“Does it matter?” I gritted my teeth. “Does it fucking matter what I like and what I don’t?
“Rick, I was supposed to be celebrating Thanksgiving with my family today. It was supposed to be a joyful night, thanking God for all the blessings I’ve received.
“Arabella would rush to finish dinner so that she could eat the dessert. Chris and I would go to church hand in hand and light candles.
“Isabella, Anna, and their parents would come over, and as the adults talked about politics and their children’s futures, my friends and I would go to my rooftop and watch the stars and make stupid jokes and dares.
“Why, why can’t he understand that he’s killing me without making me bleed?” I sobbed, leaning on Rick’s shoulder, who laid a comforting hand on my back.
“I can’t help you, Katherina.” His voice was soft.
“Yes, you can,” I immediately snapped back and looked at him. “Just tell me where my parents are.”
“It doesn’t matter, Katherina. You can’t save them.” Rick shook his head and was about to get up, but I gripped his shirt.
“Rickard, please,” I begged, tears rolling down my cheeks.
His hand came up and wiped the tears from my cheeks. He leaned lower and touched his forehead on mine before placing a soft kiss on my nose.
“They are in the Bahamas,” Came his reply. “Luca doesn’t know that. They are safe and think about you all the damn time.”
I gasped and pulled away from him, wiping my tears.
“Do you see them often?” I asked. Rick nodded.
“I show them pictures of you. I made them believe you are fine. The only reason Luca asked me to keep this from you is he fears you might not get used to our world, to his life.”