POV: KATHERINA
The moment I was dreading finally arrived. One evening Becky came over for a coffee. While helping her water the plants, I pointed the hose at her, drenching her in water.
She found it amusing, and for a while, we played in the water, soaking our clothes. Becky slipped and fell on the wet grass, getting mud all over her, and I laughed.
“Gosh, I’m all muddy,” Becky complained as I helped her get to her feet.
“You better have a shower then,” I replied, and she nodded.
“The guest rooms are open. I saw the maids cleaning them a week ago. You can use any one of them. I’ll get you some of my clothes.”
When Becky entered the washroom, I quickly went down the stairs and took her phone from the living room. Making sure the maids didn’t notice me, I sprinted to my bedroom and locked the door behind me.
Taking out the crumpled tissue I’d stuffed into my sanitary pad, I quickly opened the phone and was glad when it didn’t ask for a password. I quickly dialed the number and heard it ring.
My heart was beating fast, and I hoped Becky hadn’t come out yet.
“Hello?” Christopher’s voice came from the other side.
“Chris.”
“Jesus, Kat!” I heard rustling and his heavy breathing. “I knew you’d call.”
“I have no time. I need to—”
“I know. I know. Just listen to me, Kat. I want you to get out of that house through the backyard and walk into the forest. Walk straight for a while, and you’ll find a huge cypress tree.
“I’ve left a cell phone at the base of the tree. Get your hands on it and call me back as soon as you can,” he said hurriedly.
I was shaking my head.
“No, Chris,” I replied back in a hushed tone. “Luca will kill you if he ever finds you out. You need to leave.”
“No, I am not leaving you with that bastard!” he snapped back, “Just call me, and I’ll be waiting.”
“Chris, no―”
“I’ll be waiting.”
And the line died.
Shit!
I quickly deleted the number from the call log, and I checked for an automatic call recorder, but there was none.
I put back the tissue and quickly sprinted out of the room and to the living room. I put the phone back in its place and sighed with relief.
Chris knew where I was. How long has the phone been lying there? The mere thought of what Luca would do to me if he found out what I’d done sent a shiver down my spine.
***
Later at night, I decided to do what Chris had told me.
Watching the guards patrolling like vicious dogs and the woods beyond the high wall bathed in nothing but darkness, I decided to wait for my chance.
Sleep was the last thing on my mind when something that would connect me to Chris was just a few feet away from me. I stared out the window at the dark woods, the trees swaying in the breeze.
It was half-past three when the doorbell rang. I looked out to see that Luca hadn’t yet arrived, and he didn’t ring the bell when the lights were out in the living room.
I didn’t trust the guards after the incident with Cruz, and I didn’t trust any of Luca’s men except Rickard. I peeped through the tiny hole to see Victor standing outside.
With the door chain intact, I unlocked the door and opened it cautiously.
“Yes, Victor?”
“Sorry for the trouble, but the boss asked me to take you to him,” he said in an uneasy tone that panicked me.
“At this time of night?” I asked in confusion.
He nodded.
“I’ll just put on a coat and be right back.”
I jogged up the stairs and took out a jacket. I heard the car’s engine coming to life in the eerie calmness.
Locking the door behind me, I got into the front seat, and Victor took off down the empty road.
“Where are we going?” I asked.
“To the casino.”
“It’s been weeks since I last visited the casino. Any idea why?” I asked.
“I don’t know. Boss called me and asked me to bring you.”
I was praying that Luca hadn’t found out about Chris, but there couldn’t be any other explanation if whatever it was couldn’t wait till morning.
The lights of the casino were off when we reached the entrance. I was scared to enter, but Victor got out and held the door open for me. I got out and followed him to the casino.
He punched a code, and the door opened. He switched on the lights and walked toward the elevator. I saw him pressing four digits, and the elevator started going downwards.
It didn’t stop in the garage as I expected.
The elevator opened to reveal a narrow tunnel, much like the one in Luca’s office. Victor switched on the lights, and the whole passage lit up.
We walked side by side into the long passage, which further led to a vast space filled with prison cells.
I felt a trickle of sweat slide down my temple. Over the past month, Luca had been keeping his abusive hands to himself, and I’d almost forgotten how brutal he could be.
“Ma’am, are you okay?” Victor’s voice was low as he looked at my nervous state.
“I want to go home,” I said.
“The boss is waiting for us.”
I unwillingly took a step forward, and Victor stepped back, matching my step with his.
I immediately understood that it was his way of comforting me. I held his arm and his whole body went rigid before he resumed walking.
The cells were empty, dirty, and smelled like rotten flesh. Dried blood was splattered on the walls and the floor, making me shiver in fear, and I tightened my hold on Victor.
We walked a little further, and I saw a bright orange light shining from a cell that had two men standing guard outside. Victor walked past them, and all heads but one in the room turned toward us.
Rickard was standing at my right, leaning on the wall. To my left was Edward, and at the front was Cruz.
Cruz hardly glanced at me, no smirk, no talk, and I was glad for that, but at the same time, an alarm went off in my mind.
Luca’s back was to me with his arms folded in front.
“Boss?”
“You can leave, Victor,” Luca ordered, and Victor immediately left the cell.
Edward didn’t give me his usual warm smile, and Rickard was the same.
My hands turned sweaty, and I stood nervously in the room, men who were no better than monsters.
When Luca turned around, I got a glimpse of a girl sitting beside Cruz before Luca’s huge frame had blocked her from my sight.
I looked at Luca and was reminded of the time I first saw him in the club and then at his gym when his driver took Arabella and me to him.
Without talking or taking his eyes off me, he lazily stepped aside, giving me a full view of the girl who curled herself to the wall and wrapped her bleeding arms around her knees.
I couldn’t see her face with her head down and her hair covering it.
“Why am I here?” I gritted my teeth.
The girl looked like a victim to me, and I couldn’t help the anger rushing through my veins.
Luca didn’t answer me, and the girl’s head immediately came up and looked at me.
My breath caught in my throat. Her lips started to tremble when she saw me, and she broke down sobbing.
“Megan.” My voice was a mere whisper.
I stood rooted to my spot. I couldn’t fucking understand what she―out of everyone in the world―was doing here.
I couldn’t help but wonder if she was with Chris, but that’s impossible. Megan hated me. She never had good intentions toward me, but her being in Italy and crying a river told me a whole new story.
“What did you do to her?” I asked Luca, gritting my teeth in anger. “Luca, I’m talking to you!”
When he remained silent, I found my courage and walked to Megan. She cried harder when I hugged her, and I rubbed her back soothingly.
“I think that’s enough of a reunion,” Cruz said.
Before I could comprehend what he was going to do, I was pulled away from Megan, who tried to hold onto my hand as it was torn out of hers.
I let out a scream, rubbing the spot on my arm, which started to burn. Megan wrapped her arms back around her knees and sobbed quietly under Cruz’s warning eyes. I went toward her again.
“I said that’s enough, woman.” Cruz pushed me again, harder this time, making me fall back.
Edward was soon by my side, helping me to get up. I dusted myself off, glaring at Cruz, who went back to his former place. I looked at Luca, whose eyes were now on Cruz and not me.
Cruz noticed this and stared at Luca with equal fire.
“Touch her again, and I’ll break your neck.” Luca’s voice was calm yet stern.
“Yeah, of course,” Cruz snorted before giving me a disgusted look.
“Luca, there has to be a misunderstanding. Please let her go,” I interrupted before Luca could say anything else.
“We tracked down the asshole who slit his throat after warning us. She was in his apartment,” Rickard spoke, looking down at Megan.
I was shaken by the information and couldn’t believe that Megan was involved. It immediately made me question whether all the attacks were because of her, but I couldn’t understand why or how.
“No, there has to be an explanation. It’s a misunderstanding―”
“Misunderstanding, yeah? It was one of her men who threatened Luca.” Cruz kicked Megan in the ribs, making her fall.
I was quick to react, but Edward held my arms.
“Don’t you dare touch her, you filthy low life!”
“Shut it! These people want you. It’s because of you that we are in this situation!” Cruz’s voice became louder, his eyes blazing with anger as he snapped at me.
“Well, you all wouldn’t be in this situation if you hadn’t kidnaped me and forced me to live with him!”
“Katherina!” Luca shouted, staring down at me with clenched fists.
I could see his temper rising, but I didn’t back down. Instead, I stared at him with equal passion, not regretting what I said.
He walked toward Megan, his hand grabbing her hair in a tight fist before bashing her head on the floor.
A scream erupted from both me and Megan. Luca looked at me before repeating the action again.
He clutched her neck, releasing her hair, and lifted her up slowly. She struggled for breath as I struggled in Edward’s arms, screaming for him to let me go.
Cruz was watching the scene unfold, and so was Rickard. Megan’s cries muffled and turned into coughs, her eyes rolling back in her head.
“Luca, don’t! Please, let her go! Luca!”
I screamed for him to stop, fresh tears sliding down my cheeks.
“Rickard! Rickard, do something! Tell him to stop, Rickard!” I screamed for Rickard to help me.
His eyes looked at me with surprise.
Luca threw her like she weighed nothing, and she hit the wall hard. She coughed, clutching her throat as she tried to take in much air as possible. She then screamed and cried in pain.
“She’s fucking working for someone who’s out to get his hands on you.” Luca pointed his index finger at me.
“You’ll be meeting her hereafter, and you better get the information out of her else she dies. She’s only still alive because of you,” Luca said before exiting the room with Cruz following behind.
Edward let go of my arms, and I quickly ran toward her.
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” I sobbed, holding her in my arms.
She was clutching her ankle, which I was sure was sprained.
“Come one, let’s get you up.”
Edward pulled her up to her feet slowly. He carried her when she found it difficult to walk.
Rickard and I followed Edward, who was walking back in the direction I’d come from. Rickard punched the code in the elevator as we stood inside, Megan whimpering and crying softly in Edward’s arms.
When she was taken to one of the rooms and laid down on a bed, Rickard asked Edward to bring his brother. Edward nodded and left the room quickly.
“What’s with you guys? You guys beat the shit out of people and then get a doctor to heal them?” I snapped.
Rickard didn’t answer me. He pretended like he didn’t hear me at all. He stood with his back to me as he watched Megan taking peaceful breaths with her eyes closed.
“I’m talking to you,” I spoke again, my irritation getting the best of me.
Rickard said nothing but walked away to the washroom leaving the door open.
Hesitating just for a second, I went inside to see him kneeling down with his hand in the bathtub that was filling up.
After testing the water’s temperature, he got up and removed his coat before going to the sink and washing his face.
I gave him the towel when he reached for it. He didn’t even look at me. Instead, he turned off the tap, wiping his face in the process.
He walked past me like I was invisible, which only fueled my anger.
“She hates you. Then why comfort her as a friend?” Rickard asked.
“All I know is she can’t be here, and I can’t watch Luca torment her,” I replied.
“Then talk to her and get the truth out of her.”
With that said, he walked out of the room, slamming the door, which made Megan shiver.
***
Luca allocated one hour to talk to Megan every day in the evenings. It had been two days, and she’d hardly spoken. She was petrified and would cry the entire hour in my arms, and I let her.
There were so many questions I wanted to ask, but she was so scared that the words wouldn’t come out of her mouth.
The bruises from the beatings had started to heal, her hair was a mess, and she had dark circles under her eyes. I didn’t recognize the Megan Barbara I knew.
Luca was getting impatient because of her, and so was I since Chris was also out there. Just when I thought she would never talk, she finally tried to explain.
“After you and your family went missing, Chris was found in front of the hospital with his legs broken. The whole town was shaken, and I couldn’t believe that you were taken away.
“I just came here to help you.”
“But how did you find out I was here, Megan? Even the cops couldn’t find me.”
“It was all over the news, Kat,” she replied. “Karen took the case, and she did everything she could to get to the bottom of it.
“Sheriff Newman was contacted by the Italian police force, and he took charge of finding you. Chris was too stubborn to stay behind, so he accompanied the sheriff.
“My father contacted a few men and sent some of them to track you down, and I couldn’t stay behind and watch.
“Isabella and Anna were devastated. Kevin and Taylor tried to console them, but nothing worked.”
“Taylor? You mean Taylor Williams?” I asked, remembering the new guy whose house we’d toilet-papered.
“Yeah, he’s Anna’s boyfriend now,” Megan said.
“Should have guessed when he said he had a thing for brunettes.” I chuckled humorlessly.
“Without my father’s permission, I left with the team he chose to find you. We tried to track down your location, but it was impossible until we found Luca himself in a hotel.
“We tracked him to his home. We found you and tried to rescue you when Luca wasn’t around, but our plan failed because there was someone else with you.
“He was shot, but by the time we entered the house, you guys were long gone.”
I was able to connect what she was saying with the night the attack happened at Luca’s home when Edward was around.
“But Luca told me that the men who attacked came for some file,” I said, totally confused.
“F-file? W-what file? There’s no file or anything. We only wanted to rescue you, that’s all,” she said, not meeting my eyes.
“So, again, you guys attacked at the party and gave a warning?” I asked, looking at her.
She seemed lost in her own world.
“Yes. We thought that might weaken Luca and definitely divert his attention. We wanted that to happen so we could easily slip into all his illegal business.
“The shipment that was supposed to leave the country that night was intercepted by us and seized by the cops.”
I tried to understand her and connect this with what I knew from Luca, but it didn’t add up. She left me confused.
I was going to question her further, but Victor came, indicating the time was over.
“You’re going to tell him all this, aren’t you?” Megan’s voice was soft, a sad smile playing on her lips. “It’s okay. After all, that’s what he asked you to do. Go tell him.”
Leaning her head on the dirty wall, she closed her eyes, silently dismissing me.
I got up and left the cell with Victor.
***
Later that night, I walked out of the washroom with a towel wrapped around my body and was surprised to see Luca sitting on the bed with a laptop on his lap.
His eyes found me, and I saw the desire dripping from him like honey.
“Come here.” He placed the laptop on the side table and beckoned me with his finger.
I obliged and walked toward him. His fingers pulled down the towel, leaving me naked to his gaze. He quickly turned around, placing his feet on the floor and pulling me between his legs.
“Did she say anything?” he asked.
I nodded and told him everything except the part that involved Chris. Luca listened to me intently, moving his hands up and down the sides of my body.
“She’s lying,” Luca said and stood tall, making me step back.
“How can you say that?” I asked, wanting to know the clear picture.
“She didn’t come for you; she came for me,” Luca replied and dipped his head to my neck.
“Why would she come for you?” I asked as he sucked on my soft flesh.
“Because of her father,” Luca mumbled and placed a wet kiss on me.
I grew more confused than ever.
“I don’t understand, Luca.”
“Let’s not talk about it now, baby,” he rasped and slammed his lips onto mine.
I held onto him and kissed him back. His hands started to roam all over my body, and I shivered in delight.
Laying me down on the bed, Luca removed his clothes and climbed up on the bed. His hands parted my legs, and he leaned down to suck my clit.
I moaned and clutched his hair firmly as his tongue licked up and down my pussy, before he slipped a finger inside. He started to fuck me with his finger slowly as his mouth sucked on my clit.
He then added another digit and increased his pace.
“Luca,” I moaned.
He fucked me with his fingers and bit and sucked on my flesh. I orgasmed in no time, and Luca had already positioned himself to my entrance.
Leaning down on me, his eyes stared into mine, and he held me before he moved in slowly.
I watched him in confusion. His thrusts were slow and steady instead of being hard and brutal. My arms wrapped around him and held him close to me as he moved in and out, driving us to our climax.
“I can never get enough of you, Katherina,” he whispered and leaned down to kiss me softly. I closed my eyes and kissed him back, feeling him everywhere for the first time.
This sex was nothing like we’ve had before, and I was finding it hard to understand what he was trying to convey to me through this sensual fuck.
He went lower, peppering me with his kisses and latching onto one of my nipples. I was coming close to climax and wanted him to go harder and faster, but I loved this way much more.
He abruptly took his dick out and hoisted me up to a sitting position with my legs spread wide open.
Holding my hips, he kneeled down in front of me and moved back in, causing my head to fall back and moan in pleasure.
He immediately latched onto my neck and started moving a little faster. His hands rubbed my sides in a soothing way before pulling me to his body.
When I was close to climax, he again pulled out and changed our position. He pulled me back down as I moaned in protest.
Pulling me down on my knees, he wrapped one of his hands around my shoulder and the other around my waist and hugged me to his body before slipping in.
His arms tightened their hold around me as he increased his pace. I hugged him back and let him fuck me.
He grunted and started thrusting inside me. He wasn’t hurting me, and all I felt was pure pleasure.
“You’re so perfect, baby,” he whispered in my ear. “I want you so damn much.”
He kissed my earlobe and started going faster. I felt him throb inside me, and my own orgasm was approaching.
I thought he’d change the position again, but he kept going and held me tightly to his body. With a final thrust, he came inside me, and I did it too.
Unwrapping his arms around me, he rose up and looked down at me hopefully.
“Did I do it right?” he asked with a soft smile on his face.
My eyebrows scrunched in confusion. Do what right? He’s always been amazing when it comes to sex. Does he need a prize?
“Did you do what right?” I asked.
“Did I make love to you right?”
I forgot how to breathe. Did I hear him correctly?
Luca laughed at my expression. “I’ve never done it before, and I don’t know why I even tried to do it to you. I’m not going to apologize if it wasn’t right, but I’ll keep trying.”
He laid beside me and pulled me into his arms, and switched off the lights.
“Go to sleep,” he whispered and pulled the covers up and placed a soft kiss on my head.
What am I supposed to do now?
The next day before going to meet Megan, I sprinted out through the small gate that led to the woods and took the phone from under the tree Chris mentioned.