Chapter Twenty-Three
Kirsty
"Wake up, you stupid little bitch."
I groan in pain when someone kicks me hard in the stomach. I roll over, coughing hard, feeling like I'm going to throw up. When I blink my eyes open, I see Bruno J standing above me. Tears flood my eyes when I remember what had happened earlier.
"You honestly thought you could get away from me little pie? You thought those assholes could protect you?" He bends forward and cackles in my face, my stomach rolls at the stench of his breath. I can't believe I'm back here, I'd tried to fight them but there were too many of them and when I saw what they'd done to Theo, I gave up.
I sob when I think about what they'd done to Mickey, strapping him to a chair. His screams echoed in the house, they were questioning him and when he refused to answer, they would cut him. I begged him to tell them what they wanted to know, but no matter what they did, he stayed firm and I was forced to watch as the life drained from his eyes.
"Time to get up." Bruno J grabs a handful of my hair and drags me onto my feet.
Instinctively, my hands flew to my head to lessen the pain. With his free hand, he slaps me hard across the face, splitting my lip. I run my tongue along the stinging wound and taste blood in my mouth.
He drags me to the wall and pushed me into place by jamming his shoulder into my chest, knocking the air from my lungs. He snaps handcuffs, hanging from a ring on the wall, to my wrists. I suck in my breath when he pulls out a knife and slices it through my clothes, leaving me in only bra and panties.
"Okay little pie, it's time to teach you all over again. To teach you all the lessons you knew before those fucking Italians took you." He shakes his head. "I have a friend I owe you to and it's cost me a fucking fortune to hold him off until I could get you to him. So, you're going to repay me by being a good girl and doing exactly as you're told. Aren't you?" He grabs my face hard and I wince at the pain in my lip before nodding. I close my eyes willing Sergio to find me. A tear slides free, I know what is coming.
Bruno J leans forward and rams his tongue into my mouth, instead of giving up and accepting my fate, I latch on with my teeth and bite down as hard as I can. I taste his blood in my mouth.
He yells, pulls back and curses as his arm draws back and he punches me hard in the face. Because I'm bound against the wall, I have no way to avoid it and take the full force.
"You stupid little bitch." He spits blood onto the floor by my feet. "Karen!" he screams out. I hear the sound of high heels clicking on the tiled floor. I cringe inwardly, trying not to let my fear show.
"Pie needs another lesson before Paulie gets here. Don't mark her up too bad or he won't take her."
"Sure thing, Boss." She has a sadistic smile on her face and I brace for what's to come next. I close my eyes when I hear the door close and her cheap perfume surrounds me.
I close my eyes and calm my racing heart by thinking about what Sergio had said. I am yours and you are mine. I'm stronger than I was because of him, because of his love. I need to fight for me. For us. To feel. I hear a cupboard door close and when I hear the crack of a belt, I open my eyes. I watch as she stalks toward me.
"I told you, you can never hide from us." She cackles viciously.
The first couple of blows land and I suck in a breath against the pain. I become lax, allowing the cuffs to take my weight, my head lowered. I lift my eyes and watch her return to a cupboard, she puts the belt away before coming back to me. I take deep breaths, my legs sting and shake.
Karen reaches up and unfastens the handcuffs and I realize this is my only chance. I blow out a deep breath, steadying myself as both arms are released.
I grab the bitch's shoulders. Lean back and head butt her. My head spins at the hard contact but I steady myself, I look up to see her holding her nose which pours blood.
"You stupid little bitch," she screams. Before she can make a move, I punch her in the face. Left. Right. Left. Exactly as Serio taught me. She lands on her ass on the floor and one of her shoes slides free. I snatch it up. I'm not thinking when I jump on her and start hitting her in the face with the heel, my final swing punctures her eye and blood spurts all over us both.
I push away, scurrying along the floor on my ass, watching as she collapses into a pool of her blood. I take a deep breath and smile when I think of how proud Sergio would be. When a door slams open, I jump to my feet, ready to fight again.