Chapter Twenty Four

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Double update, so make sure you read Chapter 23 first!!

I was getting pretty good at having small conversations in Italian. I'd had lessons with Emilio every Sunday for the last three weeks and I'd have lunch with Giulia a few times a week to practice and catch up. Luca and I had started running together again and I was getting more and more familiar with the grounds of the estate. Diana and I got to spend more time together now that I was back and we were getting closer.

The most important thing that had happened in the last few weeks, though, was that I finally got to visit my brother's grave. Stefano had taken me down a trail in the forest behind the estate that led to an open clearing with a small cemetery. A lot of the headstones had the name Colombo written on them, but the freshest one had the name Pierce carved neatly on it. Stefano had held me while I finally mourned properly.

We settled into a routine fairly quickly. I would read in the morning after my run while Stefano took care of business. We'd have lunch together when I wasn't meeting with Giulia before going off and doing our own things until meeting up again for dinner with the rest of the family. After dinner, we'd shower together, have sex and then go to sleep. I was happy.

I was sitting in the arm chair of his bedroom reading a book when the door burst open with force. The sound of it hitting the wall ricocheted around the room as Stefano stormed inside.

I immediately stood up, alarmed by his sudden entrance. "Stefano, what's wrong?" He didn't normally meet me for lunch for a few more hours and I had never seen him this angry. "Are you-"

Stefano drew his gun faster than I'd ever seen him before, efficiently cutting me off. "Get on your knees." He ordered. His voice shook, but his expression was cold as stone. I could tell he was obviously struggling to keep his composure. Hurt and anger swam in his eyes, but nothing stood out more than the look of betrayal.

"Stefano?" I pleaded softly, but I complied, slowly sinking down to my knees. I had no idea what I could have done to make him this angry, but I didn't want to risk acting out when he had a gun to my head. I cautiously raised my hands before speaking. "Stefano, tell me what's wrong. Talk to me. I can help you get through this, just talk to me." I reasoned, trying to hide just how terrified I was in that moment.

"Alaya..." Stefano struggled to croak out. His gun was shaking in his hand as he pointed it at my head. "Alaya please tell me you didn't do this. Tell me you weren't the one who betrayed us. I don't want to shoot you. I can't shoot you."

My eyebrows knit together in confusion. Someone had betrayed Stefano? And he thought it was me? I couldn't even begin to fathom doing anything to upset him, let alone betray him.

I hesitantly reached out and placed my hand on the barrel of the gun, lowering it. When he let me push it down, I deemed it safe enough to stand. "Stefano, I would never." I took carefully calculated footsteps, closing the space between us. "You can trust me. I promise I didn't say anything to anyone." I gently placed my hands on his chest.

A look of pure anguish crossed Stefano's face, making him appear to have aged ten years. "I want to believe you."

"Then do." I whispered softly, placing a chaste kiss on his lips. "You can trust me Stefano. What do I have to do to make you trust me?"

I jumped at the thud Stefano's gun made as he dropped it on the floor. Stefano pulled me to his chest and wrapped his arms around me, securing me to him.

"Non voglio ferirti." He whispered placing a soft kiss on my head. "Mi dispiace, mia cara."

(I don't want to hurt you. I'm sorry, my darling.)

Before I could try to translate what he had said, Stefano pressed a syringe into my arm. I let out a soft gasp as Stefano clutched me to him, burying his face into my neck.

I could feel the drug begin to take effect and the last thing I heard before blacking out was Stefano's strangled apologies. "Sono veramente dispiacuito."

(I'm so, so sorry.)

I woke up with a pounding headache after what could've been a few hours or a few minutes, I wasn't sure. I groaned softly and tried to move my hands, only to find them stuck. I opened my eyes, taking in my surroundings. My vision took a couple seconds to come into focus.

I was sitting in a metal chair with my wrists and upper body tied down in a dark, concrete room. My limbs were stiff and my butt was numb. I looked around for signs of Stefano, but no one else was in the room. My stomach turned when I noticed the bloodstains on the concrete floor.

For a second, I thought I had been kidnapped, but my stomach dropped when I realized where I was. I was in the basement, right where I'd started. I had come full circle.

My head was pounding and my tongue felt heavy. I took a deep breath as I tried to calm down. Stefano would come in any second and tell me this was all a big misunderstanding.

"Stefano?" I called out weakly, my voice gravelly from lack of use.

I strained my ears for an answer, but none came. I shifted uncomfortably in the chair, my arms sore from being tied down. After an agonizingly long period of time, I heard the door unlock. I held my breath as the door was slowly pushed open. I deflated when I realized it was not Stefano, but Marco.

"Good evening, Alaya. I trust you've made yourself comfortable, si?" He said smoothly with a smirk.

"Marco, why am I here?" I asked with a trembling voice. I couldn't stop seeing my name in that file I'd seen about the Bonano family.

"That's what I'm here to find out. We're going to play a game, you and me. Don't worry, the rules are simple. I ask a question and you answer me. If you don't answer, I get to play with one of these toys." He gestured to the table set up against the wall with an array of different knives and tools.

I looked back at him in fear. "Where's Stefano? I'm not supposed to be here, I-"

Marco let out a cold bark of laughter. "Stefano doesn't want to see you. In fact, he didn't even want to be here for this. After all, it's not every day the Don falls for a rat."

I felt bile coming up at the implied meaning of the sentence. "What do you guys want from me?" I croaked as a single tear slid down my cheek. Why was Stefano letting this happen to me? I hadn't done anything wrong.

"We want to know what you told them." Marco's voice was hard as stone.

"Told who, what?" I cried in exasperation. "I don't know what you're asking of me!"

"Don't be stupid, we want to know what you told the Bonano!" Marco yelled.

I drew back in surprise. "You think I..." I started, but cut myself off, deciding to take a different approach. "What makes you think I said anything to anyone?"

"It's obvious that we have a rat, how else would the Bonano have been able to know our every move for the last few weeks?" Marco scoffed.

"But what makes me look so guilty? I don't even pay attention to any of your business! How am I supposed to relay information to them that I don't even have in the first place!"

"What were you doing in Stefano's office a few weeks ago before he came in?"

I felt my stomach drop as I realized how guilty that made me look. If someone betrayed Stefano, the best way to get information would've been by going into his office and looking through his stuff. I had wondered why my name was under known associates. I had thought that maybe it was outdated, but now I was beginning to think Stefano had never truly trusted me.

I watched warily as Marco picked up a pair of pliers. "So tell me Alaya, do you value your finger nails?"

The blood immediately drained from my face. "P-please... Don't do this." I begged.

Marco smiled as he approached me. "Tell me what you told them, and this will be over fast. I promise." He ordered with a sadistic smile. "How did you communicate with them, did you use the phone he gave you? Was someone helping you?"

"I didn't tell them anything." I insisted, struggling against my restraints. "I promise!"

"Wrong answer." Marco said. I clenched my hand into a fist, but he pried it open and placed the pliers on the nail of my index finger and tugged slightly. "You've got one more chance, Alaya. Tell me what you told them."

I began to panic. Was Marco actually going to do this? Was Stefano actually going to let him torture me? "I swear on my life, I never-"

"You had your chance." Marco snarled, ripping my finger nail off in one quick movement. I screamed a blood curdling scream and tears welled in my eyes at the pain.

"Stop!" I screamed as Marco placed the pliers on another one of my fingernails. "Please, stop!"

"What did you tell them?" Marco yelled.

"I didn't! I swear, just please-" I cut myself off with a scream as Marco ripped another fingernail from my hand.

"Wrong answer!" Marco yelled.

"Basta!" Stefano's voice echoed around the room as the door slammed open.

(Enough!)

I let out a sob of relief as Marco retreated, taking the pliers with him. My hand shook as I watched blood coagulate where my fingers nail once were.

A moment passed before I looked up at Stefano. "You coward!" I screamed when I saw him. "What the fuck is wrong with you?" I let out another muffled sob.

"I said scare her, not hurt her." Stefano growled at Marco.

"Sorry, Don. I got carried away." Marco gave a half-assed excuse.

"Leave before I get carried away with my gun and put a fucking bullet in your head." He hissed at him.

I flinched back as Stefano approached me. "Get away from me!" I screamed.

"Alaya." Stefano said, as he knelt down in front of me to cut the ropes tying my ankles to the chair. "You weren't supposed to get hurt. I only did this because I had to make sure it wasn't you."

"You could've just asked! You could've just trusted me!" I screamed through my tears. The second Stefano freed my legs, I kicked out at him, knocking him backwards. "Stay away from me, you monster!"

"Alaya, stop!" Stefano snapped as he stood and brushed the dirt off of his suit. "Don't be a child, I'm trying to untie you."

"I don't give a damn." I seethed. "I want you as far away from me as possible!"

Stefano's eyes darkened. "Don't make me sedate you." He warned.

I glared at him before reluctantly letting him step back up to me. I turned my head away from him, avoiding his hard gaze, as he leaned down to cut the ropes. Silent tears slid down my face.

"I'm sorry, Alaya." He whispered, placing a gentle kiss on my tear stained cheek. He cut me free and I rubbed my sore wrists.

"I want to go home." I mumbled. "Please, Stefano."

"You don't have a home anymore." I let him pull me up to my feet and didn't resist when he wrapped his arms around me, pulling me to his chest. I was too drained to put up a fight. "You belong here with me. I'll take you back to my room so you can sleep this off." Stefano said.

I pulled away from him to look at him in astonishment. "Sleep it off? You think I can just sleep this off and it'll make everything okay again? You're insane if you think I want to be anywhere near you right now!."

"We can have this conversation after you've slept and eaten. I'm not going to discuss this with you right now." Stefano said sternly.

"I'm not hungry." I lied.

Stefano gave me a look that told me he didn't believe me. "Dai."

(Come.)

Stefano walked out of the room, but I stayed rooted to the spot. Stefano turned around in the doorway in frustration. "Dai, Alaya. I'm locking this door behind me whether or not you're in here."

I followed him reluctantly through the door and up the stairs, holding my throbbing fingers to my chest. Stefano walked into the kitchen where Diana was washing a head of lettuce. She looked up with a smile at the sound of footsteps but she expression immediately changed to one of horror as she took me in.

"Oh my god! Are you okay?" She rushed to my side. "What happened?" She asked, looking at Stefano.

I pulled away from Stefano and threw myself into Diana's arms, letting out a sob. I cried into her shoulder, ignoring whatever Stefano was telling her. She rubbed soothing circles into my back until Stefano left the room. She sat me down by the counter and handed me a water bottle.

"Here, drink this."

My hand shook as I brought it to my lips.

"Do you want me to take you to my room? You can stay there until we figure things out." Diana offered.

I nodded and she lead me out of the kitchen to her room. She pulled a pair of pajamas out of one of her drawers and handed it to me.

"Thank you." I mumbled, my voice hoarse.

She gave me a pitiful smile. "I have to get back to work but you stay here and gets some rest, okay? I'll come back to check one you in a bit."

"Okay." I whispered.

She left the room and I changed into her clothes before falling asleep in her bed. I didn't sleep well. I had nightmares about knives and pliers and the man I loved.

Don't hate me, I promise I know what I'm doing! (Sort of.)

Don't forget to vote and comment what you think!

-Emma

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