The Virgin and Her Bodyguard

Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

NOLIA

W hen I feel the pen vibrate in my hand, I stop fighting the brute that has his arms locked around me. It’s pointless. There is no way I’m going to break free of his hold. I’m only going to end up hurting myself.

Plus, I know Luca will be coming for me soon. He’s going to save me. I know that to my core. Others might think I’m crazy for believing it, but Luca is the other part of my soul. It recognized him from the beginning.

“Why are you doing this?” I ask.

What could have given me away? I thought I’d been safe since I returned. No one has given me a second glance. Or was I so distracted by Luca that I missed it? I’m clearly not as good at reading people as I thought. I’m disappointed in myself that I didn’t know my father as well as I thought. God, that freaking stings. He knows how much I adore and love Pru, and the fact that he would do this rips me apart inside.

“Your boyfriend gave you up,” Antonio says against my ear. His warm breath against my skin makes a chill run through my entire body.

I bite my tongue so that I don’t call bullshit. My hand tightens its grip on the pen. If Luca gave me up, he wouldn't be sending me a signal. I just need to be calm and wait for him to come find me.

“Nothing to say to that?” Antonio's hand slides and grips my breast, giving me a painful squeeze.

I let out a yelp but lean forward at the same time to throw him off balance. Then I slam the heel of my shoe down on top of his toes. He lets out a scream like a little baby bitch, but he releases me. I’m not quick enough, though, and end up falling to the floor on my knees. Shoving the pen into the top part of my pants, I try to hide it.

“You bitch.” Antonio grabs me by the hair, pulling me to my feet. I clench my teeth together to prevent myself from giving him the satisfaction of a scream. He and anyone else around would enjoy that far too much. As he tightens his grip on my hair, tears burn in my eyes.

“She’s feisty,” I hear another man say. “Think Marco will let us play with her?” I see the man in the corner, and he’s licking his lips. He takes his time looking me up and down, but I don’t recognize him. That’s been happening a lot lately. I think Marco is bringing in his own men.

"If Marco doesn't go first, Bruno will call first dibs. He's had a thing for her for a while, and he's pissed that Luca got to her first."

“Can I call dibs on her ass then?”

Bile burns at the back of my throat. I hate all of them. I would love nothing more than to watch Luca kill them one by one, but more than anything, one of us has to get word to Pru and Vitaly. I’m not sure if Luca knows what’s happening. All he does know for sure is that I need help right away.

“Luca told us she’s really tight.” Antonio yanks my hair again, and I fall back against his body. “Are you still nice and tight or did Luca wear that pussy out like he told us he did?”

“With a dick the size of yours, I'm guessing nothing is tight.” The other guy laughs at my response.

“You cunt.” I see rage take over Antonio’s face, and I close my eyes, bracing myself for a strike.

When nothing comes, I peek up at him and see a sick satisfaction on Antonio's face. He’s pleased he got a reaction out of me. That's his ultimate desire. It’s not about the physical pain for him; it’s more about the power he wields.

“Come on. If Marco beats us down there, he’ll be pissed.” None of them want to face his wrath. He can be far crueler than Renzo at times.

“We’re far from done,” Antonio whispers in my ear, then grabs my arm to guide me forward. His hold is so hard that I know I'll have bruises, but I do my best to keep from showing my pain.

I know where we’re going, and there’s no need to ask. My feet feel heavy with every step as we get closer to the basement door. It was na?ve to think I’d never be taken there. I wonder if this is the only way out. The men take someone into the basement, and then we never see them again. That’s the extent of their indifference to life. It’s easily snuffed out.

The screams I’ve heard from within those walls will always haunt me. I’ve heard grown men pleading for their lives. The guards are all simply too stupid to understand that they, too, could eventually find themselves here.

The smell of piss and blood assaults me when the basement door opens. I grudgingly walk down the old wooden stairs that creak with each step, giving extra effect to the horrors of this place.

When I get to the bottom step, my eyes lock on a figure tied to a chair. Their head is dropped forward so that I can’t see their face. It takes me a moment to realize who it is, and I let out a small gasp, not because I feel sorry for Renzo, but because it dawns on me what’s really happening. The head of the Benecci family is here in the basement. Possibly murdered.

“Is he dead?” I find myself asking. I don’t need to see his face to know they did a real number on him.

“Maybe,” Antonio grunts, like he hasn’t served Renzo his whole life. He was a born and raised soldier for the Benecci family.

Renzo Benecci hasn’t been seen since Vitaly cut his tongue out. Did his second in command, Marco, do this to him? He wanted to take over the Benecci organization; I’m willing to bet there’s nothing he wouldn’t do.

Glancing around the room, I see a large table against one wall with tools scattered across it. Blood can be seen on some of the tools. There are chairs nearby with restraints next to them, but that’s not what has fear rippling through my body.

No, it's the beds that are solely equipped with mattresses. All of them are stained. I have to fight the urge to vomit when I see bed posts are adorned with the same type of restraints.

“I’ll let you pick which bed you want.” Antonio gives me a shove and releases his hold on me. “But first you need to strip.”