“That’s it. I’m done,” he says as he picks me up and slings me over his shoulder.
“Good thing you can pick me up or this would be awkward,” I say simply.
“Shut up,” he says as he walks me out of the room.
“First you want me to talk, then you want me to be quiet, then you want me to tell you something, but now you want me to be quiet,” I say. “Make up your fucking mind.” Angelo smacks myass hard and that shuts me up. I don’t know why, but it’s the way his hand lingers on me before pulling away that stuns me.
“That got her,” Mario laughs.
“I think it’s time we break her like the old days,” Angelo says as he sets me on my feet. I take a few steps back to get away from Angelo, but Mario grabs my waist and holds me in place. “Scared,Dolcezza?”
“Nah… revolted,” I say with a smile
“Are you always this much of a brat?” he frowns.
“Are you always so triggered by your dead daddy?” I ask, laughing. Angelo grips my throat again and promptly squeezes, cutting off my air. I swallow hard but smile and close my eyes. I don’t want him to be the last thing I see before I die.
“Fight, Laura,” he demands.
I don’t fight but when I get the urge, I open my eyes to remind myself why I’m not fighting death. Stars dance in my vision and just everything starts to darken, my eyes involuntarily roll back before I close them. He abruptly releases me, and I start coughing and gasping for air. I don’t understand why he won’t just kill me. What use does he have for me?
“Sit and eat,” he says simply.
“No,” I choke out.
“Now!” he shouts.
“Just because you say it louder doesn’t mean I’ll listen any better,” I say.
“You haven’t eaten all week. Either sit your little ass down and eat or I’ll make you sit and eat,” he says, and I laugh.
“Is this like a kink for you? Bring someone to near death so you can play hero and save them? Is this because you couldn’t save Mommy dearest all those years ago?” I ask, taunting him.
“Uh oh,” Mario says. “Angelo…”
Whatever warning he was about to give him falls on deaf ears as Angelo lunges at me. I manage to sidestep and get across the table from him just in time.
“Why are you being so fucking difficult?” Angelo asks.
“Because you were going to fucking murder me, you fucking psycho!” I scream at him. “I wanted to believe that you weren’t like him, but you are. You are cruel and sadistic just like the monster that murdered my family; the only people who have ever cared about me. So, fuck your feelings. I hope your precious parents are feeling every bit of the pain I have felt while they rot in hell.”
“Laura, stop,” Mario says seriously.
“Awe. Is mommy the soft spot?” I ask with a mocking, baby-like tone of voice. “Did you not get to say goodbye, Angelo? Is that why you keep throwing tantrums? Do you have mommy issues?”
When he comes at me again, I grab a glass of tea and throw the whole thing at him. I catch him off-guard, and myself, when the glass hits him and shatters, cutting his cheek. I immediately turn on my heels and run but he catches me in a few long strides. He grabs my throat again and shoves me against a wall with so much force that I’m sure it nearly buckles the wall.
It takes a lot to make me fear pain or death but when he wipes the blood from his cheek and shoves his fingers in my mouth, my body trembles, and tears slip down my cheeks. “Suck,Dolcezza,” he commands. “It’s not the last part of me you’ll have in your mouth.” The metallic tang of blood makes me gag for a moment, but I recover. “Suck, or the next thing I shove down your throat will be my cock.”
I do as I’m told and suck on his fingers, and he smiles. “Good girl,Dolcezza.Keep sucking,” he says softly as his other hand moves up to cup my cheek. “Now, you are going to sit down, shut your pretty little mouth, and eat your food. After, we are going to have a civil conversation where you aren’t trying to get me to kill you, understand?” he asks with a controlled tone, and I nod. “Go.”
He steps away from me, letting his hands fall to his sides. He then turns his back to me and sits at the table with Mario. I am still frozen in place, but I force that shock aside as I wipe my face and sit on the other side of the table from him and Mario.
Mario stands and brings over a plate with penne pasta with marinara, Caprese salad, and chicken. “Eat slowly and only eat what you can. You’ll get sick again if you have too much at once.”
I shake my head, staring at the food. It smells delicious and I am starving, but I don’t trust it for a second. If this has poison in it and they decide to save me again, I will kill myself before I feel like that again. To have your body turn itself inside out over and over, not even letting you keep water down, is torturous. Maybe that was his real intention all along. He could be just torturing me and eating this could just be another way to prolong my suffering.
“Laura,” Mario says with a sigh. “You need to eat.”