Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 77824 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 389(@200wpm)___ 311(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77824 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 389(@200wpm)___ 311(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
“As long as my brother’s kidney is in your body, you belong to me.”
No.
God.
No.
When I start to shake my head, he suddenly pulls back, and the next moment, my dress is shoved up my body, and the knife is pressed against the red scar where I had surgery.
A desperate scream is torn from my soul as I try to grab hold of his hand while begging, “Don’t. Please, don’t!”
His eyes lock with mine again. “Your choice, topolina. Either you do exactly as I say, or I take the kidney back right now.”
Shit.
Shit.
Shit.
“I…I…I’ll d-do what you s-s-say.”
Once again, he moves quickly and rises to his feet. His eyes burn over me, and I don’t dare move a muscle to fix my dress so it will cover me.
“Take her back to the other room,” he orders the guard before throwing the knife on the table and grabbing his jacket.
With terror vibrating through me, I watch as he shrugs the jacket on and walks out of the room.
I quickly sit up and pull my dress down while I climb to my feet.
The guard grabs my arm, and I’m hauled out of the room that’s clearly used for torturing people, and taken back to Dad and Dr. Bentall.
I’m shoved inside before the door is shut behind me, and standing on shaky legs, my eyes find my father’s.
“Are you okay? What did he do?” Dad asks as he rushes to me with his hands still tied behind his back.
Cosa Nostra.
His little brother was killed.
He was only twenty years old.
My voice sounds a million miles away as I ask, “Did you buy a kidney for me on the black market?”
Dad stands in front of me, and his features are torn between worry and guilt.
I’m bombarded with destructive emotions as I put all the pieces together.
“You had someone killed so I could get a kidney,” I cry. “He was only twenty years old.” I gasp for air as I wrap my arms around my middle. “I never wanted that!”
Giving Dad a heartbroken and incredulous look, I whisper, “How could you do that?”
Tears spiral down my cheeks, and knowing I have a kidney from someone who was murdered makes my heart shatter into a million pieces.
“I would rather have died a dignified death than be subjected to this horror.”
Dad’s face crumbles beneath the guilt he feels. “I didn’t know they’d kill someone for it.” He turns and levels Dr. Bentall with an enraged glare. “You said nothing would go wrong!”
“Seriously?” I shriek as I step away from my father. “That’s what you’re going with?” Leaning forward, I shout, “A man was killed! Do you get that? A man was freaking killed!”
I’m going to lose my mind.
I can’t deal with this.
Sobs wrack from me as I say, “And that man was the little brother of a mafia boss! What were you thinking?”
God, what were they thinking?
Lifting my hands to my head, I grip fistfuls of my hair. “We’re going to die. We’re all going to die. He’s going to kill us one by one. He’s going to cut the kidney out of me. He’s going to–”
“Skylar!” Dad shouts, his whole body vibrating from how upset he is. “Calm down.”
“Don’t tell me to calm down!”
Dr. Bentall takes a step closer to us. “All this shouting isn’t helping.”
“Shut up!” I snap at him.
My angry gaze snaps between Dad and Dr. Bentall, and then I’m hit with an unbearable wave of guilt.
Because of me, a person was killed.
I wrap my arms around myself again while a whimper ripples over my lips.
My rights were violated, and an innocent person died so I could live.
Chapter 15
Renzo
Watching Skylar scream at her father on the live stream from the camera in the room brings me a sliver of satisfaction.
It looks like she’s losing her mind, and it’s clear she had no idea where the kidney came from.
Not that it changes anything.
I’m still going to make her suffer for the rest of her life.
The way I have to suffer every day I’m forced to live without Giulio.
Skylar slumps down to her ass and leans back against the wall. She looks exhausted.
Not wanting her to die yet, I know I’ll have to make her more comfortable.
“Carlo, put a bed in one of the empty offices,” I order.
“On it, boss.”
My eyes are glued to the screen as I watch Harlan stalk up and down like a caged animal while Bentall stands in a corner.
Skylar buries her face in her arms that are wrapped around her knees, the skirt of her dress pinned between her calves and the back of her thighs.
My phone vibrates in my pocket, and I quickly pull it out. Seeing Dario’s name, I answer, “Did you find out anything else?”
“We officially have a photo of Manual Castellanos, and he’s popped up on several CCTV cameras around the city.”