Game(26)

I grabbed the sheet and pulled it up to my chin.

“Sorry, couldn’t help myself,” Fiore said. “Is Finn treating you well?”

“Yeah.”

“Good. You two busy at work?”

I swallowed hard. I didn’t want to lie to Fiore. Not without Finn and I agreeing on some kind of plan.

“If you’re asking…”

“How many times did he f*ck you last night?”

Ohmygod…

My cheeks started to burn. I pulled the covers tighter to my body. I felt so uncomfortable with Fiore at the end of the bed. Yet he was there, staring at me.

He then let out a little laugh. “Well, I’ll just have to assume for now. But don’t worry, I’m not against checking on things.”

“What does that mean?”

“You’ll find out soon enough,” he said. He then turned and brought his right leg to the bed. He leaned at me and touched my leg over the covers with his right hand. “I know Finn told you my story.”

I nodded. “I’m very sorry about what happened.”

“See, the thing with apologies and grieving and all that… it gets you nowhere. So what’s the f*cking point? Zander had a plan and it worked.” Fiore gently clapped his hands together. “I applaud him for that. Sometimes defining what’s ours creates bloodshed. It’s no different than what our ancestors fought for years ago. The battles for land, territory, promise, and purpose. Kings staring across the land. It’s just a different time now. The fight is different, the war is the same.”

“I can help,” I said. “I can get Zander to come here. You can get him. Kidnap him and do…”

“Shhh…,” Fiore said. “I already know what I want. I don’t go against my initial instinct. I did that once and it ended up with my poor Luca leaving this world. Did you know that?”

I shook my head. “No.”

“See, Mara always came to me. Even after she got married and had Luca. That father daughter relationship is something special. Were you close with your father, Shayna?”

“No,” I said. “I never met him.”

“See, now that’s a damn shame. That’s a real damn shame. But anyway, the night poor Luca was sick, Mara called me. I could hear my grandson crying in the background. The poor guy was in pain. I told her to stay put and let me get a doctor to come to her. No need to leave the house at two in the morning. But Antonio insisted on driving Luca. He said he could get there quicker. I wasn’t happy about it, but I trusted Antonio. And little did I know Zander had been waiting for Antonio to leave the house. The last sound I ever heard of Luca wasn’t his giggle. It wasn’t the way he made bubbles with his lips. It was the crying of my grandson, in pain.”

I saw the look in Fiore’s eyes. This wasn’t a normal man. The death of his son-in-law and grandson had him teetering on insanity. True insanity.

“I knew nothing of it,” I whispered. “I mean, of what Zander did and when.”

“I’m not blaming you,” Fiore said. “You wanted to get away from him and now you’re helping me with this war.”

“Do you understand… getting pregnant…”

Fiore stood from the bed, gun in hand. “People have babies all the time. Mara is still grieving. Marie insists on leaving her be for now. So my chances of another grandchild are very slim. But I can welcome a baby into my own. I can replace what was lost.”

“It won’t replace your bloodline,” I said, taking a chance by talking back to Fiore.

“You’re right,” Fiore said. “It won’t keep my bloodline going. But it will ease the pain in my family. We will have a child to love and raise. Mara will see beyond the grief of losing Antonio… and then I can bring another man into her life. Not to mention I get to steal life from Zander. Drive him insane before I kill him. Plus, the power of life and love…”

Fiore just stared off into space. The man was beyond crazy.

He looked at me. “Understand?”

“Yeah,” I whispered.

“Good,” Fiore said. He grabbed at the door. “Now it’s time for some proof.”

“Some what?” I asked.

“I want to see it.”

“See what?”

Fiore smiled big and his eyes narrowed. “I want proof that my commands are being obeyed. I’m going to watch Finn f*ck you, Shayna.”



~



My breath and words were jumbled and stolen. Fiore tore open the door and whistled. A second later Finn appeared in the doorway, a man standing with a gun to the side of his head.

“You work under pressure, right?” Fiore asked Finn.

“Jesus Christ,” Finn said. “Are you f*cking kidding me, Fiore? After everything I’ve done for you. Come on.”

“No,” Fiore said with a smile. “You’re going to come in…” He pointed at me. “… in her!”

Fiore and his thug laughed.

“Get that dick hard,” Fiore said. “What do you need? You need Shayna naked? You need her to touch herself?”

I started to shake under the covers.

Fiore looked at me, waving the gun like it was a laser pointer and I was some kind of exhibit. “Go ahead, Shayna. Tear those covers off. Show it all off. Get your man hard.”