“There she is,” he says, gripping my chin tightly. “The vulnerable little girl who so desperately wants to be loved.”
He is throwing acid all over my memories, and I will never forgive him for it. Never.
“You’re not your sister,” he adds, continuing to dig in the knife. “You will never be Saskia.”
I’ve never wanted to be her, and he might think he’s insulting me, but that’s the greatest compliment he could ever pay me. I can’t find it within me to be upset he favors her over me. Right now, I can’t think of two people more deserving of one another. “Pity she’s married now and you’ve missed your opportunity.”
He barks out a laugh. “You think a little thing like a wedding band would stop me from taking what I want? I took you, didn’t I? And it required no effort. It’s probably why it wasn’t enjoyable. Saskia always presented a challenge.”
I slap him across the face, and the three men on the couch hop up, hands automatically going to the guns strapped at their hips. Leo shakes his head, and they hold their ground, not sitting back down but not coming over here either.
“I’ll give her your regards,” I say, spinning on my bare feet, ready to get the hell out of here when he yanks me back. He pulls me flush against his body, and his arm wraps around my neck, locking tight under my chin, restricting my airflow and holding me in place. Panic jumps up and bites me, and I work hard to control my breathing, stowing whatever oxygen I have left in my lungs.
“Listen carefully, Firefly. You will not breathe a word of last night to anyone. No part of what happened will leave your lips. As far as anyone is concerned, last night was a figment of your imagination. You might think I’m an asshole, but Saverio Salerno is a different kind of asshole. One you don’t want to unleash. Don’t make me hunt you down.” He shoves me away, and I gasp, clutching the side of the island unit to stop myself from falling as I suck in air. “Now get out and don’t come back.”
I don’t need to be told twice, rushing out of his suite, swiping at the slew of hot angry tears as they course down my cheeks.
9
SIERRA
I stomp through the lobby of the prestigious Venetian hotel, uncaring that I’m doing the walk of shame because fuck those gawking bystanders. I don’t know who they are, and I won’t see them again. I flip my middle finger up at an older couple who are shaking their heads and looking at me with disgust as I pass by. Father would be furious if he saw me now, but I’m too freaking mad and upset to care about anything except getting the hell out of here.
When I step onto the sidewalk, I realize I have no purse, no cell, and no money. I can still get a cab and make the driver come up to our suite so I can pay him. I’m walking toward an empty cab when a man wearing a smart black suit steps in front of me. “Miss Lawson?” he inquires, and I peer at him, narrowing my eyes suspiciously.
“Who wants to know?”
“Mr. Mazzone asked me to drive you to the Bellagio.” He opens the door to a black Mercedes with fully tinted windows, lifting a brow when I don’t move a muscle. I’m tempted to tell him where he can stick his ride, but there’s no point being stupid about it, so I climb into the back seat and let him drop me at my hotel, fuming the entire journey.
“Thank God!” Pen screeches, rushing me the instant I step foot in our suite. “I’ve been going out of my mind with worry.” Flinging her arms around me, she hugs me tight. I cling to her, needing a friendly hug so badly. She eases back, examining me from head to toe. “Are you okay? Did they hurt you?”
“I’m fine. I’m not hurt.” Much. I glance around the empty suite, frowning. “Where is everyone?”
“Esme is showering, Tony is freaking out someplace, and the rest of the girls are in the casino.”
Shit. I scrub my hands down my face. I’d forgotten about my bodyguard. It’s no wonder Tony is going crazy. I need to find him before he calls my father. I’m hoping the fact I was MIA means he hasn’t called him yet—Father would blow a gasket if he knew I was lost in Vegas without protection, and Tony would be out of a job. I’m hoping his sense of self-preservation is strong enough to have held off making that call.
Pen touches my arm, and worry lines furrow her brow. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I am. I promise.” I notice the bruising shadows under her eyes, and I can tell she’s had a sleepless night. “Are you okay? And what happened after you left?” I remember how terrified she was last night.
“I’m fine. Look, why don’t you get changed, I’ll order us some room service, and then the three of us can talk.”
I nod. “Sounds like a plan.”
I conduct a quick search for Tony, but he’s not in the suite. Going into my room, I change into yoga pants and a slouchy shirt that rests just below my ass. I tease my hair into a messy topknot before slipping my feet into fluffy slippers. I find my purse on the bedside table, and I’m grateful one of my friends made sure to bring it home. I check the contents, and it’s all there. My cell is dead, so I plug it in to charge as someone raps on my door. I open it, revealing a furious Tony. I sigh, not in the mood for a lecture, but there’s no point in delaying the inevitable. And it’s not like I don’t deserve it. “Come in.”
He storms into the room, brushing past me with his nostrils flaring. He is red in the face like he ran up all thirty-six floors. “Jesus fucking Christ. You are going to be the death of me.” He sighs heavily while examining me from head to toe. Satisfied I’m in one piece, he grips my shoulders. “Where the fuck were you?” he barks.
“Out partying?” I shrug, smiling sheepishly, because I’m not sure how to handle Tony when he’s like this.
“Don’t act cute.” He lowers his hands from my shoulders, dragging his fingers through his short hair. “Don’t you know how worried I was? I’ve been frantic, searching everywhere for you.” He glares at me, and I can tell he’d love to throttle me right now. “You have a lot of explaining to do, Sierra. Your father will not be pleased.”
I almost choke on my tongue. “Please tell me you haven’t spoken to my father,” I splutter, flopping onto the edge of my bed.
He rubs the bridge of his nose. “Not yet, but he’s been blowing up my phone, and I need to return his call.”
I sit up straighter. “You can’t tell him. He’ll just ground me for eternity, and you’ll get fired.” I might be twenty-one, but I’m still living at home, and my father has numerous ways to make me suffer.
“Do you think your father pays me to protect you as some kind of joke?” he shouts.
“No. Of course not.”
“Do you have any idea how much danger you were in last night?” He shakes his head, staring at me with a mix of anger and concern.
Eh, yeah, buddy. I was aware of how close I came to being raped and murdered. I can’t say that though, so I press my lips together, happy to let him vent and hopefully get it all off his chest.
“Do you hate me then?” His brows climb to his hairline. “Is that it? You want to get me fired, or you were hoping to kill me?”