My Masters' Nightmare Season 1, Episode 3 (11 page)

“
Then I will escape
and bring help
back. I don’t have family, other than my bastard husband, and they
can kill him for all I care.”

“
You still can’t
escape.”

“
Why not?”

“
Because they say you are Salvi
and will kill them if you run.”

“
I’m not Salvi, I’m a
Kovak.”

“
It doesn’t matter; they will
still kill a whole family if you escape. They’ve done it
before.”

“
I’m not giving up my life
for people I don’t even know.”

“
I know them and I love them,”
he said, running his hand over my hair. “Sophia’s parents are
lovely people, they don’t deserve to die, nor do the rest of
their
famiglia
.”

“
They killed your
parents.”

He stopped stroking my
hair
. “No, I
thought so at first, but it was the Donatelli. They manipulate and
tell so many lies that people confuse the truth. They were the ones
responsible, although I was responsible for Sophia’s death. If it
weren’t for me, the
Padre
wouldn’t have killed her. I now owe her
parents.”

“
That wasn’t your doing, and we
don’t deserve to be in here.”

He frowned. “Is there anyone you would
sacrifice yourself for?”

My mind went to
Matt
.
“No.”

“
I would have for Sophia, but
she is gone, so
I’d do it for her
famiglia
, as I would my own, Alberto the exception. I
would throw him to the lions in an instant.” He squeezed his eyes
shut. “I deserve this, deserve everything that is done to me, but
the Salvi don’t.”

“
You don’t either.”

He opened his eyes, his gaze
piercing. “What’
s done to me is what I have done to others, so don’t feel
sorry for me.”

“
Did you have a
choice?”

“
I did what I was
told.”

“
That doesn’t answer my
question.”

“
I didn’t get a choice, that’s
if I wanted to stay under the protection of the D’Angelo house.
Though, I did try to run once, it was near the beginning when my
uncle killed a slave because I didn’t train her to his standards.
He found out I was going soft on her so he slit her throat in front
of me. Alberto talked me out of leaving, which was the only time he
was nice to me. Now I know why.”

“
Sounds like you are just
as much a victim as the women are.”

“
I am now, and regardless of
what you say, I still deserve it. I knew what it was like to be
raped, yet I still trained slaves instead of leaving. I know the
Donatelli would’ve caught me if I ran, but still, I would’ve been
without guilt.”

“
You feel
guilty?”

“
Of course.” He let go of
me.

“
I’m still going to try to
escape. I didn’t get sent here to be a slave. I need to help the
kidnapped women, and now you.”

“
But
I’m
mafioso
.”

“
And a victim.”

“
Again, don’t pity me, I deserve
this.”

“
No one deserves to be abused.
I
was abused
as a child, so I know it does things to your mind, makes you do
crazy things. I committed crimes before I got into law enforcement,
crimes that should’ve got me sent to prison and stopped me from
getting into the FBI—”

“
You’re FBI?” he said,
looking shocked.

“
Yes, I thought everyone
knew.”

He shook his head. “Not this fool. And who
abused you?”

“
My first foster father. I was
removed from his home and put into the care of an Italian family. I
continued to lash out, but they eventually got through to me and
helped rebuild my life piece by piece until I could function and
remember some of my past. They’re dead now; they died in a car
accident. I would’ve sacrificed myself for them.”

He frowned. “I remember every abuse
done to me.”

“
I don’t
. I can’t even remember small things
like how I learned to read. They even showed me a picture of the
man who had abused me and I don’t remember him at all.”

“
That sounds like
amnesia.”

“
It is. Apparently I fell and
hit my head during his attack on me. Afterwards I woke with very
few memories. Through therapy I managed to get more back, mainly my
earlier years, but unfortunately not with my parents. I can’t
remember them either; I’m missing a huge chunk out of my
life.”

“
I wish I could forget my
life.”

“
I’d rather
know
. The
not knowing is horrible. I can see someone and think I know them,
but I can’t figure out how.”

“
Knowing isn’t worth the pain or
the nightmares.”
He pushed up and winced, then smiled sadly. “You really do
look like my first lover. How old are you?”

“
Twenty-nine.”

He frowned.
“Y
ou can’t
be.”

“
Why not?”

“
Because y
ou look my age. I’m
twenty-three.”

“
People think I look like a
teenager. Personally, I think they need glasses.”

He smiled sadly. “Maybe Sophia
would
’ve
looked like you now if she had lived. I loved her. I haven’t loved
anyone since. She was lovely both inside and out.” His expression
turned wistful. “Even when she did something wrong she would always
apologize, and would do things for others even if it hurt her. I
didn’t deserve her.” He looked down. “Which is why she went to
Frano that day.”

“
What day?”

“
The day I lost
her
.” He
exhaled. “Ignore what I said before, I’ve changed my mind. The
Salvi would choose to die if you were her. And anyway, they
wouldn’t go out without a fight. They are
mafioso
after all.”

“
What are you
saying?”

“
Escape if you can, you have no
obligations to anyone.”

“
I have to you, which is why
I’ll bring people back to help.”

“
I don’t want help, I want
to die.”

“
Don’t talk like
that.”

“
Why? Because I’m sure that the
Hell I will be going to will be better than this one.”

I shook my head. “I will get
you out of here
and I’ll also make sure that the Donatelli pay for what
they have done.”

“
No, Frano will pay.” He
breathed out. “And my half-brother too. I don’t
w
ant Theirry
to suffer like me.”

I stared at him, the realization of who he
was talking about dawning on me. “Is that servant boy your
brother?”

“
S
ì
.”

“
How old is
he?”

“
Eighteen. He only recently came
to live with us, because his mother was a deadbeat who overdosed on
heroin. He’s half French, and doesn’t know Italian very well, but
he’s a sweet kid, always wanting to please. And now the Donatelli
have taken over I’m terrified they will realize who he is. He looks
too much like me, and if the
Padre
sees him, I know what will happen.”

“
He was setting the table
when the Donatelli
came,” I said. “He smiled at me.”

Worry colored Jagger’s
eyes. “Have you
seen him here?”

“
No, I was put in a cell
with women.”

He ran a hand over his face.
“Maybe they haven’t noticed him. He does shy away from men, and
runs when he sees Alberto.” His face dropped. “If that
bastardo
touched
him!”

I placed a hand on his. “He’ll be alright;
it’s you that you need to focus on.”

The door opened, Jagger’s body
going stiff.
He relaxed as Bianca, Alberto’s wife, stepped
inside.

Her face darkened as her gaze fell on me.
“Get away from him!”

I pushed off the bed. “I was just talking
to him.”

“
You had your hands on
him!”

“
I was comforting him, he’s been
injured.”

Bianca’s attention shot to Jagger. She
rushed over to him and climbed onto the bed, giving him a big hug,
Jagger not returning it. “I was so worried about you.”

“
Why?
” he said. “You hate me.”

She pulled back. “No, I love you, and I
only said that because I was mad at you.” She looked down at his
body. “Oh God, what have they done to you?”

His jaw clenched. “Your husband raped
me.”

Her
head shot up to his face.
“What?”

“
You heard me.”

Bianca
shook her head. “But Alberto loves
women.”

“
No, he loves Jagger,” I
said,
leaning against the wall.

“
That’s
impossibile
,” she said, glaring at
me.

“
I’ve just cleaned the
evidence off Jagger. He was bleeding badly below.”

Bianca
refocused on Jagger. “Tell me it
isn’t so.”

“
Alberto doesn’t love me.” He
grimaced. “He lusts after me. It’s why he sold our family
out.”

She shook her head.

“
Why are you here, Bianca?” he
added.

“
Alberto agreed I can see you if
I agree not to tell Frano about what happened.”

“
Doesn’t Frano know
anything?”

“
H
e’s confused. He was hit badly over the
head and had to receive medical attention. They also drugged him.
Alberto is playing him along.”

“
Then tell him!” I
yell
ed,
pushing away from the wall.

“
Not unless I want to die,
and Alberto won’t let me see Jagger if I say anything.”

“
You say you love Jagger,
yet you’re not willing to help him? It doesn’t sound like love to
me.”

She looked back at Jagger. “But
I do love you,
amore
, and I will do anything for you.”

“
Then tell Frano,” I said, “just
make sure no one else finds out.”

“
No, if
I tell him he’ll confront Alberto,
then Alberto will kill me.” Bianca refocused on Jagger. “You must
understand what I say is true.”

Jagger nodded, then took a hold of her
face and kissed her deeply, the woman melting. He pulled back and
placed his forehead to hers. “I love you,” he said.

She let out a
gasp
.
“Truly?”

“
S
ì
. I
was just mad at Alberto the other day, and wrongly took it out on
you. Forgive me?”

“
Of course
,” she said, looking
happy.

“
I would kill for you,
Bianca.”

“
I would kill for you
too.”

“
Really?”

“
S
ì
.”

He smiled and leaned forward, kissing her
lips. She grabbed and pulled him against her. I grimaced, disgusted
as the woman slobbered over him, but also curious with what he was
up to, his silky words without a doubt lies.

He yelped.

Bianca instantly pulled back,
her eyes going all over him. “What’s wrong,
amore
?”

He touched his crotch. “I’m
still in pain. The
Padre
is torturing me. He put a spike down my penis, then he
fucked me. I was already hurting from what Alberto had done
earlier.”

“
What did Alberto
do?”

“
He fucked me too. He wouldn’t
stop even though I pleaded with him, but he said I needed to get
used to it, because I am now his.”

Bianca’s face darkened, no, fury passed
over it—absolute and utter fury. “I’LL KILL HIM!!” she screamed,
her whole body shaking

“
Ssssh,” Jagger said, stroking
her hair
.
“You can’t do anything; he will hurt you if you even
try.”

“
But he can’t do this to
you!”

“
I can’t stop him, he is much
too strong.” Jagger held out his arms, the bruising along his
biceps a mix of reds and purples. “He held me down.” He touched his
reddened wrists. “Then tied me to the bed when I wouldn’t stop
fighting him.”

“
We have to stop him,
I
will stop him,”
Bianca said, now crying.

“
You can’t do anything; I’m
Alberto’s pleasure-slave now.”

“
You are NOT his
slave. You are MY
love.”

“
Just forget about me. I belong
to Alberto.”

Her face hardened. “Not if I kill
him.”