The Don and His Angel

Chapter 35

TW: torture

"Bella wake up," Luca's raspy voice says softly.

I roll over in the bed and grunt. I extend my arms, waiting for him to hand over Elle but he doesn't. I finally open my eyes and Luca is sitting on the edge of the bed, wearing one of his signature suits. I glance at the clock on his bedside table. 3:12am.

"What's going on?" I ask him as I sit up fully.

"I need to spend some time in the basement," he says.

"And I need to come with you?" I ask, "it's the middle of the night Luca."

"I need to take care of this," he replies.

"Are you planning on waking up the baby as well?" I scoff.

"Angelo, please," he says, "this will be over soon."

"Go get Gio or Antonio or some one to watch her," I tell him as I pull off the blanket.

"Of course," he nods and I move past him.

I glare at the clothing selection in his closet. Each garment seemingly larger than the last. I grab a sweatshirt and tug it over my head. It falls to my knees but it'll have to do.

I return to the bedroom to find Luca and Antonio whispering next to the crib. They look over at me and unlike Luca, Antonio still dons his pajamas and bed head.

"Come on," Luca extends his hand towards me.

I cross the room and he places his hand on my lower back. I glance into the crib and Elle is peacefully asleep. Antonio offers a grunt of acknowledgment before Luca guides me out of the room.

We walk through the silent halls. Even the men standing guard are quiet at this odd hour in the morning. We get down to the subfloor and Luca stops outside the now familiar doors.

"I feel like I need to prepare you," he says softly, "we are torturing a woman in there. She is apparently already beaten badly. But she is one of them and she has information we need."

"What did she do?" I ask hesitantly.

"She was married to Alexei," he says, "she helped kidnap you and Elle. She played a part in Enzo and my parent's deaths. She has helped him for a long time."

"Let's go," I reply, nodding towards the door.

Luca scans my face critically. He kisses my forehead before opening the door and guiding me inside. The smell of death is enough to wake me up fully.

An older woman is tied to a chair in the middle of the room. Her face lifts when we enter and I'm able to see her black eye and split lip. Her shirt has been cut open and fresh slices cover her skin.

"This is Irena," Luca tells me as he gestures to the woman.

"And there's your little whore," she laughs.

"She had Elle?" I ask for confirmation and he nods.

I walk past the tied woman to the table of tools. I look over the knives and pliers while she shifts in the chair. I decide on a small blade and hold it up for Luca to see.

"Grab the big one by your right hand too," he instructs.

I take that knife as well and return to his side. I hand him the knife he requested and he smiles at me. He kisses my forehead again before he stalks over to the woman.

"Where's little Vlad?" Luca asks as he grazes the tip of the blade along her exposed stomach.

"Fuck you," she spits out. He makes a slice on her stomach and she hisses through her teeth.

"Are you mad I already killed Carl?" Luca asks with a small frown, "don't worry. He's in hell with his father."

"Help me," she pleads as she looks at me, "he's insane. He killed my son."

"Your husband tried to kill me," I reply simply.

"Don't believe the lies," she exclaims.

"Your piece of shit husband kidnapped me and a child," I say as I stalk closer, "there is nothing to lie about. While your husband beat me, you played house with my baby."

I raise the tip of the knife in my hand to her jaw. I look up at Luca, trying to gauge how much leeway I have here. He nods once and I swiftly cut off her ear. She screams loudly and I take a step away just to distance myself from the sound.

"Your baby, huh?" Luca chides with a grin.

"Now is not the time," I remind him.

"Right," he nods and turns his attention back to the wailing woman. He cuts a deep line down her bicep and she screams.

"Where's Vlad?" he asks again.

"He'll come after you," she seethes, "after all you've done to our family. You should know more than anyone that a son will always do right by his mother."

That comment seemingly sets Luca off as he proceeds to haphazardly slice at her chest. She screams loudly before passing out.

Luca steps away from his handiwork to stand next to me. He's breathing heavy as he stares at her bleeding from the chair.

"I need to find her son," he says, eyes still trained on her.

"So find him," I reply, "just because she's a woman doesn't mean you need to hold back. She's not a victim in any of this."

He nods before looking at me. His face is set cooly and his eyes are hard. He brings a blood covered hand up to cup my cheek and pulls me into a kiss. It's rough and passionate as our tongues and teeth clash.

We pull apart to breathe and I glance over at the woman who is slowly regaining consciousness.

"Find her son," I tell him simply.

Luca nods curtly and releases me from the embrace. He slowly walks over to her again and grabs her hair, yanking her head up.

"Start talking Irena," he tells her, "I can do this for days. Can you?"