Our Victory

Chapter 20

Astrella pov

Damiano stepsaway from me and looks down to the ground, deep in thought. I thought the meager information I had would hardly be enough for him, but maybe I was wrong. For him, there is a hidden meaning in what I've said.

I wipe the wetness off my face, and my bladder throbs.

"I need to pee" I say.

He sucks in a breath and levels me with a contemplative look. Then he nods.

"Bathroom is through the door behind you" he says. His voice is strangely flat.

My wrists are red. I start to rub them and notice Damiano watching me. He looks away. "Go."

He doesn't need to tell me twice. I duck through the door, lock it behind me, and survey the space as I empty my bladder. Crap. There aren't any windows. I wasn't particularly hopeful there'd be a way to get out of here, but having my suspicions confirmed stings none the less.

He found out my name. I'm so mad at myself I want to scream. Why did I leave my passport in such an obvious place? I could have hidden it better.

No, I'm probably just deluding myself. If I had to guess, he sent Ras to search for it, and if Ras hadn't found it in my mattress, he'd have dug up the entire apartment. I should have gotten rid of it when I could.

It's too late to think of that now. Damiano knows who I am, which means I'm one phone call away from being found. I need to find a way out of here before Damiano makes it.

I finish my business and wash my hands. There's no mirror here, nothing that could be used as a kind of weapon. Maybe I could get creative with the toilet paper. I make a grimace at the thought. I doubt I'd have a chance against the massive man outside even with a shard of glass.

The memory of my little meltdown when he told me he'd call Papa sends a surge of frustration through me. God, why have I lost my ability to keep it together? All of Mamma's training really was for nothing. He found a weak spot when I started to bawl. I need to keep myself in check. The more I show him, the more ammunition he gets.

He's pacing the length of the room when I emerge. I take advantage of his distracted state and glance around for a way out, but the grate on the window looks exceptionally sturdy, and beside the discarded rope, the room is bare.

Suddenly, Damiano stops and turns to me. "Come here" he demands. His expression is thunderous. Clearly, he still hasn't shaken off whatever my information revealed to him.

I move to the furthest corner from him and cross my arms over my midriff. "What are you going to do with me?"

His gaze darkens. "What did I tell you about following my orders?"

"You promised you won't send me back" I remind him.

"Do you think my memory is that bad?" he asks. "You're staying here for now. Now stop arguing and come here."

When I stay frozen in place, he frowns and stalks over to me. In his hands, he still has the rope.

"Please don't string me up again" I beg.

He reaches for my arms, and I put them behind me and back up until my shoulder blades hit the wall.

"I'm serious. My wrists hurt."

"Do you think I care about where you hurt?" His voice is rough, but he refuses to meet my eyes.

I'm not sure I believe him.