NERTHUS
“By the time I got 15, he had already trained me well. Like a little monkey, as he used to tell me. Soon I became his favorite doll. He had even once or twice… Well, he had me performing for his friends. One day, he had the brilliant idea that it would be an awesome idea to auction off my virginity. So, we set it up and I kind of gladly participated. I already was an outcast in school and I thought that with money I could finally run away. So, that was my first official job. My cousin and I shared the money, and soon enough he came to me about the loser of the auction wanting their turn too. And that’s how he started to act as my pimp. I lost the few friends I had because I started entertaining their dads and at 17, I got him to let me go. Finally! I moved to New York where a friend of his had a whore house. I worked on the streets and sent my cousin a big share of what I made, just until Mattia helped me create my fake identity. A few days after my 25th birthday, one of my regulars asked me to accompany him to a nice banquet and there he introduced me to a beautiful lady, Luciana, who became my new boss. And… here I am.”
I smile at him while he looks at me pissed. “Can I get my pity look now?”
“No. What about your uncle? Did nobody notice what your cousin was doing?” he growls, making me gulp.
“Oh, no. Of course they did. The entire town knew. But you know. You stand next to each other in church every Sunday. And it is so much easier to blame a little bastard girl than the ones you play golf with.” I flash him a smile, but he just looks at me annoyed.
“You are still avoiding my question.”
Shaking my head, I lower my gaze to my hands in my lap. “My aunt knew too. But she had so much Xanax… I barely saw her around.”
His eyes darken as he speaks through his clenched jaws. “Stop playing with me, woman. Answer my question already.”
I distance myself from him by leaning back but he holds my legs as if his life depended on it.
“My uncle knew, too. Naturally.” I chuckle sarcastically and look up, my gaze roaming the many books around us before I lock my eyes back with his. “He got a family discount.”
The murderous look in his eyes has me fearing for my life.
Now I understand why nobody talks to him.
Taking out his phone, he activates something on his screen before passing me the device. “Watch it if you want. If not, don’t. I won’t blame you.”
His low and deep voice has my guts churning, an uneasy feeling growing inside me. “Arawn.”
“No. I have to make a few phone calls. I have to…” He stands up, laying my legs down on the footrest gently, making my heartbeat skyrocket in desperation.
“You can’t leave like this,” I shout at him pleadingly.
He doesn’t meet my eyes once as he paces back and forth in front of me as if he were preparing to leave the room. “I’ll be back in a minute. Take your time and…”
“That qualifies as a pitiful look, Arawn. Look at me!”
Without uttering a thing, he looks at me, his jaw clenching.
There are so many emotions flashing through his eyes and I can tell with a hundred-percent accuracy that pity is none of them.
“You owe me your story,” I gulp, my voice breaking as he bursts out of the room.
“Watch the clip. I’ll be right back and I’ll tell you everything. Prepare your Pokerface.”
***
“Francis, right?”
“Yeah. Dude, what is all of this?” My cousin shifts on the steel chair he is sitting on as Arawn walks in to stand in front of him.
“Just a little chat,” Arawn says with a smile, taking off his jacket. “Are you enjoying Paris? I heard from my men that you were hitting the strip clubs big time.”
Francis laughs like the idiot he is, leaning back into his chair. “Yeah, I came to a bit of money, so I was making myself a good time.”
“Yeah, you tried to auction off a girl the other day.” Arawn lifts some documents and acts as if he had to check my name. “An… Amber… Flanningan?”
“Flannings. Yeah. She is one of my best performers. Why, do you want a date?” My cousin chuckles still thinking he is in a position to do so.
“Why can you arrange one?” Arawn plays his part perfectly as he grins smugly.
“Sure.” He throws his hands up in the air while adding. “I’m sure she would love to spend a night with a stallion like you.”
My heart squeezes painfully and I catch a tear with the back of my hand, unable to stop the video. “Really, you think so?”
“Yeah. Yeah. I mean look at you. I hope she can still walk after you finish with her. But don’t worry, she always regenerates pretty fast.”
I stifle a sob, stopping the video and holding the screen away from me as if it would make the entire thing disappear.
Taking a deep breath before I turn it back around, I press play to make it continue. “Oh, really?”
The men laugh and Arawn starts rolling his sleeves up. I can see the light shifting out of his eyes, but Francis seems to be totally unsuspicious.
To be honest, he has never been on the bright side.
“Yeah.” My cousin even leans in as if he is telling Arawn a secret and adds in a low voice, “You know, she kind of likes it hard.”
Arawn has now stopped rolling his sleeves up and lets his arms slump, tilting his head at Francis. “Did Nerthus tell you that?”
I can practically see the soul of my cousin leaving his body as he looks at the man before him wide-eyed, slowly recognizing who he must have before him.
I guess Goldman never showed him any pictures.
What a bunch of idiots.
“What did you just say?”
Arawn smirks as he repeats slowly. “Did Nerthus tell you that?”
“How did… How do you know her name?” Francis asks lowly as Arawn walks around the table, taking his time as if he were drinking in my cousin’s panic.
I can hear his bones break over the speakers as Arawn lands his first blow.
“I know her name because she is my woman, you bastard.”
***
“Oh, dear.” I actually perceive Concetta’s touch as really comforting.
She lays her hand on my back in a motherly manner as I empty the contents of my stomach into the toilet.
“Everything will be alright, my dear. Just breathe.”
I thought that I would actually feel some kind of sadistic pleasure out of my cousin getting beaten the shit out of him but I just felt sick.
Relieved.
Happy.
But incredibly sick.
Typical, always weak, little me.
On the other hand, it is clearly not everyone’s cup of tea to see someone being tortured to death, even if the screen is small.
“There you go,” Concetta encourages me calmly, “Slow and deep breaths. Perfect.”
“Thank you,” I whisper between sobs and she taps my back gently.
“Don’t even mention it. Let me know when you are ready to get up and we will fetch you a glass of water, shall we?”
Nodding, I try to get up but she holds me down. “Careful, my dear. Slowly.”
She helps me up onto my feet and steers me to a little bench in the room where I found the toilet in.
“I’m so sorry. I’ll clean it myself,” I say between tears.
“Don’t worry, Love. Here, take this.” She hands me a tea a maid just brought in and I drink it with small sips. “Are you feeling a bit better?”
I nod again, clasping the cup to warm my hands. “Yes. Thank you so much.”
“Let’s get you into bed,” she says suddenly, taking the cup out of my hands and helping me back to my feet.
“Where is Arawn?”
She looks at me with big eyes before she regains her smile. “He left a few hours ago.”
After she has helped me up the stairs, she steers me into a room and just a few moments later, I’m lying in a big and cozy bed.
“Good night, my dear. Try to get some sleep, you will feel better soon.”
“Thank you so much.” I can barely finish my whispered sentence as I fall into a deep slumber.