Caught In The Middle

Prologue - I Own You

“Quinn, I need you to come and have a talk with me please, tonight.”

I looked at the message on my phone from my step-father and didn’t know whether to laugh, cry or run for the hills.

It had only been four days since my mom’s funeral and I had already packed up my stuff ready to move out of my step-father’s mansion. I knew I wasn’t actually part of the family. He had been nothing but kind to me for the six years I had lived with him and my mom, but I knew what he was. As I had grown older I had become more aware of the things going on around me.

My step-brother, Antonio, had moved out of the house permanently six months ago. He was taking over their ‘family’ business and so had moved to New York City while his father, Augusto, planned to retire. Then my mom had taken ill, diagnosed with cancer she had sickened and withered quickly taking us all by surprise and now I was alone surrounded by dangerous violent people who I thought didn’t want me around any longer.

Augusto had never fully accepted me, not being of his blood but the daughter of some other man. He had been quite possessive of my mom when they first met and kept her almost like a prisoner in his large house, allowing me to live there had felt like a compromise on his part and I kept a low profile. He never called me his daughter, not once. I had never taken his name, keeping my own father’s last name of Malley.

Antonio had never seen me as a sister either. He was seven years older than me and I had only been twelve at the time of moving in, him already practically an adult and attending college coming home for the holidays. I had developed a crush on him. He was tall, lean, dark-haired, hot Italian blooded, sexy and handsome and he knew it and had a toxic personality to go right along with it.

He was an outrageous flirt, a player, but at twelve I didn’t really understand what that meant, I only saw the fact that he always had a different girl on his arm every week he was around and guys seemed to idolize and admire him, acting like it was a privilege to be able to hang out with him.

As I got older I realized more about the dangerous family that surrounded me, I became to notice the unobtrusive guards that paced the grounds and followed both Antonio and Augusto around wherever they went. I noticed the gun holsters under their jackets and the menacing expressions. As I reached into my teenage years and was sent to an all girl’s high school I got told by Antonio to guard myself and was strictly controlled when it came to extra-curricular activities and my schedules were tight and organized, but I wasn’t followed around like they were.

I also blossomed in my teens, I confess, I know I’m pretty and the fact that I did ballet and a little bit of inter-school competitive swimming I had a great body developing. This seemed to cause my step-brother’s control over me to become tighter as boys became interested in me, mainly because Antonio suddenly started looking in my direction back at me too. I know now it was naïve of me, but to finally have my crush pay affectionate attention to me when I was fifteen years old…at the time it was a dream come true.

Antonio at twenty two years old took my virginity at fifteen.

Don’t get me wrong, it was consensual, but had I known the spider’s web of depravity I was getting myself into at the time I would never have let myself get swept up by him, because now…well, let’s just say I’m in for a big surprise. He opened me up and trained me into a darkness of submission and b*****e that I was taught was normal, although our relationship was kept secret right up until now…he owned me, controlled me and possessed me in the bedroom whenever he was home most weekends and controlled me in my daily life with strict rules I had to abide by…although nothing prepared me for what was about to happen as I prepared to leave them all behind and head off on my own now I was nearly nineteen and my mother was gone. I had made these plans with her, but had not told the Ferrantes.

And why should I? Antonio had been gone now for six months with no contact leaving me confused, hurt and deeply ashamed at what he had groomed me into. Augusto, I had heard, was planning to retire and move back to Sicily. What was a meant to do but plan my own future without the Ferrantes in it?

As I entered the home office of Augusto Ferrante, head of the New York faction of the Italian Mafia, I felt my stomach drop to the floor to see Antonio also waiting for me in the room. I had no idea he was even here.

His dark gaze hit me with a perverse smirk and my mouth went dry. He was standing by the window, his hands held casually in the pockets of his pants, sweeping his suit jacket back and showing off his trim waist in the tight fitting waistcoat he wore. I rarely got to see him in his work attire but it always struck me how damn sexy, yet darkly dangerous, he looked. He had filled out since I first started crushing on him, his shoulders had broadened and his chest had expanded and he had gotten taller stopping at six foot two. He worked out in the gym plus did boxing and a bit of jiu jitsu so his physique was top notch. I should know, I’ve seen that body change and develop over the years of sleeping with him just like he had with mine.

I downcast my eyes, knowing my cheeks were blushing at his direct look. I was his play thing, had been from the moment I had slept with him as a virgin and giving him my everything. He allowed no other guy to come near me, but played with me like a toy. He always said that I was to remain pure only to him.

I resented him for it now I was reaching a level of understanding as I matured, but I was already caught by him and his dark world, caught in the web of training, submission and fear. I had hoped with him moving out permanently and getting his own place in Manhattan and that I was heading off to college in a couple of weeks that this would be the moment I would get to finally leave and put this dangerous and possessive family behind me.

“Quinn, please come in and sit down.” Augusto said as he sat behind his large oak desk that was a replica of the one in the white house, apparently.

I quietly sat down, wiping my sweaty palms over my denim clad thighs and looked up at Augusto with apprehension. He gave me a small smile.

“Did you like the funeral I did for Maria?” He asked gently, leaning forward and putting his forearms on the desk, his hands clasped together.

I nodded and looked up, smiling back gratefully. “I did, thank you so much for dealing with all that, I know Mom would have loved it too, it was beautiful.”

He nodded in response. “Good, I’m glad to hear that, I loved your mother.”

“I know…” I breathed.

“I understand you’ve made plans to leave here and have been accepted into Tuck School of Business up in Hanover?” His voice seemed a little annoyed and his eyes narrowed as he looked at me.

My stomach dropped in a panic to realize they knew! I licked my lips nervously, glancing sideways at where Antonio was, his gaze was piercing and I had to quickly avert my gaze.

“Ah, yeah, that’s right…I spoke about it with Mom a month ago before…” I trailed off, looking down at my hands as I fidgeted with a ring on my little finger.

“Were you planning on telling us?” Augusto enquired.

As I looked up at him I frowned, confused. “I thought my leaving here would be a given now Mom’s gone and you’re selling the place?”

I flinched as I heard Antonio cluck his tongue. “The nerve of you…” He muttered but got shushed by his father. Those few words sent chills down my spine that I had made a very grave error in judgement.

“I don’t understand…” I start but Augusto shut me up as well with a finger raised in front of me.

“You don’t get to just walk away and leave, Quinn. You’re in this for the long haul now, you know too much.”

“I don’t know anything!” I breathe back startled, feeling a nervous swirling in my belly.

“Oh, you know…you’ve been fully aware since you started going to high school, don’t try to act all cutesy and naïve now, Quinn.” Antonio sneered. “Besides, how dare you think you can just up and leave me behind…you’re just getting useful now I’ve trained that sweet little body of yours.”

“Antonio.” Augusto reprimanded.

I gasped at his words, looking up at him with real concern, turning back to Augusto realizing he knew everything when I thought our strange s****l relationship was a secret.

He smirked at me. “Yes, I know Antonio has been sleeping with you…I told him he could have you.”

“What?” I gripped the arms of the chair, my head feeling a little light.

“You are the daughter of a great man, Quinn. The blood in your veins secures an alliance that was started and forged by my marriage to sweet Maria. You must stay in the fold, stay by Antonio’s side and do what will be required of you as Antonio moves into top position.”

I was shaking in fear. “What do you mean?”

Antonio walked over and placed his hands on my shoulders, leaning over me from behind and bringing his mouth to my ear. “It’s time to earn your keep, little Quinn, now you’re finally coming of age.”

I felt a heavy dark cloud pass over me at those foreboding words.

“I have enrolled you into a very special college for those that can afford it, one that houses the children of important people that would be under threat of k********g and assassination, it has serious security and several peace treaties in place amongst organized crime syndicates as a non-aggression zone…it’s here in New York, just outside New York City and is a division of Columbia University, so is an Ivy League college…I will put you in a nice little apartment and you will continue to learn business management and corporation law, for the benefit of the family. In exchange you will be under Antonio’s care from now on. When he calls you, you go to him and do what is required of you. Understand?”

I looked at Augusto mortified by what was being implied. “No.” I blurted out.

I was always one to speak my mind, I wasn’t normally scared or a wall flower, I was confident, strong willed and showed an aptitude to become a leader except where Antonio was concerned. He scared me.

I stood up facing my step-father, my fists clenched with the shock of what he was saying. “I refuse.”

My skin crawled as I heard Antonio chuckle ominously behind me. Augusto slouched back in his large leather chair, appraising me with his dark eyes as I felt a hand press to the back of my head and dig into my hair.

My head was pulled back viciously as I felt my legs get kicked out from under me and I fell heavily to my knees. I looked back to see Antonio standing over me with a gun pointed to the side of my head.

“There is no refusing a direct order made by Don Ferrante, it’s time you learnt your place, little cannoli.”

“P-please…I’m sorry…please don’t…” I begged for my life.

He crouched down behind me, yanking my head back further until it was on his shoulder. “You’re mine, Quinn, you always have been from the moment you stepped foot inside this house my father gifted you to me as an apology for marrying a second woman after my mother was killed.”

I couldn’t believe the words coming out of his mouth, but the next words chilled me to the bone.

“Your mother agreed to it, she sold your freedom away for the promise of a better life than the one she had with your father.”

“Please, I really don’t understand what’s going on…you…you’re hurting me…”

“Let her go, Antonio.” Augusto commanded. Antonio clucked his tongue then planted a kiss on my cheek before letting me go and standing up, putting his gun away.

I looked up at Augusto, tears flowing down my cheeks. “Is that true?”

He looked at me sternly. “Yes, it is. Do you know who your father was?”

I shook my head. “Mom never told me and I knew she was scared about me finding out about him, I assumed he was abusive…I know that he’s dead.”

“He ran a gang up in Boston.” He said vaguely.

I looked at him completely speechless, in shock that my mother had been involved with not one dangerous gangster but two!

“So you can understand your importance to our continued peace.” Augusto said firmly. “You will remain in our family under my son’s care and you will do your part within our organization as required to earn your keep, later you will marry and give Antonio an heir.”

I dropped my gaze to the floor as my heart shattered, all my dreams shattered and I felt a coldness seep into my heart and blanket my emotions.

“You will enter our company once you graduate from college with a Bachelor of Business and Law which should take you four years until then Antonio will need you to help him in building alliances and securing contracts and agreements as he builds his own standing within our organization as the new Don.”

“By doing what exactly?” I asked with trepidation making me feel sick.

I felt Antonio’s hand come round my throat as he pulled me up to my feet. I gripped his wrist in fear but he didn’t squeeze tight enough to choke me out, only tight enough as he usually did when he was rough with me during s*x.

“Doing whatever I order you to do…you belong to me. Come when I message you and you’ll have the rest of the time to live independently while attending college but be careful you don’t have too much fun, this body is mine.”

He pulled me up on my tiptoes and brought me up to his mouth, kissing me controllingly like he always did as I obediently opened my mouth to him.

“Antonio…” Augusto growled.

Antonio pulled back and grinned as he licked his tongue out over his lips, giving me that heated gaze that made my body pool heat deep in my core.

“What? She loves it…don’t you, petalo?” His thumb stroked over my windpipe and pressed.

I couldn’t lie, when he looked at me like that I was lost, groomed to obey his touch. “Yes, sir.” I breathed, making Antonio chuckle and let my throat go.

“Brara rageizza (Good girl)…go get your things you’re heading back to New York City with me to my new apartment for the weekend before I take you to your new place near the college on Sunday.”

He pulled a set of keys out of his pocket and held them up in front of my eyes. “You’ll also be needing a car to get around…you like Mustangs, right? If you’re a good girl for me this is your reward.” He grinned as my eyes widened to see the black car key on the keychain with the apartment key. I looked up at him stunned, he had never bought me anything but something he could use on my body.

“Say thank you, bambina.” (baby)

“T-thank you, Antonio.”

“I look after you now, Quinn, in every way…get going.” He reached out and grabbed my waist pulling me forward, passed him and towards the door then smacked my butt. “Hurry up, I leave in five minutes.”

I made my way to the door, too overwhelmed by everything to speak. I glanced back as I opened the door to see Augusto and Antonio, Don and heir, staring at each other silently. The aura in the room one of smug satisfaction.

I swallow my fear and apprehension for my own future down and practically ran from the room.