Dimitri's POV
Mia never flinched, not a movement to hand over the weapon. She stepped forward, the barrel of the gun now only within millimeters from her skin. "You'll have to take this from me after you pull the trigger, I'm not naïve enough to believe that you'll do any less harm to me without it than you would with it."
He smiled at her. "You are a prize."
His comment caught me off guard. "Mia, step back."
She didn't move, whether she heard me or not her gaze was fixed on my father. "Pull the trigger, show me how much of a man you truly are." Her voiced reeked of contempt.
His hand reached towards Irena as she handed him something. I watched as he revealed a phone to us. "This is going to be an interesting conversation." Looking between us as a smile sprawled across his face. "Both of turn around, get your hands behind your head and down to your knees."
Irena walked over shutting the door behind me and latching it. As she walked back to my father's side, she knocked twice on the door signaling the pilot to take off. Her gaze landed on Mia, "Don't make this harder than it has to be. Just hand me the gun."
"Fuck you." She spit in return.
The next actions happened so fast I would have missed them if I had blinked, but it seemed as though everything happened in slow motion in front of me.
Irena grabbed Mia's wrist, wrenching it causing her to drop the gun.
As if they had rehearsed this my father reached forward grabbing Mia's throat tightly.
Mia froze instantly her breath hitching as both her hands came up to grab his arm. "Please no." She whimpered. "Please."
His eyes lit up with joy. He handed the phone back to Irena grinning, "Call him, make sure there's a video I don't want him to miss this. And you. On your knees beside her."
I had no choice but to comply with him. I stepped carefully forward and knelt next to Mia, I looked up at her briefly only to see the fear in her eyes and then focused on the floor.
Deacon's POV
We were in the air on our way to meet with Dimitri and Mia. There aren't words for the tension that was silently felt between those of us who came. We all were quiet, so when my phone rang, we all jumped. I looked at it seeing Mia's name come up, without a thought I answered it. When I saw my sister's face all, I felt was rage. "Where is she?"
"Oh, you mean your little whore?" She laughed. "Say hi Mia." Her hand came into sight as she hit the button to change the perspective of the video.
I saw Gregory's hand on Mia's throat and beside her was Dimitri kneeling on the ground. Her hands were wrapped tightly onto his arm as she stared forward tears in her eyes. Slowly I watched as his fingers slid forward grasping her voice box. "Gregory no!!" I bellowed.
"Please don't." Mia whimpered, trying to keep her tears from falling. "Anything, please anything but this."
"Irena, stop him!!" I shouted. "Whether you like it or not you're still part of this family."
We heard her laughing wildly. "I haven't been part of that family in a long time. The moment you married her I no longer had a family there."
I felt the presence of the others surrounding me watching the video. There were a few gasps as they saw the sight of Mia.
"Mia?" Axel whispered barely audible. "That's not our Mia."
"It's her Axel." Alex said quietly. "Deacon..."
I heard a deep laugh as Gregory squeezed slightly harder. "Anything you want to say my dear before you are no longer able to? Amazing, isn't it? Something so fragile, that can be broken so easily, means so much to so many people?"
Her eyes closed as her tears fell in waves. "I'll do anything you want me to, just please don't do this."
There was a moment of silence before Gregory spoke again. "Anything huh?"
Her eyes showed her defeat. "Anything..." She trailed off.
"Strip." He waited a moment after releasing her. "Come on. You said anything. Now strip, I want him to hear you scream while I peel that Omertá off your body."
"What is he talking about Deacon?" Axel asked quietly.
I watched as did everyone else as Mia slowly nodded her head and started to remove her shirt. Her bra came off after, followed by her pants. She kept going until she stood completely bare in front of him. I could see the tears that were welled as she stood silently, an arm wrapped around her breasts attempting to hide herself from his eyes.
"Arm down." He chuckled as he reached out, caressing up her stomach stopping on her right breast, covering it with his hand. "So beautiful, isn't she? Barely touched, barely used, still so innocent in so many ways."
I heard her lightly sob as his hand then slid back down her body. "Whatever you're going to do, please just do it."
"Get on your knees and keep that fucking mouth of yours closed. Don't make me tell you twice."
She silently complied, as she slowly sank to her knees crying, I rose to my feet. Her body trembled uncontrollably as he moved nearer to her. "I'd ask if you wanted to join me Dimitri, but I have the distinct feeling you'd turn me down."
Gregory walked slowly behind her, stopping as his eyes met the tattooed skin of her back. "Beautiful." He whispered as he brushed her hair over her shoulder, revealing the full detail of the ink on her back. "Do you want me to start slow for you or just get right to it?"
Both Alex and Axel stood at my sides now watching the screen. "He's going to actually to do it isn't he?" Alex whispered.
We watched as Gregory slid a scalpel from his pocket smiling. "Where to start, where to start."
"Start with their name." Irena laughed. "Make her feel the pain of their name, that way every time she hears it, the little bitch remembers the pain of having her skin pulled from her body in their name."
Gregory sneered, as he stared down at her. "Such a shame to scar and defile such a beautiful body, but you are right my lovely wife. She should remember why she endured such pain, if of course the weak little thing makes it home again.
But first, I do believe that you should be able to take your pound of flesh from her."
There were no words for me to call out as Irena handed the phone to Gregory, before she stepped in front of Mia, levying her first blow. Mia cried out as the blow landed harshly in her stomach.
"You were told to keep your mouth shut!" He snapped as he kicked her from behind, causing her to fall forward with a shriek of pain.
I watched through dazed eyes as they continued to send blow after blow down onto her now still and sobbing body. "Please stop." My voice so quiet they never heard me. "Please."
Irena finally backed away, pulling Mia back to her knees. "Now for the real pain." Blatantly smiling as the phone was handed back to her again. "I hope you remember every second of pain for the rest of your life so vividly that you're never able to look at yourself in the mirror again, let alone look at any of them. I pray that every time he hugs you, every time they say your name you wince in the memory of the pain, that you never have a moments peace from nightmares."
Mia's face contorted in horror as a hand covered her mouth muffling any sounds that came from it. She looked up into the phone, her hand still covering her mouth. Every ounce of fear radiated from her eyes. "Mia, baby, I'm sorry, it should be me there, not you."
The sudden shrill shriek of her screaming echoed throughout the plane, gaining everyone's attention now. It lasted only for a split second, but was quickly followed by another that seemed never ending.
The picture moved to her back as Gregory wiped away the running blood to reveal my name outlined in an open wound on Mia's lower back.
"Oooo, perfect. Take his name first."
"No." Mia's voice whimpered. "You took my wedding band, my engagement ring and melted them down in front of me, to destroy a bond. I had to watch helplessly as you smashed the crystal of my necklace holding the birthstones of my children, to tarnish the memory. You made me watch as one by one you erased every photo I had of us as a family, breaking my heart. I've been denied food, hoping I'd betray my vow fidelity. You allowed me to be berated and beaten to weaken my body and my will. I've given you my dignity and my decency, to allow you to mark my body in this way. But I'm begging you, if I'm never going to see my husband or my family again, at least allow me to die with his name on me."
I saw the flash of fire rip through her eyes as she looked straight at Irena. "MIA NO!!"
"It won't matter though, whether his name is on my skin, whether the name we share is left there or not. If I live to see them again or not the name Lombardi will never cause me pain. Whether I live to have Deacon hold me again or not I am now and will forever be what you were not strong enough to be: A Lombardi."
A howl of pain ripped from Mia's lips, as she fell limp at Irena's feet. The camera panned to her lower back was pouring blood from the spot where my name had been tattooed. My entire name had been removed, pulled from the muscles, with no remorse for pain.
Gregory rolled her over onto her back as he laughed. The blade of the scalpel met Mia's stomach just as her eyes started to flutter open again. Her screams and cries of pain fell on deaf ears as he continued.
When he moved away again my eyes were glued to Mia's body, where Gregory had carved the words 'LOMBARDI WHORE' into her stomach.
Mia just laid there sobbing fighting to try to cover her stomach from being seen, but Gregory made sure she couldn't get her hands down to do so.
I shoved my way into the private room on the plane, shut the door, and sat down on the edge of the bed. I didn't know what was going to happen next, but I knew no one else needed to see it.
"Are you watching brother?" Irena asked mockingly. "Aren't you supposed to protect her? Isn't that what you swore to her that you would do? Where were you when she needed you when she was brought to us and where are you now when she's being torn apart?" She stepped closer to them, putting the phone closer to Mia, allowing her sobs to be heard even clearer than before. "Don't you want to call out to him? Beg him to save you, to stop this pain?"
There was a sound of a gun cocking, as Irena focused back onto him. He had it pointed at Mia who still lay sobbing on the floor at his feet, only now she had her arms covering her stomach, but completely unaware of the gun aimed at her.
The first bullet hit her in the right shoulder, eliciting a blood curdling scream to escape. A second shot echoed out, as it tore into her thigh, bringing another scream, this time much quieter than the first.
He reached down pulling Mia to her knees. Her entire body slumped in his grip, he pushed the barrel of the gun into her already wounded and bleeding stomach.
I couldn't get the words out of my mouth, before I heard the third shot go off. It was slow motion as Gregory pulled his gun back and let go of Mia at the same time.
For a split second I thought I saw her hands trying to put pressure on her stomach again. That would have been a blessing over what I actually saw. I heard a cough, but instead of seeing her covering her mouth, I saw blood trickle from the sides of her mouth, as she collapsed.
The phone slipped from my hands, as I fought back the urge to vomit until I couldn't anymore. I couldn't even begin to wrap my head around what I had just witness happen. My entire world, my heart, my Mia was gone and I hadn't been able to be by her side. She was going to leave this world with no one by her side who loved her, no one to hold her and tell her it was okay to go. That she'd never be forgotten, never be replaced."
"I guess we'll see how bad she wants to make it home now won't we?" Irena laughed distantly as the video finally cut out.
Dimitri's POV
I knew he had still had his gun. Why I didn't try to take it from him I don't know. Why had she let him do that to her?
When the gun went off the first time I jumped, the second one made me sick, but the third one made me collapse.
I rushed to Mia's side, rolled her onto her back and put as much pressure as I could onto the wound in her abdomen. I reached for her shirt and used it as a rag. I knew I needed to keep her warm, but I couldn't move to get anything to put over her.
She looked up at me with a weak smile, that faded quickly. "He was just holding me, wasn't he? I could feel him holding me. Did he go to get me a blanket, I hope so, I'm so cold."
"You felt who holding Mia?" I asked calmly.
Her eyes brightened as she looked at me. "I could feel him here holding me." She took a small breath. "Where is he with that blanket?"
I pressed harder onto her wound. "He'll be back really soon Mia, he just wanted to make sure he found a really warm blanket, that's all. But I need you to stay quiet for me okay. No talking, just rest." I looked up at Irena with tears caught in my eyes and then switched to my father. "I need to take her into the bed, get her warm and try and make her comfortable."
All he did was wave his hand telling me to go. "By all means make her death comfortable."
I held my hand out to Irena, "I want her phone. She at least deserves to say goodbye to her family at the end, if they can't be by her side. Did you bring extra clothes with you? I need something to put on her."
They both looked at me as they laughed. "Use your own. I'm not having my clothes stained for her."
"Fine." I ripped my sweater off, sliding it gently over her head and carried her into the room, laying her on the bed, while keeping pressure on the wound. "How are you still even breathing girl?"
I heard the faintest laugh come from Mia. "I'm a Lombardi that's why."