I gasp for air as the freezing cold water sears my bare flesh. I hiss and bite down, shaking the droplets off my head.
“Oh, look who’s finally awake, darling.”
My vision may be hazy, but I’d know that irritating noise anywhere.
I sit up on my knees, yanking on the chains on my wrists that keep my arms out like I’m on the cross. Turning my head, I can see they’re attached to the cinderblock wall behind me.
Her laugh echoes through the dingy warehouse. “Not so tough now, are you?”
Her heels click against the concrete. I bring my head up to face her. Despite her immaculate appearance, those bloodshot eyes don’t hide her pain.
Good.
“I’m doing just fine. Never better,” I croak out.
As she steps closer, my anger spikes. Armed men follow behind her. She drops down to meet my eye level. My stomach churns as she trails one of her pointy fingers along my abs.
“It’s a shame really, you would have been a good fuck. We could have ruled this empire together.”
“I’d rather die than fuck you,” I hiss.
Her finger brushes down towards my belt.
“Don’t you dare.”
A sadistic grin takes over her face before she leans in and licks slowly along my jaw.
“Don’t worry, your death will come in time, darling. We just have to get through the final show. I’m going to enjoy watching your heart truly shatter as I slice up your little girlfriend right before your eyes.” She bites down on my earlobe.
I just keep telling myself Rosa is safe. My men will protect her with their lives. Maria can’t get to her. I don’t give two shits what they do to me. I can cope. Grayson’s trained me to endure a decent amount of pain, and when the time comes, I’ll lay down my life for Rosa without a second thought.
“You won’t touch her,” I sneer.
Her hands frame my face. “Oh, Luca, Luca, Luca. You really think I can’t sweet talk my dear friend Frankie into bringing her to me? I’m quite convincing when I need to be. That man only wants one thing: power.”
I suck in a breath. My lungs are on fire as her sickly sweet perfume suffocates me.
“Enrique, bring her in.”
No. Frankie wouldn’t. Not his own niece. Would he? He shot his own brother.
I yank at the bindings on my wrists like a man possessed.
The door opens, and Eva is pushed through. She can barely walk. The heavy set guy escorting her is having to hold her upright. Blood trickles down the side of her face.
Her eyes lock with mine and go wide.
“Just let her go; you have me now. That’s enough,” I say.
Maria grips my chin harshly. “You aren’t in any position to make demands, Luca. Will this hurt your precious Rosa? Seeing her sister’s dead body?”
Pain radiates in my chest. It won’t just hurt her, it will kill her. She’s risked herself for months to protect her sister.
Maria stands, and one of her men hands her a silver handgun. She presses it against my temple.
I look her dead in the eye, “Do you honestly believe I fear death, Maria?”
Her lips creep up into a smile and she bites down on her lip “Oh, don’t worry, you aren’t going until you watch Rosa die in front of your eyes. In the meantime, I am going to break you to within an inch of your life for the embarrassment you’ve brought to me. You ruined everything for me, Luca. All because you couldn’t keep your dick out of that little slut.”
I scream out in pain as she grabs a hold of my crotch. Her nails dig into my shaft and she squeezes. My whole body erupts in pain, and I can barely see through the stars that cloud my vision.
She twists, and I gasp for air, tears pooling in my eyes. I go limp when she releases her grip. “I hear Frankie cut off my brother’s dick. I might have to do the same to you later.”
She stands back, her attention now on Eva, who is wavering weakly beside her. She aims her gun at Eva’s head.
Eva tries to hold her hands up, which are handcuffed at her waist. “M-maria, please don’t. I can help you. I can take you to Rosa. I know I can.”
“Don’t you fucking dare, Eva,” I spit out.
Anger replaces my pain. How dare she? “After everything your sister has endured to protect you, this is how you repay her? Keep your mouth shut.”
Eva can’t look at me. “I can. Rosa always looks out for me. Dante told me she almost found me herself. If you let me call her, she will come.”
“Eva, think about what you’re doing. Rosa is your sister. She loves you. She would never do that to you. Don’t do this.” I try to keep my tone soft, not to startle her.
Inside, I want to kill her myself. I don’t care if she’s Rosa’s sister. She’s putting my girl at risk, she dies.
Maria winks at me. “Looks like you gave yourself a few minutes to prove your worth, little Eva.”
I pull against the wall holding my wrists. “Eva, please don’t do this to her. ”
She hands Eva a phone. “Time to speak to big sis.”
I close my eyes. Rosa only has one phone on her, but I don’t know which one it is. I hope to god, it’s not the number Eva has.
My heart almost beats out of its chest as the call dials on the speaker. I want to throw up. I know Rosa will come running; I just hope my men don’t let her.
“Eva.” Rosa’s soft voice comes through the speaker. As I go to scream at her to hang up, a hand clamps over my mouth. The more I struggle, the tighter it gets. I can’t breathe. I try to fight him off. I have to stop her.
“Rosa, they’re letting me go, but I need you to pick me up, alone. Can you do that for me?”
“Are you okay, Eva? I’ve been so worried about you. I’m so sorry I couldn’t protect you. I tried so hard, I’ll explain everything later. We never gave up on you.” Rosa’s panic comes through and my heart breaks.
Eva looks up at Maria, who nudges her to carry on.
“I’m okay.”
“Oh, thank god.”
“So, can you come?” Eva shifts nervously.
“I’ll need to slip out somehow, but yeah, I’ll be there.”
“I’ll text you the address. Thank you, Rosa.”
“I love you, Eva.”
The hand is removed from my mouth, and I suck in a lungful of air.
“Well, thank you. You’re no use to me now, though.”
Maria brings her arm up to point her gun in Eva’s face.
She pulls the trigger. I avert my gaze as Eva’s body drops to the floor.
I shake my head, the pain I feel only for Rosa.
I keep my expression unaffected as Maria drops down to one knee next to me. Blood pools on the floor from the hole in Eva’s skull.
“I can’t wait for Rosa to see that.” She smiles excitedly.
Her warm breath hits against my lips, making me want to throw up the contents of my stomach. She licks her shiny lips, her gaze roaming my face, and swipes the moisture from my forehead.
The bloodstained water on her fingertips, she tips her head back slightly and licks her finger clean.
I screw my face up in disgust.
“Mmm.” She licks her lips and brings her nose to mine. My heartbeat hammers in my ears with the frustration of being so close to her and not being able to kill her.
As she leans in to kiss me, I tip my head back and smash it forward, hitting her square in the nose.
She gasps, blood gushing from her nose. I can’t help but smile as her hands cover her face, the crimson seeping through.
The men all rush to her side as she stands.
“I think it’s broken,” she shrieks.
A big bald guy storms towards me. I brace myself as he pulls back his fist and sends my head bouncing off the wall behind me. Pain sears through my cheekbone. I do my best to shake the pain away, blinking back the stars in my vision.
The metallic twinge of blood swirls around my tongue, and I spit it straight onto his black shiny boot.
He grunts and kicks me in the ribs, slamming my body against the concrete. I grunt out in pain as he does it again. My ribs crack under the force of his boot.
“Fuck you,” I choke out. Clenching my fists and tugging on my chains doesn’t relieve the stabbing agony in my side.
“Where is Dante?” he grunts in a husky Italian accent.
The asshole behind him with the slick back ponytail watches as Maria gets patched up in the corner.
“Difficult to say. I guess, in a way, he’s everywhere.”
Maria looks over, blood still dripping from her nose. She storms close and grabs my throat, her nails sinking beneath my skin. “Give me my brother’s body, you monster.”
She drags her nails deep beneath my flesh, all the way down the column of my throat. I tip my head back and bite back the urge to scream at her.
When she gets to the base of my neck, she stops, keeping her claws in me.
“There is no body, Maria.”
Hurt flashes across her face before she quickly rights herself. With a murderous glint, she pulls a flick knife from her bra and brings the blade up.
I gulp as she plunges the blade into the side of my abdomen. “Fuck!” I roar out.
She rips the knife out and my body sags. Holy shit, it hurts. I look down at the blood trickling out from my side and breathe through the pain, just like Rosa taught me.
“Stitch him up. I need to get hold of Daddy.”
Sweat beads on my forehead. The physical pain is one thing, but the panic I’m feeling by being chained here and not being able to protect Rosa is all I can think about.
A loud explosion shakes the walls. I bite back a grin. They took their damn time. I already have a stab wound, an injured dick and a dead sister-in-law.
The familiar sound of gunfire has Maria’s eyes going wide.
“What is going on?” Panic is clear in her voice.
They truly had no idea of the size of our organization. They might hold the power in Italy, but here, we rule.
Ponytail and crew head out of the door.
“Like that’s going to stop them. It’s over Maria,” I mutter.
Her eyes flash with anger and she storms towards me. “It isn’t. Your men can’t compete with ours.”
“Let’s see shall we, darling?” I mock.
Adrenaline floods through my body, dulling the pain from my stab wound. Although, with the amount of blood still trickling out, they need to move quickly. She swipes up her blade from the floor, and I let out a roar as she plunges it into my stomach. The pain sears like fire as she rips it back out.
She stands, her eyes fixing on the blood pouring from me, and shrugs. “I think that means I win.”
