My brothers and I were watching the cage fight of Savio’s next opponent. Kiara had already fallen asleep against Nino as usual. I doubted she ever watched more than a few seconds of a fight. Violence just wasn’t in her nature.
“I can’t wait to fight him,” Savio said when his next opponent drop-kicked the other fighter into the cage. Not bad.
My phone lit up and so did the phones of my brothers. For a moment neither of us moved. I reached for it. An alarm had been raised. What the fuck? I opened the alert. Someone or something had touched the electric barbed wire at the top of the walls.
Nino was faster. He held up his phone with the live recording of the affected area. Four men had put a ladder over the fence, laid a wooden board over the electric wires, and climbed over the wall.
I stood, drawing my gun and a knife. Nino shook Kiara awake then turned to Adamo. “Take Kiara into the panic room. Shoot for the kill, no questions asked.”
“What’s the matter?” Kiara whispered. Nino shook his head, kissed her, then pushed her toward Adamo, who grabbed her hand and tugged her along, his own gun pulled.
“I’m going to turn off the lights on the premises,” Nino said. “We can ambush them more easily that way.”
I nodded. “Savio, go get Serafina. I want her in the panic room as well.”
Savio frowned. “I want to kick Outfit asses.”
“Savio,” I snarled. I couldn’t fucking believe the Outfit really dared to attack our mansion. It wasn’t Dante’s style. Way too risky.
With a glare, Savio ran up the stairs. Nino entered the code into his phone that was connected to our central control system and blackness fell upon us. It took my eyes a few seconds to adapt. Moonlight streamed in through the windows, and soon my brother and our surroundings became more than abstract shapes. I stepped up to Nino.
“They’re heading toward the north wing,” he said. The cameras had night vision, so we had no trouble following the attackers’ progress. A blond head was among them, and I had a feeling I knew who it was. Samuel had come to save his twin, probably without his Capo’s orders. If they were here on Dante’s plan, they would have retreated the second the lights went out. That they still continued with it meant someone who didn’t care about his life was the leader.
“Come on,” I said. Nino and I crept into the garden, past the pool, in the direction where the attackers were headed. “Samuel is mine,” I said quietly.
Nino didn’t say anything, only shut down his phone so the glow of the screen wouldn’t give us away. We reached the corner of the north wing and both crouched down. I peered around and found two men, one of them blond, working on the terrace door to Savio’s domain while the other two scanned the area, guns pointed ahead. They had turned over the table and were half hidden behind it. It was massive wood. Maybe it would hold back the bullets.
“Two alive, Samuel and another,” I ordered. Nino gave a terse nod. He’d give me a lecture later. He was pissed that we were being attacked because I’d brought Serafina here, that I’d put his wife in danger.
Nino and I raised our guns and began firing. Whoever our opponents were, they weren’t the best shots. The first went down almost immediately. The two at the terrace door dropped behind the table and began firing as well. Eventually we ran out of bullets. The fun was about to begin. Nino pulled his knife. Clutching my own knife, I ran toward the remaining three attackers. Two went for me, one for Nino.
Samuel slashed his knife at me, and I blocked it with my own. The other Outfit fucker jabbed toward my stomach. I dodged that attack as well and rammed my blade into his thigh. He went down with a cry, but I grabbed him by the collar and jerked him up to block Samuel’s next attack. His knife went straight into his companion’s stomach. Before Samuel could attack again, Nino grabbed him from behind, one arm locked around his throat, the other over his arm with the knife. I dropped the Outfit bastard and jumped forward, hitting Samuel’s wrist and breaking it so he would drop the knife.
He grunted but didn’t drop the knife. He struggled like a madman, and Nino lost his balance. Fuck.
They both landed on the ground, Samuel on top of Nino. Grabbing my gun, I lunged at Samuel, grasped him by the throat, and hit his temple with the butt of the gun. With a groan, he went slack. Nino shoved him off himself. I touched Samuel’s throat to make sure he was alive.
“Did you keep your opponent alive?” I asked Nino, panting.
“Of course. I knew it was unlikely that you’d not kill at least one of them.”
I chuckled. Nino stepped up to me. “If we torture him slowly, send pieces of him to his parents and Dante, the Outfit will do our biding. I can’t imagine they’ll risk losing both Serafina and Samuel.”
“I don’t think he acted on Dante’s orders.”
“Probably not. But Dante won’t abandon his nephew because he tried saving his twin.”
I nodded. “Take the other survivor into a cell and wake him. Find out everything he knows. I’ll send Savio to join you or else he won’t stop bitching.”
“What about Samuel?”
“I’ll take him to another cell. Then I’ll have a word with Serafina.”
“Are we going to deal with him together?”
I regarded the blond man on the ground. “Yes. If he’s anything like Serafina, he’ll be fun to break.”
SERAFINA
The lights came back on. My eyes burned from the onslaught of brightness. I was still kneeling on the bathroom floor when Remo’s voice rang out.
“Go into the basement and help Nino torture the Outfit asshole.”
I could feel the color draining from my face. I’d heard the shooting, had prayed that the Outfit would win …
I forced myself to stand when the lock turned.
Remo came in covered in blood, and I started trembling, terrified my greatest horrors had come true.
For a couple of heartbeats, Remo regarded me. “Your brother tried to save you.”
Terror gripped me like a vise. I could not breathe. I didn’t want to believe it. “You’re lying,” I gasped out, voice broken and hollow.
A dark smile curled his lips. “He’s a brave one.”
I rushed toward Remo, clutched his bloody shirt.
Remo’s dark eyes held mine. The predatory gleam in them made my heart thud even faster.
“No,” I said again. “Samuel isn’t here. He wouldn’t risk it. Dante wouldn’t allow it.”
“I think your twin would gladly put his life down for you, Angel. I doubt he came on your uncle’s orders. That means no reinforcement.”
I swallowed. Oh Samuel. My protector. How could you be so stupid?
If Samuel was dead, I couldn’t go on living, not with the knowledge that he’d died to save me. Tears burned a hot trail down my cheeks. “If you … if you …” I couldn’t even say it. “Then kill me now.”
“He’s not dead yet,” Remo murmured, dark eyes scanning my face. “We’ll see how long he lasts, though.”
Samuel wasn’t dead. Not yet.
My eyes widened. “Let me see him.”
Remo touched my throat, coming closer. “Why? So you can say goodbye?”
I bit my lip. “To see the truth.”
Remo smiled. “I’m not lying.” He grabbed my wrist and dragged me out of my room. He led me down into the basement, and holding me by the arm so I couldn’t storm inside, he opened one of the cells. Inside lay Samuel, covered in blood and not moving except for the shallow rise and fall of his chest. His blond hair was matted with blood. My chest constricted so tightly I was sure to pass out any second.
“What did you do?”
“Not much yet,” he said as he closed the door. “Hit him over the head. Once he wakes, Nino and I will tend to him.” I knew what that meant.
A terrifying, agonized scream echoed through the basement. I flinched violently.
“That’s Nino’s doing. He’s talking to the other survivor.”
Soon those would be Samuel’s cries. Soon he’d be submitted to the horrors he’d wanted to save me from. Horrors I’d been spared. Bile traveled up my throat.
My twin would suffer and die for me.
I grasped Remo’s arm, my eyes begging with him, even though I knew he didn’t have a heart I could soften. “Please don’t. Torture me instead.”
Remo smiled darkly, cupping my face. “I don’t want to torture you. And I told you I won’t ever cut you again, Angel.”
Of course. I knew what he wanted, what he’d wanted from the start, and today he’d get it. Swallowing my pride because it wasn’t worth Samuel’s life, I lowered myself to my knees right in front of Remo. I tilted my face up, tears stinging in my eyes. “I’m on my knees. I’m begging you to spare him. Whatever you want, it’s yours, Remo. Take it. Take everything.”
His dark eyes flashed with an emotion I couldn’t read. “You didn’t beg for your own life. You didn’t offer me your body to avoid pain, but you do for your brother?”
“I do. I’d do anything for him,” I whispered. “I’m offering you everything. You can have it all. I’m giving it to you freely, willingly, if you spare my brother.”
Remo grasped my arm and hoisted me to my feet. Without another word, he dragged me upstairs and into his bedroom. He released me and closed the door. His breathing was harsh.
My fingers shook as I reached for my dress and pulled it over my head. Remo’s eyes scorched my skin as I reached for my bra and unhooked it, letting it drop to the floor. With a hard swallow, I pushed my panties down my hips until they joined my bra on the floor.
“It’s yours,” I said quietly. All I could think about was Samuel down in that basement, lying in his own blood and the torture that awaited him at the hands of Remo and Nino. I had heard the rumors of what they’d done to Kiara’s uncle.
Not taking his eyes off my face, Remo advanced on me. His hands touched my waist and I trembled. “So strong,” Remo murmured. “So very difficult to break.”
“You won. You broke me. I begged you. I’m offering you my body. Please spare Samuel.”
His eyes traveled the length of my body before they locked on mine once more. “You aren’t broken, Angel. Sacrificing yourself for someone you love isn’t weakness.”
“Spare my brother, Remo.” With shaking hands I reached for his belt, but he stopped me. And my world fell apart because if he didn’t take me up on my offer, what else could I give him in return for my brother’s life? What else did he want?
Remo leaned down to my ear. “Such a tantalizing offer.” He exhaled. “You’d hate me fiercely.”
“I would,” I whispered.
“You would. So you don’t hate me fiercely yet?”
I shuddered. I couldn’t bear his mind games, not now, not when Samuel’s life depended on it.
Remo kissed the spot below my ear. “I will spare your brother, Angel,” he said in a low voice, and I froze because I couldn’t believe it. “I will send him back to the Outfit with a message. It needs to be loud and clear so they understand I won’t have my territory breached.”
I nodded mutely. I’d agree to anything to save my brother. I didn’t understand any of this.
“You will come down with me into the cell beside Samuel’s. I will have a talk with him.” I stiffened in Remo’s hold. “Just a talk and tell him that his actions have consequences, and then I’ll return to your cell and you’re going to scream and beg as if I’m hurting you. You will make him believe it. Then I will release him so he can return home with the remains of the other Outfit soldier and the knowledge that you will suffer brutally for every single one of their mistakes.”
I gave a nod. Samuel would hate himself for it. He would suffer worse than before, but it was better than the alternative. I needed to save him no matter the cost. I could tell him the truth once I was back home.
“Good,” Remo said quietly. He gathered my clothes from the ground, his eyes level with my center for a moment before he straightened. “Now get dressed.”
I didn’t understand why he hadn’t taken me when it was obvious how much he wanted me. He could have had me in every way he wanted. I wouldn’t have fought him. He could have sent the warning message by recording Samuel’s torture and my screams and sending the video to my family. He didn’t have to keep Samuel alive to deliver it.
What else could he want?
REMO
Serafina had offered herself to me, but she’d done it out of despair, out of love for her brother. Not because she wanted to.
She loved her brother fiercely, wanted to protect him at any cost, like I would my brothers. I could respect that. I’d never admired a woman on her knees more than I did Serafina. She followed me quietly through the mansion. I could have asked anything of her, but that wasn’t how I wanted things to go. Far from it.
I opened the door to the cell beside Samuel’s, and Serafina stepped in.
The door to the third cell swung open, and Nino stepped out, covered in blood, his brows drawing together when he spotted Serafina. I closed the door and faced him.
“What’s going on?” he asked. His eyes scanned my face. “Remo.”
I smirked. “Change of plans.”
He moved closer. “We’re not letting him go.”
“We will.”
Savio joined us in the hallway, clothes drenched in blood as well. He didn’t say anything, only regarded us carefully.
Nino shook his head. “You’re losing yourself in your game.”
“I’m not. I know exactly what I’m doing, Nino. Torturing and killing Samuel won’t make the same impact as my plan does. He’d become a martyr. His death would forge Dante and his family closer together. They would unite in their loss. But shame and guilt will rip them apart.”
“So this isn’t about Serafina?”
“Of course it is. She’s the center of my game.”
Nino shook his head again. “We promised Fabiano his father, and I want this game over. I want her out of our mansion. Speed up the process.”
“Some things take time.”
“Your game has been evolving a lot since we kidnapped her. Are you sure it’s because you think it necessary or is it because she’s making you?”
“She’s not making me do anything. You know me. I can’t be coerced to do anything.”
“I’m going to Kiara. Adamo took her back to our wing. I don’t have the necessary patience for you tonight.” Nino stalked off.
Savio raised his eyebrows.
“What did the Outfit bastard say?” I muttered.
“He was one of the younger soldiers. Made Men from Samuel’s group. Apparently, the blond asshole has already quite the loyal following in the Minneapolis Outfit.”
“I assume Dante and Pietro Mione didn’t know?”
“They didn’t.”
“You can leave. I’ll handle this alone.”
Savio hesitated. “Are you really sure your plan is going to work? Nino is the logical genius.”
“He doesn’t take emotions into consideration. Emotional warfare is far more effective in this case than open violence.”
“Not as much fun if you ask me.”
I shook my head. “Oh, it’s fun for me, trust me.”
Savio snorted. “I’ll go take a shower. You have whatever kind of fun you prefer.”
He sauntered off and I stepped into Samuel’s cell. His wrists and ankles were tied together, but his eyes were open in his bloody face and full of hatred. “You fucking bastard,” he rasped.
I smiled. “I’d be careful with the insults if I were you.”
“Fuck you,” Samuel spat. “As if anything I say matters. You’re going to torture me to death anyway.”
I knelt beside him. “I don’t think that’s the right punishment for you, Sam.”
Fear replaced the hatred in his eyes. He arched up. “Don’t! Don’t you dare touch her.”
I straightened. “Someone will have to suffer for this. And I know you will suffer twice as much if I hurt your twin.”
“No! Torture me. Kill me.”
“Unfortunately, that’s not an option. You will return to the Outfit with the memory of your sister’s screams.”
Samuel froze. “No,” he gasped out.
I turned.
“Remo!” he roared, but I closed the cell door.
I stepped into Serafina’s cell. She was pale and still so painstakingly proud and beautiful, I allowed myself a moment to admire her.
She tilted her head toward me, her blue eyes burning with emotion. “Samuel will be safe?”
“By my honor.”
Her lips curled, but she didn’t say anything.
“I hope you can be convincing. I want your best screams.”
Her eyes narrowed briefly, giving me a fucking kick as usual. It was so much better than her desperate surrender.
She closed her eyes, chest heaving, elegant throat flexing.
I needed to own this woman. Body and soul and everything else she could offer. I fucking burned with the desire to possess her in every way possible.
Finally, Serafina screamed, and it was so fucking real that my body reacted to the sound, but not in a way it usually did, not with excitement and the thrill of the hunt. There was something close to revulsion filling my body, hearing her agonized cries and imagining they were real.
My hands curled to fists, my muscles tensing because a deeply buried instinct wanted me to protect her from whatever caused those screams. Unfortunately for her, nothing could protect her from me.
I couldn’t fucking take it anymore. I stalked toward her, gripped her arm. “Enough,” I growled, breathing harshly.
Serafina’s eyes snapped open. They searched my face, and a second too late I realized she got deeper than anyone was allowed. “Enough,” I repeated, my voice shaking with rage and confusion.
“Enough?” she whispered so softly. The sound was like a fucking caress.
Maybe I should end it now. Do what Nino said, end this fucking game. Get rid of Serafina and Samuel both.
I cupped her head and pressed my forehead to hers. She trembled, overwhelmed.
“Maybe I should kill you.”
“Maybe,” she breathed. “But you won’t.”
I should have contradicted her, but she was right and she knew it.
“You promised.”
I pulled back from her. “And I will keep my promise. I’ll release your brother now. I’ll have one of my men fly him and the corpses to Kansas City. How he gets back to Outfit territory from there is his own problem.”
She nodded.
“Come,” I ordered.
I didn’t touch her as I led her back to her bedroom. She moved toward the window and perched on the windowsill, pulling her legs against her chest. I stopped with my fingers against the light switch then lowered them, leaving the room in the dark.
Serafina twisted her head, staring at me. She was backlit by the silver moonlight as she perched in the window frame. She’d never looked more like an angel than in this fucking moment, and I realized I was on a precarious path.
Her whispered words broke the silence. “I wonder whose game is more dangerous, yours or mine, Remo?”
