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"Why am I here?" the bitch demanded to know as if she was unaware of what she had done.
I tilted my head and raised an eyebrow. "Really?" Leaning forward, I rested both arms on my thighs and clasped my hands together in front of my knees. "Did you honestly believe you could kidnap the wife of the head of the Abruzzenesa famiglia and not suffer any consequences?"
“You don’t understand.”
I held up one hand. “Don’t bother.” I sat back in the chair and lifted a closed fist.
Peeling one finger out, I held it in the air. "One…You called my wife pretending to be a school principal who was offering her an interview for a position." I held up a second finger. "Two…You took my wife to a man you knew intended to kill her. Like a lamb being led to its slaughter."
“Calliro…”
"Shut the fuck up," I boomed, causing her to flinch and push back in her chair.
I raised a third finger. "Three…You took payment and left Nikita at the mercy of Calliro and his men with no care for her welfare. You deliberately put the woman I care about in danger. "
Tears flowed, Allara knew she was in deep shit. I didn't give a fuck about how fearful she was.
“Nikita was badly beaten around the face and head, burned, and her torso was sliced open. The only thing my wife was guilty of was marrying me. She has never hurt anyone.”
Allara screwed up her face and hunched forward. “You’re going to kill me.”
It was a statement, not a question.
I shook my head. "No, I'm not going to kill you." There was a flash of hope in her eyes, but it was quickly doused when I added, "Nikita will be the one to end your life choosing any method she chooses. I'm sorry to say…No, I'm not...You will not be leaving here alive. Until my wife is well enough to exact her revenge, you will receive enough food to keep you alive and will be permitted to use the bathroom to relieve yourself only because my wife is a lady, and I don't want her exposed to any more filth or stench than is necessary. One of my men will be with you at all times and that includes when you use the bathroom."
I stood and turned to face the three men who had remained seated at the table. "Cosimo…Stay until someone arrives to relieve you. Savastino…Call Fabio, Elias, and Jonas. Tell them they are on around-the-clock rotation and then stay with Cosimo until they arrive." The two men nodded.
"Do you mind if I grab a coffee, Boss, I haven't had a decent one all morning?" Cosimo asked.
"Of course, there's a pot upstairs since it appears Nikita is attempting to transform herself into the brew." The men laughed which eased the tension.
“Grab me one and a couple of those chocolate chip biscuits Alaina always has in the cupboard.
“Once one of the other men arrives, I want you two to go to Manna and Segreti, pick up the cash and take it to the casino. Once done, go over to Booty Call (Another of our strip clubs in Surry Hills) and check on things there.”
Gaetano and I headed upstairs with Cosimo, and while he hit the kitchen, we made our way to the living room. Standing in the doorway, I watched the gentle rise and fall of the blanket across Nikita's chest. She was sound asleep.
“Sleep is good for her, Ben.”
"Yeah, I know." I turned to face my friend. "I wanted to put my fist through that bitches face. If it hadn't been for her, Nikita wouldn't have fallen into that motherfucker's hands so easily."
“Boss…”
“I know.” I scrubbed a hand down my face and looked Gaetano in the eyes. “I know he would have found a way, but we might have been better alerted. That bitch slipped under our radar.”
I pushed away from the door and hurried back down to the basement. Cosimo greeted me with a shocked expression as I stormed past him to stand in front of the woman.
“Why?” I shouted. “Why?”
"I'd intended to stay here but when my father fell ill, I decided to visit him one last time. I needed the money and asked Calliro for help. He told me what had happened to his brother and offered me fifty thousand dollars if I did as he asked. He said I was to leave the country immediately after I'd done what he asked and to never come back here." Her eyes met mine. "I didn't do anything wrong. It was just a job."
Fuck—That statement had me seeing red. I backhanded the bitch across the face, the force sending her head off to the side. Allara screamed but I didn't know if it was from pain or shock. Either way, I didn't give a fuck.
“Boss,” Gaetano growled from where he’d moved to my side.
I turned away and he followed me back upstairs to the kitchen where I poured a coffee. Gaetano grabbed one for himself and we leaned against the kitchen bench as we talked.
“She handed Nik to that arsehole for the price of a fucking ticket, Gate. A fucking ticket!” My temper was at boiling point, I wanted to lash out and hit something.
