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"I think there has been some kind of mistake," Rafael began. His mouth was too dry, and the pain behind his eyes throbbed.
"A mistake? Are you not Rafael Asellio?" the woman asked.
"I am, but you have me at a disadvantage, ma donna. Who are you, and what do you want?" Rafael asked.
The woman sat down on an oversized throne covered in furs. It gave her a view of the whole room.
"Who I am doesn't matter. What does is that we have been paid to take you and squeeze you until you give into a set list of demands," the leader said, crossing her legs. "How much we squeeze you is entirely dependent on you." She gestured to one of her male companions. He moved towards Rafael with a gleam of menace on his face and a thin-bladed knife in his hands.
"Let me guess… The Costas hired you?" Rafael said, keeping his gaze on the leader, not the man. He pressed the edge of his blade to Rafael's cheek.
"I usually don't get involved in the upstairs affairs, but your bounty became too big to ignore. Three million euros will keep my people fed for a long time," the leader said, leaning back in her chair. "Maybe one cut to start with, so he knows we are serious?"
Pain bit into Rafael's cheek. He refused to cry out, refused to beg. Fuck Rita Costa and his partners. He had been shocked and not thinking clearly, his old loyalties to them still in place. Not anymore. If they wanted to put out bounties, Rafael would do the same. Warm wetness dripped down his cheek.
"Fuck you all," he snarled.
The leader only laughed. "He's a fighter. Excellent. This will make it more fun. Proceed." The knife touched his other cheek when suddenly a man came sailing out of a tunnel and landed with a bone-breaking crunch. Something golden shot out behind him and struck out at the man who had cut Rafael with a knife. One second, he was holding the knife, and the next, his hand and head went flying.
Bellona took shape in front of Rafael, one hand holding a pugio and the other a gladius. Her armor shone brightly, and her face was full of divine fury.
"You dare to touch what is mine?" she snarled. Her tone held so much menace that the hair on Rafael's arms stood on end. "The next person that so much as looks at him, I will flay the flesh from their bones."
The leader stood up, her hands raised in surrender. "Bells, please calm down. I had no idea he was one of yours. Let's have a drink and talk this out," she said with an uneasy smile. "Come on, we are friends. I wouldn't fuck with you, and you know it."
Bellona's fury was coming off her in invisible waves. "We are friends, Laverna, and I will still kill every single person who tries to stop me from taking him."
Laverna walked to them, her hands still raised. "No one will stop you and him from leaving. You have my word. Wait, is this the guy? The one who kissed you that one time? Woooww, good taste, Bells. I love a silver fox." Her face lit up with delighted mischief. Bellona slowly lowered her blades.
"I did kiss her once. She broke my nose," Rafael said, hoping to diffuse the situation. The body at his feet was still gushing blood, and he had a feeling she had left plenty of others in the same condition.
Laverna laughed loudly. "Of all the fucking Rafaels in Italy, he had to be yours. Fuck me, what a mess. Somebody bring me some wine right the fuck now." Her minions that had been cowering in a cluster broke apart to do what she demanded. "Cut him down, Bells, and let's talk."
Laverna walked away and was brave enough to put her back to her. Maybe she and Bellona really were friends. Bellona sheathed her sword before crouching to cut the ropes on his ankles. Her hands patted him down as she stood as if checking for damage.
Rafael kept his mouth shut, not wanting to antagonize her. Her eyes were still glowing with fire that was banked but not extinguished. She made sure he could stand before she cut the ties around his wrists. Blood shot through his hands in a painful rush. Bellona silently removed the short red cloak from her back and put it around his shoulders. Warm seeped into him, and his shaking stopped.
"Thank you," he whispered.
Bellona's eyes glowed brighter. "Later."
Rafael nodded and followed her to the table that Laverna was sitting at. She was trying and failing to look relaxed. She poured wine into silver goblets and placed them on the table. "Sit down, you two. You are making me nervous."
"You should be," Bellona said. She sat and gestured to Rafael to take the chair beside her, putting herself between Laverna and him.
"Bellona, mia amica, I'm sorry for this terrible insult. How can I make it up to you?"
Bellona's eyes narrowed. "Look at the blood on his face, and you tell me how you will make reparations."
"I can give you information on who hired me and why and any assistance you need to take them down." Laverna's eyes were filled with genuine hurt. "We've been friends for twenty-seven hundred years, Bellona. You know this was an accident."
Rafael felt like he was watching two massive predators getting ready to brawl. He didn't want anyone else to get hurt, and he didn't wish Bellona to lose a friend over it. Rafael swallowed hard and put his hand on Bellona's shoulder.
"I'm fine, Bellona. This is Rita Costa's doing, not Laverna's. Not really," he said.
She turned her fierce gaze on him before snatching a napkin from the table and pressing it to his face. "You say that when you are still bleeding."
Rafael took the cloth from her. "It's nothing. It's going to make me look that much more dashing."
