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She blows out a breath, then wraps her arms around her waist, "You were wrong to let her go."
Don’t I know it?I jerk my chin at Christian and he grips her shoulder. "Let’s go, Doc," he says, his voice gentle. "As soon as I get any word about her, I’ll let you know."
She turns to him, "Promise?"
He nods. Their eyes meet, hold. A flush tinges her cheeks. She pulls away from him, then walks to the door, leaving him staring after her.
Seb snorts, "Go on then. You’ve been called to heel,coglione."
Christian scowls at him, "Shut the fuck up,testa di cazzo."
Seb laughs and Christian turns to me, "You’d better know what you are doing, brother." With a last glare in Seb’s direction, he follows Aurora out.
I drag my fingers through my hair, then wince when a flash of pain slides up my arm. And this is from just a cut. How much pain was she in after what she had been through? Had I been wrong to break up with her in that fashion and send her on her way? It was for her own good, after all.
So why is there a sinking sensation in the pit of my stomach? Why does my chest feel heavy? I’m rubbing the skin above my heart when Seb’s phone rings.
He pulls it out, answers it, then turns to me. "We have a suspect."
Half an hour later, I enter the basement that’s two stories down in the house. Luca stands facing a man who’s been strung up from the ceiling. Antonio walks out to stand guard by the basement door. Purely a precaution, as the staff have been forbidden from coming down here, and the only woman who would have been nosy enough to find her way here is gone.
I clench my fingers at my sides. Fuck, I have to stop thinking about her and get on with the job at hand. The sooner I can track down whoever was behind the explosion, the sooner I can try to earn her forgiveness. Which, given how she’d left me, would be a complete miracle. What a bloody mess.
I roll my shoulders and glare at the man who watches me without any change in expression. He’s in his late thirties, well built, dark-haired, and he meets my gaze. Interesting. None of my own men would have the courage to do that, which means he isn’t from around here. I walk over to him, pause when I’m a couple of feet away. "You have something to tell me?" I ask.
The man’s features harden. He clears his throat, then spits. The glob of saliva narrowly misses me and falls to the ground between us.
"Figlio di puttana!" Luca growls as he lunges forward and slams his fist into the man’s side. The stranger groans and sways. Luca hits him again and the sound of ribs cracking fills the space. The man gasps, and blood drips from his mouth.
"Enough," I say mildly. "Good to know your anger issues haven’t diminished in the time you were away."
Luca steps back and shakes out his hand. "Motherfucker, that hurts like a bitch."
I turn back to the man. "You have something to tell me?"
He glares at me. Sweat pours down his face, and blood blotches stain his shirt. He lowers his chin and firms his lips.
"No?" I pull out my knife and the overhead light bounces off of it. He blinks, lowers his gaze to the knife, then back at me. I close the distance between us, until the smell of his fear envelops me. He glances at Luca, then back at me, but doesn’t say a word.
"Last chance before I cut off your ear, or maybe your nose… What do you say? You’ll live, but look a lot like Voldemort. That might work for Halloween, but not sure you'd be a hit with the women when you resemble He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named,tu mi capisci?"
He swallows, glancing around the room again.
"No one’s going to save you." I peer into his features, "Start talking or I’ll start cutting."
He presses his lips together. I slash the knife down the front of his face and he screams. Blood pours out from the cut on his cheek. His gaze widens until I can see the whites of his eyes.
"Wait," he blubbers, "wait, I’ll tell you."
I pause. "I’m listening."
"It was the Kane Company."
"The Kane Company?"
He nods, "I… I owed them. And the man who approached me said if I rigged the car, my debts would be forgiven."
"Who?" I thrust my face into his, "Who asked you to do this? What’s his name?"
