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And I’m as loved as they all are.
My breathing hitches, and I wince when I open the playroom door. The smell is foul and overwhelming, and it’s one more reason not to linger. The lights are on low, and I can hear Guido whimpering as I come into the main room.
Ari’s standing over him with his arms crossed, and I don’t see Kane, but I know he’s there. Ari’s gaze darts up to meet mine, and I see some tension leave his shoulders with his sigh.
‘Are you ready?’ he asks.
I debate how I want to answer, then look down at Guido and realize that he can’t see me. That was Phoenix’s work, of course, but there’s only one way for him to know that I’m here.
“I’m ready.”
Guido’s body stiffens, and he lets out a laugh, blood bubbling from his mouth. “I thought it would be you.” He’s hard to understand, but I’m listening closely. “I was hoping I’d get to tell you one last thing.”
Ari approaches me and stands just inches away. ‘Are you sure? You don’t have to do this.’
‘I know,’ I sign back.
He leans in and kisses me. I don’t recoil at the taste of blood the way I probably should.
After a beat, I step away and glance at the table. There are a ton of weapons there, and I know which one I want to choose. It’s a thin knife—flexible like you’d use to fillet meat. I test the weight of it, and then I approach Guido’s body. He’s being held up by his restraints and nothing more.
“Forgive me, Father, for I’m here to sin,” I say.
He laughs, the sound more of a gurgle, and I glance down to see he’s missing an arm. It’s a wonder he hasn’t bled out, but of course, my boys are professionals. “Confession, Alice? Really?”
I half expected him to be begging, but it’s probably the shock that’s giving him this sort of confidence because my father was never a brave man. “Now’s the time to do it.”
He tilts his head up, and I look at the mess where his face once was. “The only thing I have left to say to you is that I wish I had ensured you were in the car with your whore mother.”
“You killed her,” I say flatly.
He laughs again. “No. But I knew what her bastard lover Ricci was going to do once he found out you were his, and I allowed it. I allowed him to solve my problems.”
“And look where you are now. Except…you can’t,” I say thoughtfully. I raise the knife to his throat, and he sucks in a breath, but then Ari knocks on the table, and I look over.
‘Wait one second,’ he says.
I could wait a few more than that, so I nod.
He fiddles with something on the table, and then there’s a crackling sound like a speaker coming to life. It’s silent for a second, and then a woman’s voice starts to cry out. “Where is he? What the fuck have you done with him? Guido!”
Guido sucks in air, and for the first time since I walked in, he struggles. “No. She didn’t do anything.No!”
I raise my brows at Ari, and he smiles and signs, ‘That’s my gift from Kane.’
Vanessa. I won’t watch that. I’ll let Ari indulge in his revenge because this is mine. Guido’s still babbling and begging for her, but I’ve stopped hearing him. I place the blade at the center of his throat, and with a single plunge, it’s over.
He chokes and attempts to cry out, but he dies in silence.
It’s poetic, I assume, that I should become a killer this way, but it doesn’t feel wrong. Guido tried to sell my body from the moment he knew the truth about me, and now I’ve sold my soul without a regret to make sure he paid for all the pain he caused.
Ari takes the knife from me the second Guido stops breathing, and he kisses me until my head starts to spin. I think the shock of it hits me because I feel dizzy suddenly, and I stumble back, only to be caught by large arms.
Kane.
“Come on, little goddess. Ari has more work to do, and you need rest.”
I take one last look at Guido before Kane leads me out, knowing it’ll be the last time I ever set eyes on his face. Where I expect to find horror or regret, there’s just a quiet numbness that settles over me, and as Kane kisses my hand as we walk, it slowly turns to warmth.
