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I let my hands fall back to my sides as I regarded him. “And what, Mario?” I prompted low.
“The Family doesn’t make mistakes,” he whispered.
I inclined my head, the only response I gave him. It was true: The Family didn’t make mistakes when it came to finding traitors. And I wasn’t going to ask Mario why he did what he did. It didn’t matter. The end result was the same.
“But this isn’t just about you being a traitor, is it, Mario?”
He snapped his eyes up to me, and the one not swollen widened. I let my grin grow. I leaned in close so we were almost nose-to-nose. “You think we only knew about you going behind our backs and giving Family information to our enemies?” My voice was deadly low, and his breathing picked up. “You think we didn’t find out about what you werealsodoing?” I curled my lip in disgust and didn’t keep the growl out of my voice. I slowly rose and felt the confusion from some of my soldiers. They weren’t privy to all things and would have only known about Mario passing off information. They wouldn’t know about the other depraved things he was involved in.
“I… I—”
“Shhh,” I cut him off and turned to one of the men who stood behind me. I gestured to the table beside him, to one of the many rusty tools that lay on top. They were my instruments, and I was their surgeon.
“The Family deals in the same—”
I snapped my head in his direction and growled so low, baring my teeth, that everything else in the room stilled. Mario straightened, leaning as far back as he could as he felt the violence and danger pouring off me. “We don’t do that, Mario.” I took a step closer, and another one until the coppery scent of what pumped through his veins filled my nose and made my bloodlust rise. “We don’t traffic minors. We don’t sell young girls. We, The Family, don’t. Fucking. Do. That.”
There were low murmurs that filled the room from my soldiers, their anger starting to rise, too. The mafia, The Family, were brutal savages in every sense of the word. We had a hand in prostitution, but the women who worked for us did so of their own free will. We didn’t kidnap, we didn’t force, and we sure as fuck didn’t deal with children in any capacity.
Someone stepped beside me, and I didn’t look at who it was, just held out my hand. I felt the heavy, cold tool in my palm, and I curled my fingers around it, the metal warming the longer I held it.
“Of course you would have been killed for giving information to our enemies, but now, because of your depraved and sick acts that you participated in, I’ll make sure your death is as slow as possible and that you’re begging for me to end your life by the end of all of this. And the sex ring you worked with?” I took a slow step toward him. “It’s been dismantled and every piece of shit taken care of.” Although, sadly, I hadn’t participated in that pleasure of taking those sick fucks out, I was pleased that their deaths had been slow, agonizing, and by the end of it, they’d been begging for mercy. Of course they hadn’t gotten it.
I lifted up the tool and showed him the pliers. Mario started crying, hard, wracking sobs shaking his body, and I laughed low. “Crying just makes me want to do this even more than I already do, Mario.” I turned the tool in my hand, the metal old and worn, rusted and aged. “First, I think I’ll slowly rip off your finger- and toenails.” I felt adrenaline move through me as I turned back to him, no doubt a sadistic gleam in my eyes. “Then I’m going to work on ripping your balls off, Mario.”
And as I got to work on him, I made sure to keep any and all thoughts of Bianca out of my head. Her pure and perfect image had no place in the ugly, brutal world I lived in. She might know who and what I was, but I’d never let her see the darker parts. She’d never knowtheseparts of me.
I was a monster, and she was my angel.
ChapterTen
Bianca
My eyes felt massive as I leaned forward and stared out Enzo’s windshield, the front of the massive brick building that housed Static seeming a little imposing. There was a long line stretching down the side of the building and curved around the back, and the bright neon sign was situated above twin red doors with a beefy-ass bouncer standing guard in front.
Enzo pulled up to the curb right in front of the entrance, left the car running, and before I knew what was happening, my door was opened, and a young man dressed in a black shirt that saidStaffstepped to the side to let me out. Enzo was already out and walking around the hood of the car as I slid out of the passenger seat and stood, smoothing my hands down the faux leather skirt I’d chosen to wear tonight.
Enzo was by my side and holding a hand out. I slipped my fingers along his warm, big palm, and he instantly curled his around mine and pulled me to his side. The door was shut behind me, and I didn't miss how Enzo slid folded-up bills into the attendant's hand. The young man nodded his thanks and hurried to the driver side, slipping into the seat and pulling the car away from the curb to park.
I was led toward the front doors and glanced at the long line of people waiting to get in. Some showed their awe, others holding pissed expressions because clearly we wouldn’t have to wait like they did. I focused ahead just as the bouncer nodded in respect toward Enzo, stepped aside, and pulled free the thick velvet rope that blocked entry in an aesthetic sense.
Enzo let go of my hand and slid his to curl possessively around my waist, pulling me close. I noticed the way the bouncer glanced at the move and quickly looked away. Despite the dude being a behemoth size-wise, it was clear Enzo scared him. I didn’t miss the way his body tightened with Enzo’s presence.
And as “wrong” as it was, I felt a hard spear of pleasure in me because of it.
The red, shiny doors were pulled open, and the heavy bump and bass of music spilled out. There was a set of stairs directly in front of us. I cursed myself for thinking these heels had been a good idea, but the slight tightening of Enzo’s fingers around my waist as we walked down them made me feel safe and secure.
I glanced at him through my lashes, and although he seemed relaxed, his profile was masculine with sharp angles. I felt my inner muscles clench painfully, as if my body said screw the club and let him just claim what he wanted.
All of me.
The music was louder at the bottom of the stairs, and in front of us was a short hallway that opened up to the main club. The lighting was dim, broken up by flashes of neon lasers, blacklights, and the unmistakable backlit glow from the bar.
The club was packed, with everyone dancing, grinding their bodies together, the act innocent enough until I really looked and noticed it was reminiscent of sex. A fresh flush moved through my body. Enzo tightened his hold on me, and I glanced up at him. He already watched me, his dark eyes unreadable, but the small lift of his lips had me smiling in return.
He faced forward and started leading us through the club, and I didn’t miss how the women looked at him with clear appreciation in their eyes. I bristled, the jealousy that rose in me confusing and frustrating. Enzo was a gorgeous man, so obviously he’d garner attention. We’d also only been on two dates. I had no claim on him, yet the very idea of anyone else wanting him set me on edge.
Ten minutes later, we were through the roped-off VIP section and sitting, a glass of whiskey in Enzo’s hand and a flute of champagne in mine. I didn’t bother asking if he’d been here before, how it was clear everyone seemed to know him… how everyone seemed to fear him. The answer was clear in all the ways that mattered, in all the ways I already knew. Still, it seemed strange to be here with Enzo when I knew the truth and somehow be okay with it.
