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“Oh yes, Robert,” he says with a laugh. “Or as you’d know him better, Marianna, as Henrick.”
Fuck. Henrick Velleni. The file I had, it’s him. How did I miss this? Now it makes sense. It was him who took the files and tried to fuck with my head. He must have thought I was close to finding out who he was. But how the hell did I miss it?
“Henrick has been one of my soldiers since he was a teen. His father, Enzo, married a French woman—a whore. She couldn’t handle what Enzo did for a living and ended up leaving without their son, Henrick. The boy has been indebted to me, since I took care of him after his father died. He’s been as close to me as my own son.”
“Why—is he a rapist too?” I ask, glaring at Robert/Henrick, or whoever the fuck he is. He’s watching on with a weird expression on his face. Is he only now realizing just how fucked up Marco is? No, there’s no way anyone couldn’t know. Marco has always been depraved, so what’s with the weird, horrified look?
Once again, Marco brings the gun down against my temple. This time, the pain that erupts is almost paralyzing. I bite down against my lip to stop the cry from spilling out.
“You never learn,” Marco snarls. “Keep your mouth shut, bitch, then you’ll live.”
“You’re not going to kill me,” I taunt him. “You’d rather sell me, right?”
His eyes narrow as he brings his hand to my face, his fingers and thumb digging into my cheeks. “You never know what’s good for you. I will sell you, bitch. I’m going to make a lot of money off you. You’ll be the one they all fight over, wanting to be the bastard to break you. Little will they know that I was the first. I made you a whimpering mess. I made you piss your pants.”
I hear the snick of a lock opening. Having lived on the streets, I learned how to listen for the slightest of noises. Yes, that’s a door opening. I glance around and see no one else has noticed. My heart pounds wildly, my mind instantly going to Dario. I hope it’s him. I’m not sure how long I can hold out before I tell this bastard that all his hard work is gone. Ruined. He’s got no one and has nothing left.
“That’s better. I do prefer when a bitch knows how to keep her fucking mouth closed.”
“Oh, bite me, asshole,” I snap at him. “You wouldn’t know what to do with anyone who would go against you. You’d be the one who would be a whimpering mess. You’d lose your shit and rock in a corner.”
The door to this room opens a little, not by much, but enough for me to notice. I see those gorgeous brown eyes that I love so much, and my heart settles. He’s here. I was right. It is him. God, he’s here.
“Try me, whore. Try it and see how quickly I sell you off to someone.”
I roll my eyes. This man, he’s fucking deluded. Does he think I’m going to go willingly? Even if I knew there was no auction, I’d fight tooth and nail to get away. I would never stick around and take this shit. Not from him, not from anyone.
“If that’s what you think,” I say, and watch as his eyes narrow. “The question is, Marco: how are you going to earn money when you have no women, no business partner, and no auction?”
Shock enters his eyes. “What?” he hisses, his fingers tightening around my face. “Tell me what you meant.”
I grin at him, pulling my face from his grip. “Ask your boy there,” I say, nodding in Robert’s direction. “I’m surprised he didn’t tell you that we had the judge, and he gave it all up. How it’s happening on Monday night at the Cooney Hotel. He even told us who’ll be there and where the women are currently staying.” My smile is bright as I glare at him. “I’m sorry to inform you, Marco, but this business you’ve built, it’s over. Sergei Turgenov is dead, has been for weeks, and the women are safe. There’s no one for you to sell.”
“What do you mean, we?” he snarls. “Who the fuck have you been working with? That Kelvin Acaster isn’t as clever as he thinks. We got Henrick the job easier than we thought. His private investigator was easy to pay off. He was in a lot of debt. Having him tell Kelvin that Robert was clean was the easiest part of the job.”
“You’re an asshole,” I hiss at him. “But if you must know, the Gallo’s aren’t happy with you. They’re even less happy that you killed my papa.”
“Well, where are they? Hmm?” Marco taunts. “If they care that much, where the fuck are they?”
“Right here, fucker,” Dario hisses as he steps into the room. Elio and Rocco subdue Robert while Dario moves toward me and Marco. “You should never have touched her,” he growls, the anger in his voice palpable.
“Oh, this is funny,” Marco laughs. “The whore has found someone who actually cares about her.” The bastard raises his hand once again and presses the gun to my temple.
Dario moves lightning quick, reaching for his arm and pulling it backward. The gun drops from his hand, but Dario doesn’t let him go. No, he wrenches his arm backward and does so hard. The sound of Marco’s bone breaking makes me wince. Damn, that’s got to hurt.
Marco drops to his knees and cries out in pain.
“You shouldn’t have touched her,” Dario snarls. “I’m going to enjoy killing you. I’m going to make it fucking hurt.”
I smile at him when he drops the asshole to the floor. Kelvin and two other men move to him and drag him out of the room.
“Hey, baby,” Dario whispers as he reaches behind me and unties my bindings. “Your head is bleeding,” he tells me, his words laced with anger.
My brows knit together. “Is it?” I ask. I hadn’t realized.
“How is your arm, baby?” His words are so gentle, such a stark contrast to how angry his face is, though I know none of it is directed at me. “It looks as though he’s dislocated your shoulder.”
I nod. “Right now, I’m okay,” I reply softly. “But I sure as hell would like to get the hell out of here. Can someone untie my mama?”
