“I was going to have Jorge kill you,” Eduardo said calmly, “but I think I’m going to do it myself. You are nothing to me. A bargaining chip I could use to make money and your death is going to do that for me once more.” He leveled his weapon at her. “I guess you could say you are finally doing your duty as my daughter. I—”
The sound of the gun going off just behind her made her scream. The second shot had her crouching to make herself a smaller target and pressing her hands to her ringing ears for a moment. When she was finally sure she wasn’t hit, and no more shots were being fired, she looked around wildly. Marissa was standing a few feet in front of her, her face pale, gaze locked on something behind Rosa and on her left.
“That felt good.” Jorge growled from behind her, and Rosa turned to see him smiling broadly, gun still in his hand. “I have wanted to put a bullet in that bastard for fucking years!” He leveled his gaze on her. “I saved you, Rosa. He was going to kill you. He had an insurance policy out on you and everything. I wasn’t going to let that happen. You are mine.”
Rosa took a step back from him. “Jorge—”
“Don’t you fucking step away from me!” Jorge moved closer to her, lifting his weapon to level it her chest. “You’ve always been mine, Rosa. You know that. I am going to have to punish you, though, for what you have done here.”
“What exactly have I done, Jorge?” Rosa asked quietly, wanting to keep him talking and not pulling that damn trigger.
“You whored yourself to thatbastardoEsposito.” He practically spat Gino’s name.
Marissa stepped forward, dragging Jorge’s attention to her. “Now, wait just a second. If there was any whoring being done, then a cut must come to the house,” Marissa sniffed in disdain, but Rosa could see the calculating look in her eyes that said she was up to something more. “Did you take money from Gino for services rendered?”
“And if I did?” Rosa asked, playing along.
“Then you gotta pay the damn fee!” Marissa yelled, starting to pace back and forth in front of her. “Do you know how many of my girls that man has fucked for free? Too damn many for me to even count and every time he thinks he gets it for free.”
She knew now that Marissa was most definitely up to something. “Your fees are too damn high. The Battaglias were much more reasonable. They at least allowed a woman the chance to make some damn cash.” Oh boy, she was flying free with this one. “If you want money, then speak to Gino.”
Rosa watched Marissa carefully and saw that she was stepping closer and closer to the work station located a few feet in front of the wall they were standing in front of. A station that held a full knife block.
“Don’t think I fucking won’t, you whore,” Marissa said in an ugly tone. “I’ll make him pay for fucking you in my house and not paying me for the right. You hear what I’m saying, Rosa? He had noright.”
Rosa shot a glance back at Jorge. He looked almost entertained.
“He has everyright, where I’m concerned,” Rosa answered to show she knew what Marissa wanted to her to do.
“He has no right to fuck you in my house!” Marissa held her gaze, and despite the angry tone she used, her eyes were calm and reassuring. “He will pay, or you will. You will paynow!”
Rosa threw herself to the right, throwing her hands above her head as she headed for the hard kitchen floor. Everything seemed to move in slow motion as she headed down. She heard Marissa yell something that could only be described as a battle cry and was fairly certain she heard Gino shouting her name. But the sounds that had her entire being flooding with fear were the gunshots that reverberated around every flat surface in the kitchen.
