A jolt of excitement goes through me. Ever since Daniella betrayed me, leaving with her uncle, I’ve found myself bored. It’s not a feeling I’m used to having. Even my harem isn’t holding my attention as it used to.
Yes, maybe this is exactly what I need. I’ve been lax, letting others do the necessary killings for me. When was the last time I reveled in bloodshed? Too long.
Tony watches me, his own smile growing along with mine.
“Let’s do this.”
We’ve spent two days stalking the Rossi family. The girl, Charlotte, is even more stunning in person. At ten years old, she’s the perfect age. Innocent and pure, and a mind ready to be broken and reformed.
I can already see the dollar signs adding up. She will be immensely popular and will make me a fortune when it comes time to sell her on.
Glancing at the clock on the dashboard, I see it’s well after midnight. The house has been dark for hours, along with the other houses nearby. The soccer mom-looking minivan we’re in provides decent cover with its tinted windows, not looking out of place in the neighborhood.
Giving Tony a nod, we get out of the van, closing the doors quietly behind us. The back door lock is easily picked, and we make our way inside the small house. Peeking into doors, we find the parents’ room, and drag them out to the living room, getting them to comply with the guns pressed tightly to their heads.
They don’t stand a chance.
By the time we’re done, the room is bathed in blood. Bone and brain matter are smeared across every surface, and I laugh at the sight. Fuck yes, I needed this. I can breathe again.
Glancing down at the mutilated bodies, I feel myself growing hard. Time to get Charlotte and get out of here. Telling Tony to take our tools out to the van, I wash my hands in the kitchen sink, then head back down the hallway to Charlotte’s room.
Only to find her bed empty.
Oh goodie. I love hide-and-seek. I used to play that with Daniella.
She’s not under the bed or behind the curtains. Closet it is then. Tearing the doors open, I see her huddled in the corner, the bottoms of her feet stained in the blood of her parents. She must have heard us and came out to see what the noise was.
“Hello, little beauty,” I murmur, reaching in and grabbing her by her hair, dragging her out of the closet with a cry. She falls to her knees before me, and I unzip my pants.
Her training may as well start now.
Chapter 30
Special Agent Susannah Gerhardt
Rage.Thick,vicious,boilingrage rips through me like an inferno as Rebecca finishes her story. I have only felt this once before when my sister was murdered, torn apart by animals masquerading as men.
Rebecca murdered Tony, as was her right, but it deprived me of the kill I wanted for my own. But now I know for sure there were two men there that night. And one of them still breathes.
Tears prick my eyes, blurring my vision as I get up and race across the room, falling to the floor in front of my niece. Pulling her into my arms, I bury my face in her curls, deep sobs pulling from inside me. I was only a child myself when this happened, just a few years older than Rebecca. I know there is nothing I could have done. But the old grief consumes me, and we hold on to each other desperately, reliving the horrors.
When we finally dash the tears from our eyes, I make a promise to myself. Rebecca and I will have our turn at Vincenzo. He’s a big, sturdy man. He can handle all three of us, and maybe then my sister can rest in peace.
I don’t care what Dutch has to say about it. Vincenzo’s death belongs to all three of us. And it will be a bloody one.
Chapter 31
Dutch
IhandCruzhisphone back. Mine isn’t encrypted like his, and I wanted to be sure my call to Susannah wouldn’t be intercepted. Who the fuck knows what Vincenzo has been able to learn about me? He’s never had my number before, but I can’t discredit the idea that he might now.
Cruz moves around the apartment, letting me work through my thoughts. He’s always been good at sensing when I need to be alone and giving me the space to do so.
Wrapping my arms around myself, I go over Nate’s words in my mind. They were harsh, but true. What I did was selfish and reckless, and he was right to be angry with me. Stefano could have kidnapped me, or Nate or Kian could have been killed. I could have led my father’s men back to the Waverley Building and been the cause of all their deaths. My fists clench as I think over the stupidity of my actions.
It reminds me of another time I did the same.
Fifteen years ago, shivering in the cold in a dark cage, I let my father’s words poison me. I allowed him to place my mother’s death on my shoulders when it rested firmly on his. I vowed to never trust anyone again. I told myself to grow up. And for the rest of my life until now, I have held strong to that vow. Now I find myself saying it again:It’s time to grow up.
