The blood and death of our enemies.
Turning my back from the dead corpse in front of me, I walked out of the room. But not before I saw Nikolay taking his lighter out.
By the end of the day, the corpse would be nothing but ash.
As I stepped into the sunlight, I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. Like always, I saw Ayla’s smile and shining green eyes. She radiated beauty.
I felt my lips tilt up at the thought of her.
I’m coming, Angel. Wait for me.
***
1 week later
I walked into the room, and the man trembled at the sight of me. He was on his knees, and Nikolay had his arms twisted around his back. Another captive. Another of Alberto’s most trusted men.
“Let’s see what you have to say,” Phoenix said beside me.
“Please…I don’t know anything,” he begged.
My chest rumbled with laughter. What else could I have done?
I didn’t even do anything yet, and he was already begging. I wondered what he would do when I got started.
“I…have…a wife,” he stuttered, pleading me with his eyes. “And a daughter. Please, they need me.”
Scoffing, I walked forward and pulled him up by the hair. “You should have thought about that before messing with the Ivanshovs.”
Nikolay stepped away, and I slammed the man against the wall. His head banged with a crack, and he winced.
“Where do you think Alberto would hide?” I snarled, my fingers wrapping around his neck. I pressed against his windpipe, my thumb moving up and down. He struggled to breathe, his face turning a shade of purple.
His fingers grabbed at my hand, pulling, scratching with the attempt to dislodge my grasp, but it was all for nothing.
I heard a gasp behind me and then a cry. Looking over my shoulder, I saw a horrified woman standing at the door; in her arms was a sleeping baby.
Ah. The wife and daughter.
I turned back toward my captive, and his fearful eyes met mine. He tried to glance at his wife, but my body was hiding his view.
His body started to shake from the lack of oxygen. But that wasn’t all. It was also from fear. For his wife and daughter.
I couldn’t help but smirk. Interesting.
“Come in, ladies. I’m sure you would want to stay with your husband as he takes his last breath. We wouldn’t want him to die alone. Keep him company,” I taunted without glancing away from the man’s eyes.
Releasing my hold on his throat, I stepped away. He fell to his knees, and my heart soared with power. Yet another of Alberto’s men on their knees, bowing down to me.
I turned around to see Phoenix escorting the woman and her baby to a chair. She sat down, but her whole body was trembling like a leaf.
“Who are you?” she whispered.
“I am your husband’s executioner,” I replied, my voice deadly. She flinched and held her baby tighter to her chest.
“But…he…” she stuttered, but I cut her off quickly.
“He deserves it.”
Tears streamed down her face as she shook her head. “Please don’t hurt him.”
“Your begging only makes me want to hurt him more.” I laughed, pointing a gloved hand at her husband, who was still gasping for breath.
Viktor chuckled, crossing his arms over his chest as he regarded the woman with keen interest. “Please keep begging. It’ll only be more fun,” he goaded.
“You’re evil. All of you. Monsters. How could you do this?” she cried.
“Ah, I never said I wasn’t evil.” I shrugged when she shrunk back into her chair. Phoenix kept a hand on her shoulders, and she shuddered.
“I’m not that repulsive,” he muttered under his breath.
Shaking my head at the poor frightened woman, I turned back toward her husband. I saw Nikolay holding a baseball bat. He shrugged. “We need to get creative sometimes.”
And then he smacked the bat against the man’s back. “Here you go, Boss,” Nikolay said, giving me the bat as he stepped back.
“Are you going to talk or not?” I asked, looking at the man at my feet.
“I’m telling the truth. Alberto…didn’t…tell me…anything,” he wheezed through the blood pouring from his mouth and nose.
My patience had run thin, and I snapped. I rammed the bat into his legs until I heard bones crunching. He screamed. His wife screamed. The baby cried.
But that didn’t stop me.
It spurred me on. The bat came in contact with his stomach. His ribs broke under the solid wood, and his body convulsed in pain.
“Please stop. Stop!” the wife wailed.
Stop! Please stop! Ayla’s voice resonated through my ears, and I stumbled back in shock. My chest grew tight at her voice as it rang in my head.
Angel. My Angel.
I looked at the man as he writhed in agony, his body beaten up and swelling under the pressure. I stepped away and faced the woman. She was sobbing heavily, and the baby continued to cry.