“Because that pain you feel whenever you think of that exact moment is what’s going to make you stronger. It’s going to motivate you.”
“Motivate me for what?”
He placed his palm against my cheek, his thumb gently rubbing against my bottom lip.
“Revenge.”
I searched his face while I struggled to keep the pain and the rage contained.
“This man—” Castello pointed toward Ricardo “—he was the one that brought your father to Vico and my mother. He was the man that beat your father so hard there were no bones left in his face to break.”
My body became heavy, my mind reeling with every word Castello spoke as I glanced from him to Ricardo in disbelief.
“Ricardo was the man that tied your father to the same chair he died in. This man you want me to show mercy to had a role in your father’s death.”
He let go of my arms, and my legs felt as if they could give way beneath me at any moment. I stared at Ricardo. “Is it true?”
He remained still.
“Is it true?” I yelled, and he only flinched without saying a word.
Funny, a few minutes ago, he couldn’t shut up as he tried to beg for his life. But now he was as silent as a mouse—a little mouse.
Castello walked over to Ricardo and pulled out his gun, aiming it at Ricardo’s head.
“Tell me, Tatum. Do you still believe that death can atone for nothing?”
Over and over, I imagined my father’s lifeless body. Every night that exact image was the last thing I saw when I closed my eyes. It was also the first thing I saw when I woke up. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t stop my mind from reliving those few seconds over, and over, and over again.
But now, as I stood in front of a man that played such an important part in the nightmare I was forced to relive every day, the thought of him dying actually felt like it had the strength to numb the pain. Slowly, I started to replace the images of my dead father with images of a dead Ricardo…and it made me feel stronger.
“It’s time for your final verdict, Tatum.” Castello pressed the nozzle of the gun against Ricardo’s forehead. Ricardo closed his eyes, tears streaming down his face, as snot spat from his nostrils.
Castello released the safety of his gun, and Ricardo sobbed while he pissed himself.
My heart hammered, but it wasn’t because of fear. It was because I knew what I wanted, what I needed.
What I needed…
I snapped my gaze up to Castello. That was what he meant. That was what he meant when he said he knew what I needed.
He nodded as if he could hear my every thought, as if he knew I had pieced it together.
I took a deep breath and kept my eyes on Castello’s face. “Kill him.”
Castello pulled the trigger, and the deafening sound of death filled my ears. I closed my eyes and felt something I never thought I’d feel over the death of another human being…relief.
Chapter 10
CASTELLO
I pulled the trigger, executing the traitorous motherfucker. It was the only way. It wasourway. You live by the gun and the knife…and you die by the gun and the knife. Tatum needed to witness this, to learn our ways if I wanted her to thrive at my side. She might not have known it yet, but I saw it in her soul, the darkness which had the undeniable potential to turn her into a powerful woman—mywoman.
Ricardo, the fucker, he was lucky. If it weren’t for Tatum being here, I would have tortured his fucking ass. So in whatever corner of hell he was burning right now, he could thank God I gave him a merciful death.
I kept my gaze on Tatum, scrutinizing every contour of her face.What was she thinking? How was she feeling about what just happened?
I pushed her. I forced her to relive that godawful moment. I made her feel that pain all over again. But it had to be done. She had to feel the anger, the rage, the bone-numbing ache of witnessing her father die. It was the only way I could make her tap into the deepest, darkest part of her that demanded revenge.