They hit me again. “Where are Francesco and his wife?”
I spit some blood onto the floor next to me. “I don’t know. I’m not in charge of his security detail.”
I get hit a few more times before the next question is asked. “What does Alessandro know about Jose and the people planning to betray him?”
“I’m muscle, my friend, just like you. They don’t tell me their elaborate plans. They point, and I shoot, that’s all.” My one eye is swelling shut, but I’ve withstood worse torture than this.
A dark-haired goon takes out a gun, and I look into his eyes. I’m not going to be afraid of dying. He points the gun at my head, then my leg, and fires. The shot hurts, but the bullet doesn’t go into my leg. “Jesus, can’t you aim! You idiot!”
They move out of the way, and I see Sofia sitting opposite me. She’s gagged. I was so focused on what they were doing to me, trying to keep the pain in my mind only, that I didn’t recall she was here. The sight of her scared, wide-eyed lights a fire inside of me. I have this irrational desire to protect her. I shift around slightly. “Man, this is uncomfortable.”
I have a blade by my ankle. If I can get free and get to it, I’ll make mincemeat out of these thugs before they have a chance to fire off another shot. Hand-to-hand combat was always my favorite thing growing up.
I get punched again, and again, and again. Arm, face, chest, stomach—you name it.
My body is aching, a dull throb, and they repeat the same questions over and over again, but I stop speaking altogether. I don’t answer to anyone except Alessandro, even if that means it costs me my life.
I’m a bit dazed from the blows to the head, and I’m unsure if I can stay awake much longer. But whatever they think they’re getting out of this, they aren’t.
Chapter 12 - Sofia
I watch as they pummel the daylights out of Dominic, and I cry. I cry because Dominic killed my friend, I cry because Jose’s people now have me, and I cry that the only man who can save me is not only my friend's killer but will probably be killed anyway.
The men take off my gag and leave the room, and I watch Dominic, who slowly raises his head. He looks at me through one bloodshot eye. The other is swollen shut and already turning black.
“You okay?” he croaks out.
“You killed my friend,” I say quietly, sniffing. “How could you do that.”
“Your friend betrayed us.” He spits a ball of blood onto the floor between us. “She called Jose’s men. She set us up.”
“That’s bullshit,” I yell, and I see him wince, but I don’t care. I keep my voice loud. I don’t care who is listening. “She wouldn’t betray me. She’s one of my best friends. She would never put me in harm's way.”
Dominic snorts, and he grins at me. “You are naive. She probably became your friend because she has connections to the underworld—our world. You can never escape this life, Princess. You can only make do with the shit cards you’re dealt with. They probably saw you were lonely and sent your little friend along to comfort you, and all along, she’s been feeding information back to Jose.”
I shake my head, tears welling up. “No, you’re just a killer. You have no fucking heart. You don’t even have a fucking friend. What would you know about friendship?”
Dominic shakes his head. “I know about family and loyalty, and I am not stupid enough to think that this life isn’t dangerous. You can’t help that you were born your father's child, but you can’t ignore what that means for you for the rest of your days.”
“Well, that won’t be long. I’ll kill myself before I let Jose near me,” I snap at him.
Something dangerous flashes in Dominic’s eyes, as though those words struck a chord. I look away. “I never want to see you again. You deserve to die for what you did for Carmila.”
Dominic sighs. “I can’t convince you that I got revenge for you, but I will say, Princess, I probably deserve to die. I’m not a hero. I’m not a knight in shining armor. I’m hired muscle and a hitman. That’s all I’ve ever known and all I’m ever going to be.”
I don’t say anything further to him. I don’t want to look at him. We sit there in silence, his breathing ragged. I briefly wonder if he will make it, but then I steel myself. I don’t care. He is a monster.
And I meant what I said. I’ll kill myself before I bear Jose Catalan’s children.
Three guards come in, and I watch them from underneath my eyelashes. They come directly for me. Shit.
“Come on, honey. The boss wants to see you.”
“Jose is here?” I ask as they untie me.
“You’ll see soon enough,” a guard laughs darkly, and they take me by my arms and escort me out. I glance backward once over my shoulder to look at Dominic before another guard shuts the door.
I’m brought through the garden and into a house to a beautiful room with lush sofas and throw pillows. This isn’t like the other place at all, where the outside looked good, but the inside was shit. This house is clearly a residence, not a base of operations.