Silence.
“Where’s my wife?”
“She’s alive,” I begin. “For now. Where’s my son?”
“He’s here. How’s the whore of yours, Alessio? I bet she’s a fucking great fuck. She looks wild.”
I grit my teeth. That’s something he’ll never find out. “Better than your cold as fuck wife, that’s for sure. Now, you’re going to tell me where the fuck my son is, or your wife is going to be in a world of pain.”
His laughter only adds fuel to my anger.
“You’re not going to hurt her,” he chuckles. “Your father, now he would hurt her. But you Bianchi men don’t hurt women.”
I glance around at my brothers. Both of them have smiles on their faces. Oh, how wrong he fucking is. For my family, I’d do anything. Including killing this bitch.
I pass the cell to Dante and reach for my knife. This bitch doesn’t deserve me to hold back. Hell fucking no. She knew exactly what her husband was going to do, and she allowed it to happen. For that, she’s going to die slowly.
I unsheathe my knife, and her eyes go wide.
“No, Alessio, please,” she begs.
I chuckle. “This is going to be fun,” I say as I twirl the blade in my hand. “I’ve not even started yet, and you’re already begging me.”
“Leave her alone,” Taras shouts, but I ignore him.
Men like him only want one thing, and that’s power. He has a lot in common with Makenna’s brother, Patrick—stupidity leads them to do things they otherwise wouldn’t do, like going after family in order to become the boss. Something he’d never become because he doesn’t have the manpower behind him. If Maksim died, the Bratva would be handed either to Nikolai, the husband of his granddaughter, who’s active in the Bratva, or to Maksim’s right-hand man. Taras is neither, meaning this has all been for nothing.
Greed fucks with people. Taras sees an opening and has tried to take it. No doubt he believes that he’d be the one to take over from Maksim. That’s the greed blinding him. He’s smart, he’s managed to get men onboard his fucked up plan, he’s managed to build a small army.
Those men are going to die and for what? Nothing, they’ll die in vain and it’s all down to Taras and his stupidity.
I kick out my foot and connect with Annika’s side. She cries out and drops to the ground, on her stomach. I have no qualms in hurting her. Hell, I have no qualms in hurting anyone. I know the line, and I very rarely cross it. Dante has rebuilt the Famigilaon principle and honor. He protects the communities, just like my grandfather did, something that was lost on our father. Dante ensures that women and children aren’t harmed, and no innocent man is either. I toe the line Dante has set, and I do what is asked of me. But that doesn't mean I’m incapable of harming innocents. It’s in my blood to kill. Usually, I kill only people Dante approves. But today… no, today, I’m taking out everyone who had a part in harming my family. I don’t give a fuck if my brother approves or not. I’ll do whatever the hell it takes to get revenge.
I begin to slice through her ring finger, just above the knuckle. Her screams are music to my ears. I smirk as she bucks against the grip I have on her.
“You brought this,” I hiss. “You went after my family. There’s no escape for you.”
“Please,” she whimpers. “Oh God, please stop.”
Never. I’m not going to stop until I get the information I need. I want to find out where my son is.
I add a little more pressure and finish slicing through her finger.
Her screams are shrill, fearful, and filled with pain.
I chuckle. “Now, Taras, this is only the beginning.”
Annika whimpers. “No, please,” she screams.
“Where the fuck is my son?”
“Leave her alone,” he snarls. “You can’t hurt her.”
Dante’s the one to chuckle now. “You don’t give a shit about her. You’re worried that if we kill her, you'll lose the only line to the empire. No one will want to appoint you when you’re no longer a member of the family. It doesn't matter; Yelena will always be next in line.”
“That fucking stupid bitch, Adele,” Taras mutters. “It was simple. All she had to do was get the Croats to kill her, then this would have all been mine.”
“Taras,” Nikolai growls, his voice deep and filled with hate and anger.