“Why the hell is she still knocked out?”
My head spun even more, as I panicked, grasping after consciousness.
This was a voice I knew – a voice that filled me with cold terror.
“Yo, boss, sorry... gave her an extra dose – she wouldn’t go down.”
“You idiots!” The ugly voice spun away.
Lights shifted behind my eyelids, which I struggled to open, and then I landed on something hard. My wrists began to ache, my shoulders burned, and cold oozed across my skin.
“We had to give that big guy a good dose. Almost used it up. Although, with the size of ‘im--”
“Eh, shoulda just put a bullet in his head. I’m through being nice. Leave her like that for now. Guard the door and lemme know when she wakes up.”
The voices moved away from me. Somewhere in my mind, I seized onto the fact that staying asleep was safer, and I let the darkness embrace me again.
Time passed in fits and starts. Suddenly my head snapped up, as the spinning world slammed to a halt, and I blinked as I came to. Shapes lurched in and out of my vision as I squinted through the dim light. A heavy smell hit my nose – something sweet mixed with salt and brine.
My eyes were still blurry, but as I went to rub them, my wrists met resistance. In the ensuing second a cold bolt of terror shot through me as my head and vision cleared.
I realized I was tied to a chair in the middle of a room I knew all too well. Looking around, I recognized the big crates and the labeling on their sides.
DeGorio Spirits.
I was back in a Ruffino warehouse.
“No…”
My head pounded as the events that had led me here came roaring back. The sounds at the kitchen door, Serge’s scorpion tattoo, Richie’s cruel laugh, the smelly rag, the spinning, the voices…
Axe.
Sucking in a deep breath, I jerked hard on my bounds, but all I managed to do was rip my skin. My heart sank as fear rose in my throat. This was Emilio’s favorite chair. Where he tied people up to ensure they knew their place by the time they left, alive or dead.
Trying not to cry or scream, I bit my lower lip. I struggled against the bonds, but with each passing moment, hope seemed to falter more and more. I was now shivering in both dread and cold. I kept twisting my wrists and I could feel a warm trickle of blood dripping down my hands. I’d no idea if the bindings were becoming looser, but I couldn’t just sit here.
Some tiny part of me kept expecting Axe to burst through that door, gun raised, hair messy, and eyes wild. But as much as I wanted that to happen, I was terrified it would at the same time. I was caught in a constant back and forth between burning hope and absolute despair and it was driving me insane.
What if it was already too late? What if he was hurt, or worse?
I bent my head as a few tears slipped down my cheeks, and I viciously jerked at the ties again. Digging down deep, I tried to fight those morbid thoughts back. I had people who cared about me this time, and they needed me to get out of here alive.
At least now I actually knew how to fire a gun – I just had to get my hands loose.
I started working on my wrists again with renewed vigor, but with each passing minute, I knew the window of escape grew smaller and smaller. I could practically feel the noose tightening around my neck.
Emilio would be in here any time, all too impatient to punish me for leaving in the first place.
“She awake?” came a yell from outside.
My insides went cold and my mouth dry as I pulled in a deep breath through my nose.
Then I raised my head as the door banged open.
A cold smile shone through the darkness and Emilio waltzed in. As always, he was smoking a cigarette, and the stench made me gag.
He glanced at his watch, then looked back over his shoulder. “Just in time, bitch. You slept all goddamned fucking day. They’ll be here soon. Make sure to give ‘em a proper greeting.” Then he looked back at me and slammed the door shut behind him.
As he walked up to me, my insides went even colder but I kept my chin up and glared at him.
“Oh. I know that look.” He grabbed my chin, squeezing it so hard I thought my jaw would break. “Capestrana been fillin’ your head with fairytales, huh, Brenna? Tellin’ you about happy endings and all that bullshit?” Emilio let go and gave me a little slap on the cheek. “Well?”
I didn’t answer, just continued to glare, even as my body began to shake more.
“Answer me,” Emilio ordered harshly. But I just pursed my lips.
His eyes went dark and he backhanded me across the face. Stars exploded behind my lids and my lip split down the center. I gasped but didn’t cry out.
“Guess, I’ll take that as a yes.”
Emilio sounded calm again. Too calm.
And I knew I was in serious trouble. He was beyond angry – this was his controlled, icy madness, which was far more chilling.
“So, what, you think you found a family now, Brenna?” he asked, taking a puff, and flicking cigarette ash at me. “Think the Capestranas give a fuck about you, huh? Let me tell you somethin’, you stupid bitch.” He smiled a little. “Axe likes that pussy. In fact, I’m counting on it. Because it’s that boy…Salvatore’s sweet son who will be the reason they all show up here tonight to rescue you. I’ll get the fat, stupid cousin, some of the goons and, best of all, the heir to the throne, all in one shot. Old man Capestrana will crumble and probably eat a bullet the second he hears the news.”
I tried not to let my relief show, but I fairly shook with it. As scary as the speech was, that meant Axe was alive.
For now.
I began moving my wrists harder while still keeping my face impassive. There was no question Emilio was right. Axe was coming, and he’d likely bring the whole crew along with him. Right into Emilio’s trap. Which meant I had to save myself and quick.
How much longer did I even have?
Panic shot through me as I stared into Emilio’s cold, beady eyes.
How could I have ever thought you and Axe were alike? You may as well be from different planets.
He was nothing but shadows and slime, an empty-souled man consumed by the worst of humanity. And he knew nothing about love or loyalty.
I shot him a contemptuous look, then tossed my head, refusing to give him another word. Axe would’ve been proud.
For a second I thought Emilio was going to lunge and choke me out. But he smoothed his face and forced out a laugh.
“The good news is, we got some time alone before the fireworks start. How about we make some of our own?” he murmured with a leer that made my entire body heave. “You’re used goods now, so I might as well sample them before I send you off to Bangkok.”
My skin crawled as he licked his lips. If he raped me, I wasn’t sure I could survive it. I didn’t know if it was my imagination but my binds finally seemed to be starting to give, just a little. I needed more time.
He leaned in, covering my breasts and pinching hard with a rough hand. I pulled back and spat in his face.
He swore and pulled back, giving no quarter as he punched me hard in the mouth. I tasted my own blood, coppery and warm, but it also tasted like a tiny victory. The icy veneer was chipping away and he was starting to get sloppy.
He treated me to a lopsided, maniacal grin.
“You think you’re going to get me mad…out of control, but it ain’t gonna work. Your fate is sealed. I’m going to ride you bloody like the slut you are and then ship your ass out of the country.” He slid a hand down the front of his pants and grabbed himself. “Y’know, girls gotta work very hard for their money there. Don’t matter if you’re a virgin or not. I can still turn a good profit selling you to some twisted old businessman – lots of ‘em like an extra girl just for whipping practice… Wonder if Axe would still think you’re pretty after just a day over there. All those scars…”
Bile rose in my throat and I shook. I couldn’t deny, his words were getting to me. If the Ruff
inos took me out of the States, no one would ever find me. It’d be impossible. I’d heard horror stories about Bangkok from the other girls. Just a whisper of what it could be like was enough to keep them in line.
Emilio tugged his zipper down and worked on his belt buckle.
Buy. More. Time.
“He’ll kill you first,” I spat out, shaking with rage and horror. I was babbling, but I didn’t care. “The Feds already know all about this – they’re gonna shut you down. Axe is one step ahead of you, believe me.” The ties seemed to loosen a little more and hope fired through me.
Emilio let out a real laugh this time and I tugged harder at my bindings. “Man, Brenna, you still got a lot to learn about this goddamn ugly world. Ain’t no Fed gonna shut me down – a dirty Fed is the reason you’re back in my favorite chair. And they’re not gonna lift a finger to save some street rat orphan like you.”
Ellis.
I knew it as sure as I knew my own name. But there was no time for looking at the past. I needed to focus on seeing a future.
Closing my eyes, I let myself think of last night for the first time since I’d awoken. For a moment, I could almost feel Axe’s arms around me, the heavy weight of his muscular body, and the softness of his lips on my neck.
At that moment my hands pulled free.
I sucked in a gasp and my eyes flashed to the door as I rotated my wrists, trying to get feeling back into my fingertips. Knowing Emilio, there were at least four or five of his men outside. I’d never be able to take them all.
Looked like I was going to need a hostage.
Glancing back, my eyes locked onto the gun, strapped to Emilio’s waist. I just had to refine the move I’d once planned on Volkov. But this time, I wouldn’t be turning the gun on myself.
I had too much to live for now.
I’d train it on Emilio and take him to the Capestranas. It would be a death sentence, but I was suddenly okay with that. Some of the good guys were really bad. Some of the bad guys were really good. There was no black or white, no right or wrong, no clear-cut answers. Not anymore. Not in this dark corner of the world. Not in this warehouse, where the floor was stained with old blood. The man in front of me was worse than a sadist, and his contraband was the flesh of women. Human beings with lives and hearts and souls.
Now that my vision was clear, I was ready to embrace my darkest side for the better good. No more Feds. No cops or judges or juries. We’d handle this inside the family.
Clenching my fists behind me, I took a deep breath, and prepared myself. It could all go tits up, but at least I’d go down fighting.
Emilio stuffed a hand down the front of his tighty-whities and reached for me. “Let’s see if Capestrana taught you anything I can use.”
But I barely heard the words as I made my move, launching my whole body forward and lunging for the gun that gleamed like a beacon just inches away.
My fingers closed onto the handle – just as gunshots exploded through the night.
Axe
Dante, Colt, and I were in the first SUV of the caravan of Capestranas, flying down the road to the docks. For the first time in a long time, it was completely silent in the car. There was no joking, no stories, no bullshitting.
It both unnerved and calmed me at the same time.
My phone rang just as Colt slowed down, taking a sharp right. I could feel both of them look at me as I answered. “Yeah?”
“Capestrana?” It was Mike Westfield. Again.
He’d called a dozen times and I’d ignored it. Now, I reined in my temper and just listened, still unsure if he’d been part of the leak or not.
“Jesus, I’ve been sick looking for you. I went by the safe house and you weren’t there. We have to abort our plans for now. We got some intel this morning that Ellis was on the Ruffino payroll. We went to arrest him and he split. We’re looking for him, but you’ve been compromised – your girl isn’t safe…”
“No shit,” I growled into the phone, almost calmly. “They already got her. But thanks for the heads-up,” I finished sarcastically.
“Fuck!”
I heard something smash in the background.
“That bastard. He’s gonna pay for this,” Mike’s breath rasped in my ear. “Believe me, Capestrana, we are all over it. Wait a second – where are you?”
“Going to get her back,” I said simply. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw identical diabolical grins spread across my cousin’s and brother’s faces. “We tried it your way. Didn’t work. Now we try it our way.”
“No!” Mike burst out. “You have no idea how sorry I am. But let us take care of it. We’ll get her back. We just need a day to regroup.” He blew out a sigh like he knew he was talking to a wall. “I know how stupid that sounds now, but…man, don’t do anything stupid.”
“Too late.” I hung up the phone. Better to ask for forgiveness than permission. We Capestranas were good at cleaning up our tracks, and even if the Feds suspected us for retaliation against the Ruffinos, they’d never get proof. This needed to be done the old fashioned way.
A minute later Colt cut the lights and we rolled to a stop. The warehouse was sitting in a pool of darkness and I felt my heart take off. Somewhere in there, Brenna was at the mercy of Emilio Ruffino. Glancing out the window, I saw other black SUVs pull up and shadows slip out, then melt into the night.
“Wait, Axe,” Colt whispered, as I tensed, about to get out.
Dante was looking at his phone, holding it low so the glow was hidden. It buzzed. “Got ‘em.”
Colt nodded. “Jimmy take ‘em all out?”
“Yeah, ragazzi.” I could hear the smile in Dante’s voice. “He got the son of a bitch sniper waiting on the roof for us. And Joe’s back a ways, with Frankie and Nino, waiting to see if Ruffino’s got guys posted around the perimeter… Other guys got the other warehouses. So we’re good.”
“Let’s go,” I rumbled and leapt out of the car. I pounded across the pavement, silently as I could, gun out at the ready, listening for any sound, waiting for any movement, nerves stretching thinner.
A shot rang out and a groan mixed with a curse filled the air. A body hit the pavement. Suddenly I saw a Ruffino goon reaching for his gun, his face twisted in a snarl, and I pulled my trigger without even thinking.
Almost at the same time, Colt and I stepped up to two of them, moaning and clutching their knees. It seemed like it’d taken hours, but I knew it had only been a minute. A second later, Dante was there, stuffing gags in their mouths, and tying them up swiftly.
“What’re you waiting for?” Dante asked, looking sterner than I’d ever seen him. “Go, get her back. I got these two.”
Walking up to the building, buzzing with even more rage, I opened the doors with one kick.
“Subtle,” Colt commented. But when I looked over at him, his eyes were cold and calculating. “Let’s find more Ruffinos to shoot, shall we?”
“This way,” I ordered, seeing a staircase. We pounded up it– they were wide and dark – with plenty of space for a Ruffino to hide.
The second I’d thought it, a shadow leapt out at us. Colt stepped in front of me, tackling the guy down. I hesitated, hearing the guy land a punch on my brother’s jaw, and Colt groaned in pain.
“Go ahead, Axe! Andare!” He swung, landing a punch on the Ruffino kid. Then the two were wrestled away into the dark and I felt a surge of fear as I lost sight of my brother.
But I continued on like Colt said. If Brenna got hurt, this was all for nothing. There was no way Emilio and his boys hadn’t heard us by now. They could just decide to shoot her.
Another guy came leaping out of the shadows and I dropped him in a second with a straight shot to the thigh. He swore at me as I flew by.
When I got to the top of the stairs, it was deserted. My heart was pounding hard in my chest, my breath short, but my head was clear. I gazed around in surprise. I’d expected more men.
A yell came from behind a door down the hall and I sprinted fo
rward. Kicking open the door, I ran in, and then pulled up short.
Brenna was there, fighting like a wildcat for Emilio’s gun, Emilio was covered in scratches and screaming at her. I raised my gun, but then hesitated. Brenna was on his back, her hands locked onto his wrists for dear life preventing him from getting a grip on it…
I was shaking now, watching them, frozen to the spot. Neither of them had seen me yet. That’s when I saw the signs of a beating on Brenna. The bruises swelling on her cheeks, her split lip, her bloody hands, and a cold, deadly anger rose up. It mixed with the hot rage in my blood and I growled low in my throat.
You’re dead, Ruffino.
Cocking the gun, I zeroed in on Emilio’s head, waiting, watching, my breath suspended.
What if I missed?
Suddenly Emilio let out a roar as he caught sight of me and reached back, grabbing Brenna by the arm. She’d seen me too and, in that second of distraction, her grip had slipped off of him.
For a second all I saw were her bright teal eyes and a flash of light from the metal of the gun that wound up in Emilio’s hands. They were still too close together to get a kill shot, but it was now or never. I lined up the shot and aimed for his gun hand before he could fire, then squeezed the trigger.
Brenna let out a gasp as Emilio squealed like a pig and clutched at his hand, his gun spinning away into the shadows. I let out the breath I’d been holding as Brenna met my eyes.
“You little Capestrana shit!” Emilio screamed at me, yanking out a knife with his good hand, and clenching his bloody one into a fist. “I’m gonna fucking waste you, then your little slut.”
My vision went black as Emilio lunged at me. Drowning in rage, I hit him across the face with the hand still holding my gun, and then threw him down. Again and again my fists landed on his face, beating him to bloody pulp.
Teeth rattled across the floor, bones cracked, and blood flowed. It was the most satisfying beat-down I’d ever delivered. And each blow was for every time Emilio had tortured Brenna. Every time he’d hit her, said something cruel to her, or made her feel worthless.
When the worst of my rage was spent, I got to my feet and pointed my gun between Emilio’s eyes. He groaned, regaining consciousness. For a second, fear crept into his eyes, but then he grinned, baring bloody, broken teeth.
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