Page 39 of Broken Princess

“You’re most likely dying today either way, Carlo. The question is—how painful do you want that process to be? Tell us what we want to know, and it will be quicker,” I say.

Nico glares at me, and I realise I’ve overstepped. It’s not my turn, and the ire in Nico’s pitch-black eyes is palpable. Note to self: Don’t interrupt Nico when he’s working.

My interruption seems to spur him on to a new level of viciousness. Still, he asks no questions, and continues his torture. I watch in fascination as Nico finds and pulls at Carlo’s threads, knowing he will unravel. Eventually.

It takes longer than I would have predicted for Carlo to break, and it wasn’t for lack of trying on Nico’s part. As destroyed as Carlo is, Nico almost looks as haggard. Nico is breathing like he’s run a marathon, and Carlo… Well, he’s completely destroyed. He doesn’t have the strength left to lift his head to hold my gaze, but when he speaks, I know he’s talking to me, not Nico.

“It would never work long term—having two dons in one organisation. When Marco approached me, he told me that some of the family had been talking—that many of them felt The Syndicate would be better off under a single leadership.” He tries to rally, but every slight movement elicits a cry of agony. He has my attention but when our eyes meet, they don’t show the emotion I expect them to. There’s a sorrow there, but I don’t believe for one minute it ever outweighed his desire to further his own agenda.

“Being a Bianchi, obviously I assumed the plan was to eliminate the De Lucas. The first few times we met up, it was Marco, Tony, and me. We spoke in generalisations and after a few meetings, Max joined us. I knew then who the target would be, but I was too far in to back out without being killed by Max. If I’d told your father, he would have executed me on principle for my initial betrayal.” He drops his head, but as he does, the faintest whisper of a smile flits across his face and I realise with absolute certainty, the sorrow he displayed before was fake. I have to give Carlo credit. He nearly had me for a second.

Sonofabitch.

While he’s not looking, I gesture to Nico to back off, and he nods, retreating to the sink at the back of the room. He busies himself by grabbing a cloth to wipe off the viscera coating his chest and arms.

I approach, forcing down the bile that rises in my throat caused by the bold-faced lies spewing from this cunt. I lean forward and lift his chin, softening my eyes in a show of empathy as if to offer him absolution for his sins.

“I’m sorry, Aurora,” he says meekly. “I should have warned your father and paid the consequences for betraying the family the minute I was aware of the De Lucas involvement.”

I cup his face and stroke my thumb on his temple softly, praying I can muster my resolve to follow this through. “I understand, Carlo.”

He tilts his head towards my touch, and the smug bastard doubles down. “Do you, Aurora? I’m so sorry, I never meant for this to happen. I should have protected you. I never thought Max would try to kill you, too.”

How stupid does this prick think I am?

I can see Nico over Carlo’s shoulder, faking retching at the sickly-sweet performance Carlo is putting on. I walk around the chair, patting his shoulder and squeezing in reassurance.

“What can you tell me about how they got access to my father, Carlo? There’s no way you should have been able to get him alone for long enough to get him to Max. He was never unguarded.”

“That was Marco. He met your father to discuss his son.”

“Uh-Uh, Carlo. Try again. My father knew Marco would never go back on his casting out Benedict, and he would still have taken bodyguards to any meeting with Marco.” He pauses, realising he’s gone a step too far with the web of lies he’s trying to weave.

“I can only tell you what I know. I wasn’t involved with that side of the plan, but that’s what they discussed. The only other person it could have been is Max.”

“Here I was thinking you were going to be useful.” I lean in close and bring my lips near to his ear. “Someone else is involved here, Carlo. Because neither you nor Marco would have been granted unprotected access to my father, certainly not to discuss a person who was under my father’s personal protection. As far as my father was concerned, Marco no longer had any rights to discuss, let alone dictate, anything regarding Benny?—”

“It must have been Max then,” he insists, dropping the act as his growing unease sneaks out.

“Also, not possible, you fucking traitor,” I grind out as my ability to stomach his lies disappears and is replaced with a vengeful growl. “He was with me when my father went missing.” I grab a fistful of his lank, greasy hair and yank his head back, forcing him to meet my eyes.

Based on phone records and orders he gave that day, Sin narrowed down the time when my father was taken to the day before the guys found me. A day that Max spent with me. The same one where he took the call that sent him into a blind rage which he took out on me.

“Try again, Carlo,” I snarl. His eyes flare as he realises he’s talked himself into a lie he can’t get out of. Just like that, it’s like a switch has flipped—a vicious snake replaces the reverential toad.

“This would never have happened if your father hadn’t got us all involved with the De Lucas. The stupid old fool brought it on himself. He brought shame on the family by going in with the De Lucas,” turning to sneer at me he adds, “whoring out his daughters,” then throwing a look of sheer disgust at Nico, “approving of full-blooded sons sucking the cocks of worthless bastards. Allowing them to flaunt their ungodly sin in front of the family. Your father was a disgrace to his own name.”

He turns to face forward, but not before spitting in my face. I wipe it off with my sleeve as I drift to a place somewhere so far past rage it makes my skin itch. The feeling is like nothing I’ve ever experienced, but I feel like I need it. I cling to it, like it’s grounding me. Turning towards Nico, it conveys everything I need it to.

Don’t. Fucking. Move. He’s mine.

Nico obeys, despite the fact I can see him vibrating with pent-up fury. I hate to say it, but I'm playing the my pain is worse than yours card. I realise Nico has bones in this fight, but this cunt is complicit in my father’s murder, and I will get my answers.

How the older family members view queer people is archaic, but I honestly did not know there was this much resistance within the leadership. My father didn’t give a shit who people fucked as long as they were loyal, and the blatant hypocrisy of the old boys hating any of Enzo’s crew sickens me.

Men like Carlo vilify the progeny while honouring pigs who can’t keep their dicks in their wives. It’s despicable.

These bastards Carlo hates so much have more loyalty, more devotion and more respect to the family than this ignorant cunt can fathom. I round the chair, grab his chin and squeeze until my nails draw blood. “How did you get access to my father?”

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