Page 216 of Bishop

I release my grip, dumping her on the bed, leaving her to gasp and sputter on the thin mattress as I stand tall.

“And see…” I glance around the room. “No brother here to save you.”

She retches, gagging as she coughs and hacks.

“Now what’s the code for the safe?”

She glares through her suffering, heaving to fill her lungs. “Fuck you.”

I grab a fistful of her hair, yanking her into a seated position. “Don’t mistake me for a patient man. I have better things to do with my day.”

“And don’t mistake me for someone stupid enough to believe my own brother would sanction my death. You may be allowed to hurt me. But I’ll survive.”

“You’re right. He still wants you alive. We wouldn’t appreciate those bank accounts frozen before we had a chance to clean them out. But your mistake is thinking death is a worse option than what I have planned for you.”

“I’ll never tell.”

“I was hoping you’d say that.” I clamp my hands around her throat again, adding pressure to the carotid on either side of her neck—not too hard. Just enough for her to know unconsciousness is inevitable as she scratches at my face. “How many times do you think you can withstand being choked, Costa? Three times? Four? Because I could do this shit all day.”

Her nails find the stitches on my cheek, my cell buzzing as she tears open the healing wound. But all too soon, her fight dissipates. Those eyes roll again.

I dump her back on the bed, limp yet still breathing.

The vibration in my pocket continues. No longer text messages but a phone call.

“You said no bloodshed.” I raise my voice, speaking to Lorenzo through the surveillance camera. “I’m adhering to your rules. So grow a set and watch quietly or step away from the fucking video feed.”

The buzzing stops. I don’t kid myself that the lack of vibration is for positive reasons.

Lorenzo could be hobbling his way down the stairs to the basement. Or calling his guards to storm the room.

If that’s the case, they best be ready to put a gun to my head, because I’m not leaving until I’m finished getting what I came for.

I reclaim my stool, waiting as Adena blinks in a daze. I reach into my pocket, pull out the small plastic vial of smelling salts, and open the lid to wave it under her nose.

She gasps in shock, her eyes flaring wide, her cough hacking. She sits up, one hand to her throat, her shoulders hunched.

“Ready for round three?” I ask.

She spears me with a spite-filled gaze. “I won’t break.”

“Neither will I.” I push to my feet, surprised when she scrambles backward, cowering.

Victory heats my blood. Pure, euphoric triumph.

“The code to the safe, Adena.” I look down my nose at her.

“Go fuck yourself.”

I incline my head and lunge again.

“Stop,” she screams, plastering herself to the metal bars of the cell.

“The code.”

She shakes her head. “There’s nothing in the safe. A few hundred thousand dollars and some jewelry. That’s all.”

“Tell me the numbers.”

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