Page 64 of Spice and Revenge

I pull out the dagger from its current position in the man’s neck and glance down at it. Blood gushes out of his neck as his body slumps to the ground.

I look at the blood splattered all over my hand and the silver blade. A relieved sigh escapes my lips as I move forward and grab the first guy’s gun, stuffing it into my garter. Then I change my mind, undressing the man and hurriedly putting on his clothes. His pants are a bit too big and too baggy, but the problem is solved as I secure his thick belt tightly against my waist.

I pull his baseball cap over my bun before heading further into the house, closer to the room where muffled voices are coming from.

As I draw closer, I see a group of men approaching me. The one in front spots me before I can hide.

“Hey! I thought I ordered you two to check the perimeters,” he growls.

I remain mute, silently counting the heads of the men a few feet away from me. Four.

“Are you suddenly dumb?” the man in front growls again.

I assume he’s some sort of commander or group leader.

“Why are you heading back anyway?” Another voice behind calls. “Capo asked all of us to leave. He’ll handle Leonardo Vitale himself…”

My heartbeat accelerates.

Leo is here. I don’t know if I should turn back or head forward. All I know is that whatever my decision is, I have to deal with these men first.

My movement is swift, drawing my gun from behind and shooting the leader in the head. The others draw their weapons as I race towards them, jabbing a dagger through one’s throat as I pass. A bullet zaps past my face, missing my head by a few inches. I slide down, dodging another bullet while shooting the man behind him. The last man falls as my legs sweep under his. Crossing a leg over his chest, I straddle him and stab him in his pulse point.

With heaving breaths, I stand up and wipe the mixture of blood and sweat from my forehead before walking towards the closed door at the end of the hallway.

“… you selfish, idiotic bastard!” I hear the sound of Leo’s voice as I press my ear against the door.

Uncle Pedro’s laughter bounces across the walls, piercing my heart.

“Calm your horses, Leonardo. I don’t think you’re in the place to insult me when I’m pointing a gun to your head,” Uncle Pedro spits out.

My heart pounds against my chest, praying and hoping that Uncle Pedro doesn’t kill Leo. From what I’ve seen so far, Leo came to attack, but he was outnumbered by Uncle Pedro’s men.

“You were too busy fucking my niece that you didn’t know I’d sent her to kill you.”

I exhale a shaky breath, his voice hitting me like a brick in the chest.

“You would have been dead by now,” Uncle Pedro continues, “If she didn’t chicken out like the pitiful pussy she is. But I guess it runs in the blood. My older brother, Laura’s father, was a weak man. He didn’t have what it took to rule a mafia clan, which is why I orchestrated for his family to be wiped out. Laura just managed to survive…”

The rest of Uncle Pedro’s words fade into the background as my heart lurches painfully.

No. It can’t be. Leo and his father are the ones who massacred my family, not Uncle Pedro. My hands tremble as I collapse to the ground.

And it hits me. I've been associating with the enemy my whole life.

My whole life is a lie.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Leonardo

Pedro’s message sends a wave of shock throughout my body.

He orchestrated his own brother's death?

Surely, there was more to the story, because I can still vividly remember that night. The memory of my father gunning down Enzo Rodriguez and his wife remains etched in my mind. It was my first time seeing him kill a man, my first time knowing that he could even kill a man.

My first glimpse into his dark world.

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