Page 151 of Merciless Queen

“…choosewhich Mancini gets to walk out of here alive.”

Serafina.She’s the only option.

Serafina yells behind the cloth while I try to tell Vanessa my wish with my eyes because the assholes also bound my mouth after I woke up.

Serafina’s noises get the attention of Ivan and he twists to her, an evil glint in his eyes. As much as I’d like to warn him away from her, I take the chance of his distraction to speak to Vanessa.

Seeing her stride in earlier, steps unfaltering, even as two soldiers lined up behind her, fucking terrified me in ways different than waking and finding Serafina here. Though her confidence can be felt by everyone in the room, it didn’t stop the rage from tensing my muscles when the guns aimed at her back.

I’m stuck without a way to help her. And she’s weaponless and trapped in her own way.

Shadows encompass her and a silent conversation passes between us, her eyes flicking to my sister and back beforebobbing her head in a barely-there nod that has me blowing air from my nose.

“Let’s make this interesting.” Ivan’s slimy voice is quickly replaced by my sister’s gasps when he yanks the cloth off her mouth. She sucks in a large gulp of fresh air—as fresh as this aged warehouse allows for—but before managing another sound is stopped by Ivan’s firm, “Do not say a fucking word,devochka.”

Then he turns for me and without meeting the hatred in my gaze, he yanks the cloth out of my mouth, but unlike Serafina, I won’t listen no matter what he orders.

“Giuro che la tua morte sarà lunga e dolorosa.”I vow, your death will be long and painful.

He watches me with contempt. “Mhm.” Then turns to his niece. “If you’re going to make a decision, it’s best to hear both sides, don’t you think? So who will it be?”

He grins like a child who was just given candy for the first time. He’s loving the power. The show of force. The knowledge he has Vanessa chained.

Serafina sniffles and I watch concern pass over Vanessa’s face, but with her next blink it’s gone. She replaces it with a cooling grin I recognize from my numerous stand-offs with her.

“This is stupid,” she drawls. “You forget this is the organization who kidnapped me. Why would I choose when I don’t care for either of them?”

“So I’ll kill both.” Ivan’s voice picks up at the end.

Vanessa remains focused on her uncle, but there’s a slight shifting of her feet, telling me she’s still in there. “You didn’t kidnap them to make me choose one. What is it you actually want?”

A redness flashes over Ivan’s face and his hands fist by his side, suggesting Vanessa’s correct and there’s more to this. While they banter, I look past him to Serafina, but she’s entirely focused on the Volkovs, tear marks staining her cheeks.

“You’ll have to pick before I tell you. That’s the deal. If you don’t…”

The soldier behind my sister prods the back of her head with his gun, silently warning Vanessa of the outcome Ivan would choose. Serafina bites down on her whimper, and I’m caught between being proud of her staying strong and pissed that she’s here at all.

“Don’t touch her,” I growl, but no one, not even Vanessa, looks my way.

“I’m growing impatient,” her uncle drawls, stepping closer to Serafina. He strokes her hair once, and she jerks back with a hiss, leaning away as much as the rope allows for. “Come now,” he coos, and I’m ready to snap.

Vanessa meets my gaze again and twitches her head to the side, telling me no. I don’t understand why she’s stalling and risking my sister’s wellbeing when we both know she’s getting saved over me.

“Leave the girl alone,” Vanessa says with a lazy sigh in her voice.

Ivan’s hand drops from Serafina’s face, but she still remains angled away. “Is she your pick?”

“Save her.” My words are no louder than a harsh whisper, a reminder of what she’s agreed to and a prompt to end her suffering.

Her jaw clicks firmly in place while her eyes bounce around the room, brushing the edges where Ivan’s men remain.

Ivan steps forward. “Vanessa?—”

Tires squeal to a stop outside the warehouse, interrupting all of Ivan’s planning, and Vanessa tosses him a smirk right before twisting to the two men at her back, kicking her leg out in a flash.

As Bratva soldiers led by Lev and Anastasia storm inside, I realize Vanessa was stalling until backup arrived.

Chaos breaks out when Ivan’s soldiers step from the room’s edges and attack the stream of a dozen or so Bratva soldiers that enter armed. The men behind Serafina and me also join the fray, letting me breathe a bit easier now that the immediate threat is gone.

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