Page 45 of A Promise For Tomorrow

The saw clicks on. As the serrated blade pulses, Mateo’s eyes widen, registering just how much pain he’s about to experience.The Bone Breakerslices through the fabric of his bindings and further down his lip until he reaches the bottom of his chin. Excruciating screams echo through the small space, encouraging me to close my eyes and lean further into Liam.

“That’smuchbetter.” Diego drops the saw to the floor, prompting me to open them again. He’s leaning over Mateo, gripping his face between his clenched fingers. Blood pours over them and runs down Mateo’s chin and neck. Crimson stains his shirt and the floor below them.

“My wife needed stitches to close the wound to her lip. The woundyougave her. Was only fair to repay the favor. But they don’t call meThe Bone Breakerfor nothing, Mateo. I’ve actually taken quite an interest in teeth these days. Perhaps I should become a dentist. My wife told me comedy was out. Apparently, she doesn’t like my jokes.” He looks at me and winks before turning back. “Better stick to what I know.”

Shoving the pliers into Mateo’s mouth, he wiggles it around until he starts gagging on his own blood. “For every stitch my wife needed, you will lose a tooth. And I hate to break it to you,asere, but she needed five.” After another strangled scream pierces the air, Diego leans back to admire a molar clasped in the plier.

“I’m working alone. You killed my father and cousins. That bitch had you switching teams so fast. It wasn’t untilsheshowed up that you let a little pussy get in the way of your duty. My father had big plans. She ruined it all,” Mateo mutters malevolently over a mouthful of blood, before hanging his head and sobbing through the pain.

Diego slams his fist into Mateo’s ribcage, making his head jerk back. The sound of cracking assaults my ears. I inhale sharply. Liam’s hand comes up to my shoulder to grip it firmly.

“We can go. You don’t need to see the rest, sweetheart,” Liam whispers urgently.

I should run the fuck away.

Update: I don’t.

Diego issues a vicious kick to Mateo’s chest causing the chair to collapse backwards from the force. His head slams against the metal frame, causing more blood to pool on the floor beneath them.

Surprisingly, he’s still conscious.

Leaning over him, Diego pulls the pliers back out. One by one he rips the remaining teeth out through agonizing screams.

My breathing has intensified and shallowed. Liam rubs upand down both my arms now as my body shakes under his touch. “Madison…” he begs for me to leave.

“What plans did he have,Mateo?” Diego growls, his voice deep and menacing.

“Iwas going to be leader. My father was going to eliminate both you and Geraldo. But then this pretty littleputacame along and disrupted those plans. I was going to enjoy your wife and make you watch as I claimed herandyour kingdom. For what you did to my father and cousins.” Mateo laughs and coughs, spitting buckets of blood onto the floor next to him.

Diego goes deathly still.

Only his fingers twitch.

“Liam, take her out of here, please. I’m afraid Madison will never look at me again after what I am about to do.” He says it so calmly and with so much conviction, it leaves no room for negotiation.

Anxious anticipation ripples through my body in the same way it has to be zipping through Mateo’s.

“Come on, love. Let’s go.” Liam tugs at my waist, trying to get me to move, but my feet literally can’t. It’s impossible at the moment to get my brain to get my goddamn feet to move. I just stare at the man I’m married to.

I’m not afraid of him.

And I really fucking should be.

“Are you alright,love? You’re shivering,” I say apprehensively.

I tug her to me, our shoes crunching over the dead leaves as we make our way back to the house. Where earlier her feet had been glued to the floor watching Diego dismantle Mateo, now she is nervously scampering back to the house. My hand curls around her arm to stop her as we approach my back deck.

Wide glassy eyes greet mine as the sunlight catches them, changing her irises from warm brown to honey. Her bronze skin glowing in the morning light has me itching to reach out and run my fingers over its softness. I raise my hand, ready to do so, but then stop myself. Maddy is on the verge of having another breakdown.

Fucking, Diego.I knew sending her in there was a mistake.

“Did you come to my bed before you went to the shed? Around 3 AM?” The desperation in her voice has me on edge.

Why is she panicking about the answer to that question and not what she just witnessed?

“I did, I wasn’t there long. We talked, remember? You were pretty much half asleep, but we talked, we cuddled, we kissed. You fellasleep on my chest before I left to go back to interrogating. I had some time before Diego got here.”

Releasing a shaky breath, she turns to walk up the three steps of the deck, crossing it and pulling the sliding door open with force. This woman has no idea what is going on in her mind right now. She’s spiraling. And the worst part is, I don’t know how to help her.

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