Page 132 of Savage Little Queen

My bottom lip wobbled. I didn’t put anything past him.

“Is he. . . dead?”

Matteo smirked but didn’t answer me.

“And Levin?” I asked.

“Not really your concern, I’d say. Those who betray me are always punished.”

My chest tightened with his words. I definitely wouldn’t put it past Klaus to kill his own kid.

“Where’s Bianca?” I choked out.

“Oh, yes, now there’s someone we can discuss.” Matteo snapped his fingers, and my heart sank.

Bianca was brought out by Klaus. She looked drugged, but the moment she saw me and Fallon, she called out for us.

“It’s OK, baby. It’s OK,” I assured her, desperate to hold her tight and keep the bad in this world away from her.

“It’s really not,” Matteo said with a smile as Klaus put Bianca on her knees in front of him. She visibly trembled.

She hated being on her knees. I knew she did, but I’d always put her there, hoping she’d overcome that fear for me. This time, I wanted her standing on her feet, not kneeling for a fucking monster.

“Here’s what’s going to happen.” Matteo brought out his gun, and four men closed in on us.

I watched, my heart banging hard, as he leveled the gun on Bianca’s forehead. She sobbed softly at his feet.

“No. Fuck. Please!” Fallon shouted, trying to break free at the same time I attempted it again.

Fists met our faces and bodies on repeat, Bianca crying out for us.

Blood pooled in my mouth, and I spit it out, sagging forward in my bindings. Fallon groaned, just as fucked as I was.

“Now behave,” Matteo tutted, cradling Bianca’s face. He turned her to look at us, the gun still pointed at her head.

“Let’s get down to business, shall we?”

“What do you want? I told you I’d do anything,” I whispered. “Just name it.”

“OK.” Matteo shrugged. “It’s really very simple. I want you to fuck off and never come back.”

I blinked at him in confusion. “What?”

“I suppose it’s a little more complicated than that. Klaus?”

Klaus stepped forward, a knife in his hand.

“I’m going to have Klaus remove parts of your body whenever you don’t give me what I want. Or rather, until your pretty little princess gives me what I want.”

My bottom lip wobbled as I stared at Bianca, the tears snaking down her pale cheeks. I pulled my focus from her face and took in her belly. She’d been through hell. The pretty pink sundress she’d been wearing was torn in various places.

“Honestly, let’s start with his hands.” Matteo said

Klaus stepped forward, knife in hand.

I held my breath, waiting for the pain. I knew how this game worked. Take off the body part until an agreement could be made. It wasn’t fair for me, but nothing in my fucking life had ever been fair. I didn’t expect it to start now.

“No. No,” Bianca pleaded. “Don’t.”

---