Page 74 of Black Widow's Kiss

But as much as I had calmed down, I was still enraged. Sato was going to die for what he had done to Kuroi. I was going to rip his head from his neck with my bare hands. I would do the same to anyone who stood in my way. But first,

“Where’s my uncle?”

“That’s the door there,” he said pointing to the fence and warehouse door.

“Show me,” I told him before we got out of the car, and he led the way.

Opening the warehouse’s door, it was completely empty except for one thing. At the very center of it was a chair. On it was a man I didn’t recognize. Hearing the door open, his head popped up and groaned. Not only was he tied to the chair and gagged, he was blindfolded.

I looked at Kuroi who met my eyes blankly. I gestured for him to get a glass of water. He thought for a second and then exited the building. Before I reached the chair, Kuroi was backwith a cup. Falling into my wake, I approached the chair and stared down at the man.

Although I had never seen him before, he looked like a Ricci. He looked more like Lorenzo than either Matteo or me. But the family resemblance was clear.

Feeling me in front of him, his muffled groans turned into garbled speech.

“I’m gonna remove the gag from your mouth. Are you gonna make me regret it?”

He calmed and then shook his head, ‘no.’

Slowly reaching down, I loosened his gag and removed it from his mouth.

“Gratsi. Gratsi. Thank you,” he said in an Italian accent.

“Now, I have some water for you. But first you’re gonna need to answer a few of my questions. Do you understand me?”

“I understand. Yes.”

“And you’re gonna be honest with me?”

“I’ll tell you the truth. Whatever you need me to say.”

I looked back at Kuroi who held the cup expressionless.

“What’s your name?”

“I’m nobody. I’m just here visiting family. You have the wrong guy.”

“Are you Vincent Ricci?”

“He froze hearing the name.”

“I said, is your name Vincent Ricci?”

“I don’t know what you would want with me. I never hurt nobody. I’m just here visiting family.”

I took that as a yes.

“Are you here to do a job?”

“I’m not here for nothin’. I told you. I’m just here visiting family.”

Stepping closer to him, I balled my fist and clocked him as hard as I could on his jaw. The old man rocked into silence. I hadto be careful how I did this. I was still raging from what Kuroi had told me. And I had nearly knocked him out.

I tapped the other side of his face to wake him.

“I told you. You gotta be honest with me. Are you going to be honest with me?”

“Si. Si, I’ll be honest.”

---