Page 145 of Vito

I stand and turn to Eden. Her eyes are wide; she's paler than before. Ohith stands on one side of her, Gus on the other.

"Take her," I say to Gus.

"No, Vito. I—"

Ohith grips her hand. "Daughter, there are some things you should never see your father or the man you love do."

I cup her beautiful but battered face. "I need you to go with Gus."

"Vito…"

I kiss her softly in front of everyone, and it's never felt so goddamn freeing. Pulling back, I rest my forehead on hers. "I don't want you to see me while I work, not with these enemies. What I plan to do to them… I need you not to witness that."

She cups the back of my neck, holding me to her before she pulls back. Her eyes dart between mine, but she nods.

"Come, Ed," Gus says gently. It's so at odds with his usual gruff demeanor and the blood that covers him.

He and Frank flank Eden and lead her to a shower room in the facility, where she can get cleaned up.

Axin clasps my shoulder. "Make it hurt." Then, he follows Eden.

I flex my hands to crack my knuckles and tilt my head to the side, cracking my neck.

Raf, Marco, and one of Ohith's men grab the dead-men-walking and haul them, kicking and screaming, toward chains hanging from a beam.

"Well, boys," I stalk toward them once they're dangling by their wrists, their feet off the floor, "it's time for me to play and for you toscream. Welcome to fucking hell."

Chapter 39

Massimo

Albertostandsbesideavan smoking a cigarette as I drag Mancini outside by his neck.

Silvestro Mancini is lean and quite a bit shorter than me, but the fucker is wiry. Hard to keep hold of, just like the writhing, slithering snake he is.

My rage is almost consuming me.Almost.

By nature, I'm calm and controlled. This was also deeply ingrained in me through the trials my father put me through to earn my position as Don. Our empire requires a steady, strategic head at the helm to protect our people, power, and wealth.

Too many criminal organizations had fallen, and too many of its people killed because of hot-headed, impulsive,emotionaldecisions.

But fuck me, I want to unleash on this snake. I want to crush him with my bare hands. He's in my hands currently. At my mercy.

A swell of potent power rushes up within me.

Do it. Fuckingdoit.

But I'm not a consequences-be-damned type of man. Not when my family and our empire will live with the punishment of my weakness.

I'm not a weak man—physically, mentally, or emotionally—and I won't give in to impulse now.

Mancini's day will come. Until then, I have the perfect plan to start ruining him.

To hell with 'Ndrangheta politics.

In what I'm about to do—hell, notabout to do, the wheels are already in motion—I'm acting more like Vito, willing to balance on a blade, flipping the middle finger and toying with my prey. It's so goddamn freeing.

Not that I'll ever admit that to my slightly unhinged brother.

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