Page 139 of Vito

"No, I'm not saying that. Because the Black Ghost didn't exist then. Back then, the man who rescued me—the man who became myadoptive father—is someone from your world. Any idea which highly reputable person that could be?"

Novak still has his hand in his pants, looking uneasily at Lixin and Amazu. Mancini looks clueless and pissed off.

"Someone who wasseeminglykilled around that same time. Someone who your criminal organizations likely used on contract basis to help you out." I cock my head. "Still nothing, boys?"

Novak pulls his hand out of his pants; Lixin and Amazu are stoic.

"Well, let me help you out… That man is Ohith."

The name hits like a bullet, and they flinch.

Lixin recovers first. "Nice try,sweetheart. Novak, you were saying about stuffing her mouth? Well, how about we stuff all her holes at once? But before we get to the fun part, Eden…" He smiles that pure evil smile again. "I want to share something else about your brother's delicious death."

He leans in close, watching me intently. "I had my kill team film Aiken's slaughter, and I watch it every single day. And each time, I have some other bitch sucking me off while I imagine it'syou. You choking on my cock while listening to your brother die. You who's lying bloody and broken at my feet."

Hate and fury damn near choke me. "Fuck you, you pathetic piece of shit."

Amazu wraps his hand around my throat, squeezing and blocking my air. "Hit her with a mild dose of the sedative. This bitch has too much fight in her yet. She'll claw one of our eyes out before we get her stuffed with our cocks."

Black dots pepper my vision from lack of oxygen. At a bare minimum, I'll have a finger necklace, if not a crushed throat soon.

Someone punches me in the stomach, which breaks Amazu's grip on me. My airway opens, but my muscles are spasming. My breathing is out of sync as I'm winded and struggling to draw in air.

Somehow, though, I wheeze out a laugh and the words—it's amazing what hate can help you do, "I can't wait to see what they do to you."

They,because it won't just be Ohith. Axin knows about Vito and me, which means Ohith does as well. They'll bring Vito; this knowledge is somehow a visceral part of me. Just like I know that if I die before they can find me, Vito will cover himself in these men's blood.

But I can't taunt them with Vito coming for them. Which is a damn bloody shame because I would love to see their expressions, knowing that the unhinged protector of the Santoro family will be gunning for them. However, to do this, I'd have to expose that Vito loves me, and I can't risk the damage they could do by outing Vito for crossing the line into forbidden territory before he can get to them.

"Cut you apart, piece by piece," I get out easier.

Mancini slaps me and follows it up with a punch, exploding pain in my jaw. "Shut the fuck up."

My mouth fills with blood. I spit. Then grin when it hits Mancini's white dress shirt. I hope my grin looks psychotic and rivals Jack Nicholson's fromThe Shining.

Novak punches my stomach, making me cough and wheeze. "We don't need a sedative to control this bitch." He punches my stomach again, and I almost puke. My arms and legs strain against the restraints, trying to break free, cutting into my skin, but they don't give. "Physically whooping her ass will do. Then I'm going to fuck your ass raw, bitch." He starts to wail on me.

I'm defenseless, tied to the chair.

"Enough!" Lixin bellows, and the hits stop. "We want her fucking conscious!"

I lift my head with labored breaths. Lixin is rolling up his sleeves, and I freeze.

He sees what I'm looking at and smiles. "Recognize it, sweetheart?"

A large tattoo on his forearm shows three snakes coiled around each other, eating the tails of another, with a small trident in the middle.

"All Novak and Mancini's best soldiers that they've loaned me for the cause wearmymark."

I start to laugh.

It fucking hurts, but I can't help myself. It sounds borderline manic.

"Do Novak and Mancini know you killed two of theirbestsoldiers last night?" I taunt.

Lixin freezes, Novak goes rigid, and Mancini whirls to Lixin. "You fucking told me her guard got lucky. You son of a bitch, those were my best men!"

The three other men in the room, who have just been standing and watching, start to close in, hands on their weapons, glaring at Lixin.

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