Page 143 of Vito

When we reach the door, Gus and Frank are waiting. Frank takes Amazu off my hands and looks at him with wrath. Gus walks up to Lixin and punches his face three times without hesitation.

Getting hit by a pro boxer, who is fueled by rage and not holding back, is like getting hit with a sledgehammer. Lixin's nose isruined,and he sobs in pain. Blood pours down his mouthand chin; his eyes are already turning black. If he had a chance of surviving what is in store for him—newsflash: he doesn't—then he'd need full reconstructive surgery.

The main area of the factory floor is carnage. Holes blown in walls from the breaching explosives. Bloody dead bodies lay where they fell. Gabe leads some of our men and Ohith's to corral the surviving force of Lixin, Amazu, Novak, and Mancini. They force them all to their knees and wait for the kill order.

Raf dumps Novak and Mancini in a pile beside Amazu and Lixin. Eden comes to stand beside me.

From the wreckage, Ash, Dom, and Massimo walk forth to their treacherous Chamber co-leaders. But they're not looking at Lixin and Amazu; they're staring at Eden standing so close to me.

She realizes and makes to move away, but I grip her hand, keeping her beside me.

"Vito." She's taken off her face mask, and her expression is fully exposed.

If Ash and Dom hadn't questioned my rabidness in getting to Eden or why I insisted I was the one to get her from that room, they would know once they witnessed what I did to these four men.

I'm done hiding. I'm done hiding that Eden is my whole fucking world. Ohith and Axin will get Eden and me out of here if it comes to it. I won't get to say goodbye to my family or ever see them again, but I'll choose Eden every goddamn time.

Massimo knows this. It's written all over his ordinarily unreadable face.

I lift Eden's hand and run her knuckles over my lips for all to see.

Tears make her beautiful hazel eyes glisten. "You're such a fucking cunt," she whispers.

"I love you, too."

Dom sucks in sharply, and Ash's jaw clenches. They stare hard at us. Then the two lethal leaders dip their chins before turning to the traitors who have lived in their midst. But I know our reckoning isn't avoided, it's just delayed.

Dom smirks at Lixin and Amazu. "You thought I wouldn't catch onto your subtle recruiting? You'regroomingme to betray my oath, my morals, and my family, you fucking asshats?"

They likely thought he was an easy mark. One, because Dom is happy to hide how smart and cunning he is. And two, because he wasn't born into this life and was brought into the gang later.

"You two always underestimate me. And look at you now," he taunts.

"Fuck you," Amazu spits.

Dom walks to him, looking like a malevolent king. "Kneel."

"Fuck you."

Dom's smile is menacing, with a touch of glee. "I was hoping you'd say that."

He kicks Amazu's already damaged knee, making him scream and fall to the floor. Dom fists Amazu's leather jacket and jerks him up to make him kneel on his ruined knee. Amazu sobs but stays in place.

Lixin breathes heavily through his mouth, his eyes flicking between his previous allies.

Ash crosses his arms over his chest. His heavily tattooed arms and his leather cut are bloody. "We've already notified Sile Chen of your treachery. He and the Triads have denounced you as their leader," he says to Lixin and looks down at Amazu. "Bill was already onto you, wasn't he? That's why there's rebellion in your ranks."

Massimo steps forth. His big hand grips Lixin's throat. "On your knees, too." He drags him down, fingers digging into either side of his throat. I'm prepared for Mass to rip his throat out, buthe pulls back. "Cut their bindings, Raf." He points at Mancini and Novak where they're still restrained together.

Novak is mostly crying, but Mancini is all spitfire and bravo.

"You can't fucking touch me," he hisses like the snake he is, staring up at Massimo.

Before I can happily burst his bubble, Massimo rumbles, "That may be so… for now."

There'sno waythis motherfucker lives. Not only because of what he did to Eden but for all his sins—suspected and confirmed—against our family.

Massimo's face is filled with frustration and malice. He wants to end this motherfucker nearly as much as I do, and if he's not allowing it, then that means…

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