Page 229 of Hate Mates

I open the door and walk into an elegant office with dark wood paneling and leather furniture. Behind a massive desk sits a muscular man with salt and pepper hair who looks to be in his late fifties.

This is the first time I've seen Donatio, yet I've imagined him so much that it feels like I know him. He's not that different from what I imagined, but he looks a lot meaner in real life.

"Piper Collins." He doesn't look up from the papers he's reviewing.

“Yes. That’s me.” My voice sounds small in the large room.

"Got my delivery?" Finally, he looks up, and the smile that slides across his face reminds me of a shark before they snatch their next meal.

I nod with the slowness of a snail and point to my bag. "I do."

“Come forward and give it to me.” He gestures to my bag.

My throat tightens and I walk up to the desk. I open my bag and hand him the package, that prayer echoing through my heart, mind, body, and soul.

Donatio takes the package, opens it, and scans over the money inside. I hope he doesn’t think I’d be foolish enough to take any when my sister’s life is at stake.

A few minutes pass that seem like forever before a humorless grin crosses his face. "All good.”

“Can I have my sister back now?”

That smile of his widens. “Certainly, come with me.”

Hope fills my heart and the weight of worry I've felt this past week lifts.

Lana's alive, and I'll get to take her home. That’s all that matters now.

Donatio stands and motions toward a door across from us. He leads the way, and I follow.

He takes me down another hallway. This one is endless and darker than the first.

We walk into a warehouse with crates, containers, and all sorts of packaging, but no sign of Lana exists.

I look around for her, my nerves jittery again as I feel something is wrong.

We stop by an enormous container and when two men with guns walk out from behind it and point them at me, I realize I’m right. My blood turns to ice and everything inside me screams to run, but I’m frozen. And run where?

I wouldn’t get any further than two steps before they gunned me down like a dog in the street.

“What’s happening?” I stutter. “Where’s Lana?”

Donatio faces me with that fucked up smile again. "Sorry, sweetheart, you and your sister are what we callloose ends. Earlier, we sold your sister in a sex auction to the highest bidder.”

"No, please, no."My God. This isn’t happening.“How could you? You gave me your word.”

“I told you what you needed to hear.” Donatio smirks and flicks his palms over in a calm manner to show he never gave two shits about me.

“You fucking bastard. Where is my sister?” Tears I can’t hold back spring to my eyes.

“She’s either dead or on her way to fuck knows where. The men we deal with also hate loose ends. Speaking of which… it’s time for you to die. I have dinner reservations at eight.”

My stomach bottoms out, plummeting through the floor, then dread fills me. This was a trap.Everythingwas a trap.He set me up, and I all but ran into the spider's web, getting myself tangled in the threads of deceit and lies.

Donatio snaps his fingers, and the men come closer with their guns still trained on me. Just as they cock the hammer, gunshots ring out from behind them and bullets lodge in their heads.

Before I can process what's happening, they drop to the ground in a heap of blood and gore.

Donatio looks around to where the bullets came from and moves away just in time before more bullets are fired.

---