Page 35 of Mafia Kingdom

Her resignation bothers me more than her anger would have. I've spent years building walls around myself, cultivating fear and respect. But with Sasha, I find myself wanting something different, something I have no right to ask for.

I cross the space between us in two strides and crouch back down before I grasp her chin, tilting her face up to mine. Her pulse jumps beneath my fingers, but she doesn't pull away. Instead, she meets my gaze unflinchingly.

"There's a dress in your room," I tell her, my voice low. "Wear it tomorrow. You'll be on my arm, and every man in that room will wish he was me."

Something flashes in her eyes—confusion, anger, maybe a flicker of desire. Good. I prefer her spark to her surrender.

I release her and step back, enjoying the flush that spreads across her cheeks. With Sasha, I've always walked a careful line—wanting her, knowing I should never have her.

Her voice stops me as I turn to leave.

"Marco."

I glance back, something in her expression making my chest tighten.

"I meant what I said," she tells me, her voice steady despite the blush still coloring her skin. "Two days. Then I get my sister, and we're gone."

I hold her gaze for a long moment. "We'll see."

As I walk away, I can feel her eyes on me, burning into my back like a brand. She doesn't understand yet. She can't.

No one leaves unless I let them.

And I'm not ready to let her go.

Three hours later, the basement of my property echoes with a scream. Blood spatters across the concrete floor, joining the stains from countless interrogations before. The metallic scent hangs heavy in the air, mingling with sweat and fear.

I pace slowly around Malone, who's bound to a steel chair bolted to the floor. The restraints cut into his wrists where he's struggled, blood seeping from beneath the zip ties. His face is a mess—right eye swollen shut, nose clearly broken, lip split in three places. His shirt hangs in tatters, exposing bruised ribs and burn marks where Tony applied the car battery earlier.

"You know, Malone," I say conversationally, as if we're discussing the weather, "I've always considered myself a reasonable man."

He spits a glob of blood onto the floor, his breathing ragged through broken teeth. "Boss, please—"

"Reasonable," I continue, ignoring his plea, "but thorough. And right now, my reasonable mind is telling me you're lying."

I nod to Mike, who steps forward with a hammer. Malone's eyes widen, panic making his chest heave.

"No, no, no—" he chokes out, struggling frantically against his bonds.

"I'll ask you one more time," I say, my voice deadly calm as I crouch in front of him. "Who did you tell about Sasha? Who knew she would be with Baz in that car?"

"Boss, I swear, I didn't—"

The hammer comes down on his left pinky finger with surgical precision. Bone cracks, and Malone's scream tears through the basement, bouncing off concrete walls like a trapped animal. I don't flinch, maintaining eye contact as he writhes in agony.

"That's one finger," I inform him, as if he might have missed it. "You have nine more, and then we move to toes."

I've gathered only my most trusted men—Tony, Mike, and two others who've been with me since the beginning. Everyone else is suspect until proven otherwise. Tony leans against the wall, cleaning his fingernails with a knife, the picture of boredom. But I know him well enough to see the tension in his shoulders, the alertness in his gaze.

"Someone," I continue, standing to my full height, "told our enemies exactly where to find Baz and Sasha. Someone wanted them dead."

I let the statement hang in the air, heavy with implication.

"So here's where we are, Malone. You were on guard duty. You let Sasha leave with Baz. Minutes later, Baz is shot and nearly killed. So either you're incompetent," I pause, letting him absorb the gravity of his situation, "or you're a traitor."

Malone's good eye darts around the room, seeking any hint of mercy and finding none.

"I thought—I thought Baz had your permission," he stammers. "He said he was taking her to see her father at the hospital."

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