Page 145 of Filthy Liar

“Is that what it’s going to take? I have to drag that bitch down here, kicking and screaming, and hurt her over and over again in front of you until you break?”

My jaw clenched, my hands balling into fists behind me. “Leave her out of this. This has nothing to do with me, let alone her. If you just want money back, tell me how much and I’ll sort it so you can be on your merry way. Working with Kristoff and his piece of shit son was your mistake, but I’ll pay their debt if it makes you fuck off.”

“This isn’t about the money, that was just what made me realize you decided to fuck me over. It’s the information you hold that can’t get out. I could forgive you for being a dirty thief, but if you want to keep your life, you need to agree to come back to Italy with me. The only way you stay breathing is if you’re locked up somewhere I can keep an eye on you. Now, what the fuck have you been telling my son?”

“I didn’t even know he was your damn son until Dante barreled into town and fucked things up.”

“Liar,” he tsked, backhanding me again. My vision swam, and it took a second for me to get my bearings. “You befriended him, coerced him into your fucking bed, and?—”

“Dude, I love Ander, but not like that.”

“His name is Andre!” he snapped, kicking the front of the chair and sending me toppling backwards, my head smacking against the floor. I blinked hard, trying to stay awake. I couldn’t pass out, I had to focus. “What have you told him?!”

“Nothing!” I threw back, my arms and hands burning from the pressure of me on top of them. If I moved too much, I was going to break my damn wrist.

“This was your plan all along, wasn’t it? Slide into his life and turn him against me.”

“He’s always been against you. He fucking hates you.”

“He was fine before coming here and getting into bed with you! I could’ve ignored it, let you have your little secret as long as he married the woman I’d made a deal with, but then something changed. You fucking told him about those women, I know you did.”

“Surely he knows you traffic women.”

“He doesn’t fucking know about the ones we sold that belonged to my men!” he hissed, standing over me. “He helped Elio look for his wife for months when she went missing. He had no fucking idea it was us!”

“You sold one of your men’s wives?”

“To the buyer you brought me!” he spat, starting to pace and lose his cool. “He can’t fucking know. My men can’t fucking know.”

“How many of their wives have gone missing?” I asked slowly, his eyes narrowing on me.

“Four. Two daughters and a few of their nieces and nephews too. The buyers you provided paid top dollar.”

My stomach rolled. “How old were they?”

“You already know that, Zavier. Your father bought a few,” he huffed with annoyance.

“How. Old?”

“Tommaso was five. Kristoff had lost his plaything to those fucking crews years ago and never got over it. No kid felt the same, he told me.” He dropped his eyes to my jacket, shaking his head slightly. “Your father would be rolling in his grave at seeing that jacket on you.”

“I hope the fucker throws his back out in the process,” I gritted out, knowing exactly which plaything he was talking about.

His nephew. Maddox fucking Donovan.

“How can you proudly wear that after wearing the Demons’ jacket? Do you have no loyalty?”

“I never wore the Demons’ jacket. Like I said, Jeremy was his bitch boy, not me. Kristoff was sick, and I’m glad Maddox got out. Unlike me, who endured that shit until I was a teen and could escape. They fooled you, Stefano. I’ve never met you until you rolled into town with vengeance in mind. The guy you’re looking to punish is already dead and buried. Your secrets died with him until you just spilled them to me,” I said bluntly, and I could tell he was starting to believe me.

“It was you.” Uncertainty lined his words now.

“It was my twin,” I said sharply, my ears picking up the sound of the door opening.

At first, I thought it was the goon coming back to beat me some more to try and make me break, but then I heard it.

“Papa? What did you do?”

Dante didn’t sound curious, he sounded pissed, and I could’ve sighed with relief as he appeared above me and pulled the chair up to take the weight off my arms.

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