Page 73 of The Tempted

“There’s nothing you have to say that I want to hear,” I said forcefully turning my head again.

“Really? Not even the slightest bit curious as to what your whole part in this was?”

I turned around quickly clenching my teeth as I spoke. “I had nothing to do with this you miserable fuck.”

Deke tilted his head back laughing in amusement. “That’s what you think. I should be on my hands and knees thanking you for being a stupid little bitch and making this whole thing possible.”

“Fuck you,” I hissed. His hand lurched backward before connecting with my cheek the force behind his slap so strong that the chair I was tied to rocked back on its legs.

“I said I won’t tolerate your rudeness,” he cracked his knuckles. “Now where was I… oh yes, I was telling you what a stupid cunt you were.” He smiled proud with the way his words degraded me. “You see many years ago, my father and I made a play for Victor’s territory, but that underboss of his stepped in our way. Val was too smart and too wise to our moves shutting us down before we could ever make a dime sticking us with thousands of dollars in drugs and ultimately sending my father to rot in prison,” he balled his fists at his sides as he spoke. “After he set my dad up I put a hit out on your father. The wrong man died in front of that bakery Val should’ve never gotten in the way, but he was too fucking loyal to Victor and his loyalty wound up getting him killed.”

“What does any of this have to do with me?” I asked, not understanding how I played a part in any of that when I was just a kid.

“Your father avenged Val’s death killing the hitman that murdered him, he probably would’ve killed my old man too for ordering the hit, but we had him transferred to a maximum-security prison. Victor thought he was fooling us by sending his soldier Anthony Bianci to the same prison my father was in he thought Anthony would get close enough to kill him. Victor went to extreme measures to destroy my father, but we were one step ahead of him.”

held a straight face even as he shocked me with the truth of why Anthony had gone to jail, leaving my sister and the life they were meant to have behind. Still, none of this had anything to do with me.

“Fast forward to a little over a year ago when I found the perfect opportunity to finally conquer what my family had set out to accomplish years ago. It was really a brilliant idea if you think about it. I’d not only be able to gain the control of the harbor, but I’d also give the son of the hitman your father killed a chance to punish the man who killed his father. Are you connecting the dots?”

I rolled my eyes at him. I was fucking exhausted my wrists hurt my face still felt the sting of where he slapped me and to top it off I was probably going to die. I didn’t feel like entertaining this son of a bitch and didn’t care what the fuck riddle he was trying to deliver me.

“You forgot about your boyfriend that, quickly did you?” he nodded, seeing it register in my eyes. “Now you follow yes? Rico’s father killed Val and your father killed him who better to lead Victor’s daughter on? Nobody, by Rico playing the doting boyfriend to the mobster's daughter we were able to push our product through the New York clubs and set your father up all in the same play. I told you it was brilliant.”

I swallowed as the truth finally became clear to me confirming my suspicions from the shootout at Temptations. Rico had never given a damn about me he only used me to get to my father to pay him back for murdering his dad. This whole fucking mess was my fault. If I hadn’t been so, naïve to believe Rico’s bullshit neither one of these assholes would have been able to execute any of this.

“How does it feel to know the life you lived for the last year was a lie?” he asked taunting me. “Not too good I imagine,” he said as he wiped his hands on his pants. He pushed himself off the chair and gave me one long final look before he exited the warehouse this time for real. I heard the metal door slide closed and broke down, unable to hold back the sobs that racked my body. I prayed for an end, even if it meant the end of me.

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