Page 53 of Merciless Oath

Two scrawny guys huddle in the center of the freezer on a pile of pallets. They sit up straighter when we enter, putting on a brave face.

Enzo stops in his tracks so suddenly that I almost slam into him. Alfonso manages to catch me from behind, saving me from face-planting on the cold floor.

“Ivan?” Enzo says, shock and confusion dripping from his voice. “What the hell are you doing here?”

Ivan? He knows this guy?

What the hell did we just walk into?

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Enzo

Ivan Ratchekovsky pinsme with his gaze, fury and resentment flashing in his eyes. For a moment, I’m so shocked I forget why we’re all here.

“You know him?” Rafael asks from somewhere behind me, bringing me back to the present. Ivan spits on the floor, and his buddy laughs, despite the fact that they both look like they’re three seconds away from hypothermia.

Shit.This is not good, not good at all.He’s got the upper hand with shock factor, and now I look weak and stupid.

I spin around and stride out of the room. Rafael storms out after me, Valentina hot on his heels. Alfonso shuts the door behind them after giving me the briefest nod.

Good. Let him take the first round because I’ll probably kill that fucker before he can speak a word.

“Enzo, what the hell is going on here?” Rafael growls, grabbing me by the shoulder. I can’t stop pacing the length of the warehouse, my mind moving a mile a minute.

“How do you know that guy?” Valentina pipes up, struggling to keep up with my long strides. I take pity on her and stop moving.

“We went to Yale together, same program,” I explain. “We weren’t friendly. In fact, I always got the feeling he didn’t like me, but we somehow ended up in the same circle of friends.”

“He’s a hacker?”

“Probably,” I scoff, shaking my head. “He’s good, Rafael. He’s damn good at what he does… or at least he was in school.”

“So, he’s our guy then?” Valentina muses. “But what about the redhead?”

“I have no idea anymore,” I confess. A scream echoes from the freezer, and we whip our heads around to see Alfonso slipping out the door, cracking his knuckles.

“The other guy wouldn’t talk,” he announces, fuming with rage. “But your buddy Ivan asked me to deliver a message to you. He says to tell you that she was never good enough for you anyway.”

I glance at Valentina, assuming he means her—but how does Ivan know Valentina? She stares at Alfonso, equally confused.

“Not you, apparently,” Alfonso clarifies. “He was talking about the redhead.”

“Who thefuckis the redhead?” I demand, storming back inside the freezer. Ivan’s buddy cowers on the pallets, blood oozing from his skull.He’s not laughing now, is he?

I march straight up to Ivan and get in his face. His nose has been dislocated, and it’s gushing bright red blood down the front of his jacket. His arm sits at an odd angle, and I admire the quick and tidy work Alfonso managed to do in such a short time.

“Who?” I demand, my voice dripping with venom. My entire being is consumed with so much rage and frustration it feels like I’m being boiled alive. I focus on my fingers, willing them to stop shaking.

Rafael quietly enters the room, catching my eye.

“You know who,” Ivan spits, blood gurgling through his busted teeth.

“Tell me again,” I grit through clenched teeth. “What’s her name?”

“You took her for granted.” He shakes his head, enraged over some slight I don’t even know about. “You didn’t deserve her then, and you don’t deserve her now. But I?—”

“What?” I laugh in his face. “You love her? Is that why you’re here, helping her destroy my life?”

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