Page 118 of Beautiful Revenge

“Not so fast, little plaything.” Sal reaches for his gun but I dig my nails into his throat, making him yelp and jerk back.

Elena makes it to the top of the stairs and shoves the basement door open. A flash of light hits my eyes before the door closes behind her. She made it out. Thank god. Now she can go get help.

If I don’t die first, that is.

“You little bitch,” Sal hisses, trying to buck me off. I hold onto him with all of the strength I possess. I keep digging my nails into his throat until I draw blood.

It’s satisfying knowing I can make a man like Sal bleed.

The only problem is that in my efforts to hurt him, I loosen my grip. He grabs my legs and yanks me off him. My back slams against the hard concrete, knocking all the air out of me.

Sal stumbles back and wipes at his throat. “Impressive, plaything. Not many people can say they’ve made me bleed. Well, not anyone alive that is.”

I push myself up to a seat. “If you’re going to kill me, just get it over with. Stop yapping like a little bitch.”

Pure anger courses through his eyes. “I don’t like that, my little plaything. Little girls should be seen and not heard.” He gets on top of me and wraps his hands around my neck. I try to fight him but he’s so much stronger than I am.

“Oh no. I’m not going to kill you,” he says. “I’m just going to make you pass out. I have so much planned for you, my plaything.”

Darkness hedges in at the sides of my vision. I know when I wake back up, I’ll be strapped to Sal’s table again. I’ll probably die this time.

I guess I’ve had the chance to live. I’ve made love and been married and faced heartbreak all rolled into one. If I’m going to die, at least I had all of that.

The darkness finally overtakes me.

Finn

The first place Aiden and I look is Sal’s house but he’s not there and neither are the women.

“Fuck,” Aiden says, running his hand down his face. “Where the hell could they be?”

“Sal must be hiding them somewhere else. He probably has multiple properties.”

“It could take forever to find them all and we don’t have forever.” He sticks his finger in my face. “This is your fault.”

“My fault? How the fuck is this my fault? I didn’t ask for a crazy hitman to steal both our wives.”

“You pissed him off. He’s after you. That’s why he went after Aria. Elena just happened to be there. You brought him into my wife’s life.”

I roll my eyes. “Brother, I did not ask for Sal to be in anyone’s life. Trust me on that. You want to hate me? Fine. I deserve it. I’m man enough to admit it. I see that now. For the longest time, I thought you fucked me over. And in a way, you did.”

“Finn,” he scoffs.

“But,” I continue, “I fucked you over too. I made you afraid. Of me. I broke the trust between us. That was on me. I’ve seen that now.”

Aiden gives me a wary look. “Have you? Really?”

“I have a wife now. I never thought I would meet a woman who could make me feel the way Aria has made me feel but… here we are. Aria has my fucking heart, brother. I see now why you fought so hard for Elena. I’m doing the same with Aria. I get it. And I’m…” I inhale deeply. “I’m sorry.”

“Did you just have an aneurysm? A stroke? Are you sure you’re my brother?”

“Take the apology, you ass. I just want to get Aria back.”

“And then what? Are you still going to go after Erik and Dante? Because they still want you dead. I was supposed to kill you the next time I saw you.”

“Why didn’t you?”

“Because you’re not the one who stole my wife. And… you’re still my brother, despite it all. Tell me. What happens after you get Aria back? Dante will not let you keep her. Not unless you agree to work with him again. And even then, things will be tense. Erik just might kill you anyway.”

---