Page 64 of Reckless Promises

After Odette fell asleep, I watched the footage enough times to be sure myself. It was all there.

Thirty-seven:the number of times Felix was within ten feet of Odette.

Twelve:The number of conversations he inserted himself into to get closer to her.

Three:The number of drinks he had over the course of the evening.

One:the number of times he locked eyes with my wife, sealing his fate.

When you have a team at your disposal, it doesn’t take long to find everything you’re looking for. Felix has worked with Odette’s father for years on a variety of deals. But around the time she was a teenager, they tapered off.

I’d like to think Gabriel cut ties with him out of loyalty to his daughter, but the fact that Felix still has eyes to look at me is proof Gabriel doesn’t care about anyone but himself. Gabriel kept Felix away because he couldn’t risk something happening to his prized virginal bargaining chip. But it had nothing to do with Odette’s safety.

The fact that any of these men think they have a right to what my wife gave me tonight has me seeing red.

Picking up one of my smaller knives, I walk over to Felix.

A larger one might be more threatening or do more immediate damage. But that’s not what I need right now.I don’t want to make this quick. I want him to understand how he made my wife suffer.

I want him to pay for the mark he left on her perfect flesh.

“You’re familiar with my wife.” I circle the table, his eyes following me.

“I’ve done business with her dad.”

“Not from that.” I bring the knife to his throat and dig it into his skin, ripping a path below his ear and painting his neck red.

Shallow enough that he bleeds but won’t die from it.

“Ring any bells?” I lift the knife up.

His teeth grate together as he fights through the pain, and it’s a comforting sight. “She came onto me.”

Wrong answer.

Wrongfuckinganswer.

I look up at Daniel, who is sitting next to the IV hooked to Felix’s arm and nod my head. He reaches for the knob and turns it.

Daniel doesn’t ask questions. He doesn’t even really know why Felix is here. All he knows is that he provided me with this man’s entire history because I asked him to, and now he’s in my basement.

Men who work for me don’t need answers—only orders.

“What is that?” Felix’s fingers curl in a fist with his question.

“Boost of adrenaline.” I nod at Daniel, who stops turning the dial. “I’m just making sure you don’t pass out and miss the fun part.”

Felix opens his mouth to say more, but I don’t give him the chance.

I plant my blade in the center of Felix’s chest and dig it in, slowly dragging it down the center and ripping his flesh open. Once again, not deep enough to kill him, just enough to tear a scream from his lungs.

“I didn’t do anything to her.”

Denial.

Fear.

Torture will make people say lots of things—but in my experience, it rarely draws out the truth. Which is why torture isn’t the best way to get honesty out of a person.

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