Page 49 of Plus-Size Bratva Possession
Elena stood frozen in the doorway, her face pale with shock. Her eyes moved from me to Marconi, taking in the blood, the bound man, the hammer still clutched in my hand.
For a second, no one moved. The warehouse fell silent except for Marconi's whimpering. Then Elena took a step back, her hand flying to her mouth.
“Elena—” I started, but she had already turned on her heels, was running out of here.
I swore under my breath and started running behind her. “Dom,” I called over my shoulder. “Take over.”
“Yes, boss,” Dom replied, already moving toward Marconi.
I ran out of the warehouse and found her standing there, her arms wrapped around herself as she bent over, sobbing loudly.
My heart twisted. She was never supposed to have seen that. She needed to know that wasn’t me. I approached slowly, for she looked like she was a frightened animal about to bolt.
When Elena didn't move at my presence, as though lost in thought, I gently took her arm to get her attention. She yanked her arm away as if my touch burned.
“What the hell was that?” she demanded, her voice shaking as she glared at me. “What are you doing to that man?”
“Elena, please. I can explain. That man—”
But she didn’t let me finish. She laughed, a bitter, mean laugh that made me recoil inside. “Explain what? You're torturing someone! I just watched you beat a defenseless man half to death!”
I felt my expression harden. “He's not defenseless. He's a traitor who got my men killed and was planning to get me killed, too.”
“So that makes it okay to torture him?” She wrapped her arms around herself, visibly trembling. “My God, what kind of monster are you? It’s okay if you kill. But he can’t?”
The word hit me like a physical blow. Monster. Was that how she saw me? After everything, after the nights we'd spent together, the mornings sharing coffee and conversation?
“I did what was necessary. There were lives on the line,” I said, my voice colder than I intended.
“Necessary?” She shook her head, tears gathering in her eyes. “There's nothing necessary about what I just saw. That was cruelty. That was... evil. There are a million ways to deal with traitors, but you looked like you enjoyed torturing him. Like it was fun. Your idea of a fucking party.”
I felt my anger flare now. She thought I was having fun? “Were we in the same fucking room?” I asked, unable to hold myself back. “What I did and had to, I hated every second of it.”
“Right,” she scoffed. “Lie to yourself. Go ahead.Lie.”
“You think I enjoy this shit?” I yelled, throwing my hands up in frustration. “You think I get off on beating people, on torturing them? This is my life, Elena. This is the world I live in. It's not pretty or kind, but it's what I have to do to survive. You of all people should understand that. Your family makes similar decisions every single day!”
“Don't you dare compare yourself to my brothers,” she spat. “They would never—”
“They would never what?” I interrupted, anger flaring. “Never torture someone? Never kill in cold blood? You think your precious family has clean hands?”
“They protect people! They have honor!”
I laughed, an ugly sound. “Honor? Is that what you call it?”
“Yes! Unlike you, they don't enjoy hurting people. They don't—”
“Your brothers are murderers,” I cut in, my voice rising. “Just like me. Worse than me.”
“That's not true,” she insisted, her eyes flaring with rage. “They're nothing like you.”
“No, they're not. Because I've never killed a pregnant woman,” I snarled, the words escaping before I could stop them.
Elena stumbled back like I'd struck her. “What?”
There was no going back now. The rage and pain I'd kept buried for years came pouring out like poison. “You want to know why I hate your family so much? Why I took you? It wasn't just about Larissa.”
“I don't understand,” Elena whispered.
