Page 64 of Depths of Obsession
“Jesus Christ, Luca! What the fuck were you thinking?” Renzo demands as he comes to stand in front of me. I look around him and nod to Rocco, who immediately ushers Luna and Pippa to the elevator.
“Dove stanno andando? Non vanno de nessuna parte!” Gazzago yells, his face a mask of rage. His bodyguards move to block Rocco.
Renzo growls, “Let them go, Tommy.”
Gazzago turns, his lip curling in contempt. “You forget who you speak to. She is mine—my fee for my cousin. You don’t get to say no to me.” He hits his chest with his fist, puffing out like an enraged bull. “I get this shitannullato!”
Renzo whirls around, charging toward Gazzago, and I’m right behind him. Two of Gazzago’s bodyguards step forward to intercept, but I slip in front of Renzo, throwing a throat punch at the first guard. He collapses, and I sucker punch the second, his body crumpling to the floor.
The other two guards pull their guns, but before they can react, Rocco appears behind them, each of his hands holding a gun to their backs. They freeze.
“You listen to me, you fat fuck,” Renzo snarls, his voice dripping with venom, “Pippa is now my sister-in-law. You have zero claim to her.Zero. You’ll have to settle for money to compensate you for your cousin—a hundred K, just like you were charging De Carlo. That’s what you’ll get. If you keep pushing, you won’t even get that. I suggest you shut the fuck up and get out of here.”
Gazzago’s face turns an alarming shade of red. “I will kill your deal!” he yells, his voice strained.
Renzo scoffs, “I don’t fucking need more drugs.”
“Stronzo!” Gazzago spits at Renzo, rage clear in his eyes. I’ve had enough. In a blink, I grab him by the throat and squeeze.
Renzo’s voice is chilling, his gaze unwavering. “I would think very carefully if I were you. My brother has no problem killing you. In fact, I think he’d enjoy it immensely. Now, you’re going to fuck right off. Take the only offer on the table and keep your mouth shut.”
The blood drains from Gazzago’s face as he struggles to breathe. “I… know… the blood trade,” he manages to gasp. “I know… what… you are.”
Renzo leans in, eyes narrowed, studying Gazzago’s face. “Let him go,” he finally orders.
I hesitate. My fingers tighten around his throat, anger roiling inside me like a storm. This bastard has tormented Pippa. He deserves to suffer.
Stop, Luca,Renzo’s voice pierces my mind telepathically, and thanks to the instant headache that follows, I know he is serious.We need to find out what he knows.
“Let him go,” Renzo says aloud again.
“Why?” I ask, barely holding my temper in check. “Why do we care what he knows? So what if he thinks he knows something? If I kill him, it won’t matter.”
“Let him go.”
“Fucking hell,” I mutter. I open my hand, and Gazzago staggers backward, stumbling until he grips a nearby chair for support. He falls into it, coughing, his face regaining a hint of color. He glares at me, but his defiance is hollow.
I stay beside Renzo, my hands clenched, the urge to rip Gazzago apart barely restrained.
“Dismiss your men,” Renzo commands.
Gazzago’s coughing fit subsides, and he glares at Renzo, his eyes filled with loathing.
“You want to live?” Renzo asks, his tone dangerously calm.
Gazzago mutters something under his breath but waves his men off. The guards help each other up and head to the stairwell. “Wait for me at the car,” Gazzago orders, his voice hoarse.
I nod to Rocco, and he gives me a nod in return—he’ll make sure they stay out of trouble. As Renzo takes a seat across from Gazzago, I stand a few feet away, my eyes never leaving the man who brought so much fear to Pippa’s life.
“What do you think you know?” Renzo asks, his voice mild. It’s misleading. I know my brother—if Gazzago says the wrong thing, Renzo will kill him without hesitation.
Gazzago glares at Renzo, then glances at me, trying to appear unfazed. He fails. The stench of his fear is unmistakable. “You… are not from this world,” he says, his voice cracking slightly.
I roll my eyes dramatically. “I beg to differ. We’re definitely from here.”
“No,” Gazzago says, his voice trembling despite his attempt to sound tough. “You’re fucking vampires,” he spits out, but the words are accompanied by terror—his skin pales, and the vein in his neck pounds like a drumbeat echoing in the tense silence.
I freeze, exchanging a glance with Renzo. Shit. How the fuck does he know that? Gazzago’s heart races faster, panic in his eyes.He’s on the verge of a heart attack, and if he dies now, we won’t get anything useful out of him.Renzo curses.
