Page 91 of Wickedly Played
At least with death, I will not have to endure any more pain. Pain from Lorcan or Connor.
I watch the whole scene unfold. Everything that happens- happens in front of me. My father punches my ex-husband, and then my bodyguard/ lover attacks him on the ground. The fighting around the warehouse pauses, and all that is heard throughout the room is Connor’s dying breaths.
I wish I felt bad that this was his last day. However, all I could think about was how badly I wanted to get out of here and get as far away as possible. My mind is such a mess, I feel about fifty different conflicting thoughts at once.
“Max!” Someone yells and then pulls him off my ex-husband.
Hearing my father make claims about knowing me or being any father would be laughable since he was going to turn me into a breeder. I can’t believe him. Actually, that isn’t even true. I can believe him. This is something that he would do. He is a deplorable man.
I hate the mafia.
I hate everything the mafia stands for.
I hate everything the mafia does and touches.
“Boss,” Max calls out to the man who pulled him off Connor.
What the fuck?
I’m lifted in the air, carried like a bride through the warehouse, into a room with chairs and couches. Max holds me close to him as he sits down in one of the chairs across from my father. I’m not stupid and I pick up on the pecking order of what is happening.
“I need someone to start fucking talking,” I demand.
“Sweetness,” Max begins.
“Nope. You’re not going to sweet-talk your way out of this. I have been raped today, kidnapped, and drugged. I got told I was going to be given back to my ex to be a breeder, and then watched my ex-husband die. I need to know what is going on.”
The man Max referred to asBossis the one who begins to talk. “Serena, I’m Franky. You probably won’t ever see me again, but I’m the don of the McDougal Family.”
“Wait-” I stutter.
He holds his hand to stop me. “If you want answers, you’re going to keep your fecking mouth shut to let me finish. Do you understand?” The cool, icy tone that is perfected only by years of hardened mafia domination is prevalent in his warning.
“Watch it,” Max warns.
“I’ve had enough of your shit, little boy,” Franky throws back.
I try to push off Max’s lap, but he holds on tighter to me. “I’m not letting you go. The last time you left my sight, you ended up kidnapped. You’re going to stay right here.”
I give up fighting. Why? Because I think I’m going to need his strength for this conversation.
“As you know, our two families have been at war for many years. It has been a cold war, but it has been one. Your dad jump-started it and brought Adam into it. He had orchestrated thishuge web to get close to you. Lorcan killed Max and Adam’s dad a few years ago, which caused the cold war,” Franky explains. “Adam played on this because he was obsessed with you. He needed to get to you and used everything he could to get it.”
“Dad,” I whisper.
My father shrugs. “Serena, you and Amanda know that in this world, war is war. Casualties are common. It isn’t personal. It could have been anyone.”
Max starts to tense under me. “I should kill you right now.”
One of the other men put their hands up. “Franky, Max, and Lorcan. We’re here to act as mediators. What’s done is done. Are you going to stop this shit?”
“Armando,” Franky utters. “If the war is not stopped, I have four bombs scattered throughout your ports in four cities. I also have surveillance posted in all of your casinos in Metro Detroit. I have emails drafted to send to the police and all of your adversaries about your dirty dealings with other criminals. I also have rerouted three trucks of your products from Canada and Mexico to bypass your warehouse to go to an undisclosed place.”
“What the actual fuck? This is an ambush!”
“You stole my woman!” Max yells. “You went behind my back and turned my brother against me. You tried to break your own daughter. Fuck you, dude. Do it, Franky. I say we just kill the bastard.”
“Max,” I whisper.
