Page 71 of Wrath

“What does that mean?”

“I can’t get into it, but there are things at play here that are bigger than any of us realized.”

“So, the pictures...”

“Were just the beginning...”

CHAPTER19

Wrath

As I looked down at Mia, I felt a rush of emotions that I’d never felt before. When Mia’s call dropped, I immediately called Riley. It had taken three tries before he’d actually answered, and when he finally did, he was quick to tell me they were under fire. It absolutely wrecked me.

I’d feared for her safety and theirs, imagined the worst possible outcomes, and agonized over the what-ifs. But now, she was in my arms, unharmed and safe, and the relief was absolutely overwhelming.

It was at that moment I realized just how much she meant to me. It was an unexpected realization—one that I wasn’t sure I was ready for, but it was there nonetheless. I would do anything for her, including—and not limited to—ending her fucking boss and anyone else who tried to hurt her.

I thought back to my earlier conversation with the man I captured during the attack. I’d taken him to the playroom, and it didn’t take long to figure out that the dude was a real sonofabitch. He was on the slimmer side, about five-ten and a buck sixty, so it didn’t take much to restrain him. I bound his hands above his head, then pulled the restraints taunt, forcing him to stand on his tiptoes.

Once I had him secured, I looked behind me, expecting to find Stitch, but he wasn’t there. It was just me. I knew then that I alone was the Satan’s Fury enforcer, and I wouldn’t let anything stand in my way, especially not some asshole struggling to stand on his tiptoes.

It was a painful stance, but he seemed unfazed as he warned, “You’re so fucking screwed. The whole fucking lot of you.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yea-ah.” An evil grin crept across his lips as he chuckled. “You’re as good as dead.”

“You think so?”

“I know so.” His grin grew wider. “They know she has the laptop. They know what she saw.”

“Um-hmm, and that's why they sent you. And that didn’t turn out so well for either of you.”

“You sound awfully smug for a man who’s about to die.”

I wanted nothing more than to put a world of hurt on this guy, but he was talking. In fact, he was telling me everything I needed to know, and I didn’t even have to work for it. So, I played along and cocked my brow. “I could say the same about you.”

“I’m not afraid of dying. Hell, I look forward to it.” His smirk faded as he told me, “It means I’ll be done with the likes of you.”

“A moment we’re both looking forward to.”

“They’re on their way back, you know.” He looked me dead in the eye as he warned, “And when they get here, they’re coming foryou and the girl.”

“And who exactly is coming for us?”

“Oh, you know who. You’ve known about them for some time.”

“Them? You mean the fuckingDemarco brothers.”

“Ding. Ding. Ding.”

“Garrett is a fucking Demarco?”

“Now, you’re getting it. Hmph. You’re smarter than I thought you were.” We’d barely gotten started, and I was already getting tired of this prick. He knew what was coming and was goading me. And it was working. It was getting harder and harder not to just end him right then and there, and his maniacal laughter wasn’t helping matters. “They got a lot of money tied into this operation. A lot of manpower. They’re not gonna let her or anyone else interfere.”

“And which operation is that?”

“Not that smart after all,” he scoffed.