Page 53 of Filthy Desire

Fuck, what a time for this goddamn revelation…

Focus on what needs to be done.

“Why did your brother steal from Gio?” Kara asked.

Colton turned towards her, his dark blue eyes full of hate. “Why do you think? Because he could. Because Gio trusted him. It was perfect. Until that stupid cashier at the casino got greedy and got caught. Gio knew that someone else was involved. It was only a matter of time before Vincent was found out.”

“And you stealing from Vasiliev?”

He shrugged his shoulders. “The same reason. I couldn’t resist all that cash. Even if it belonged to a dangerous motherfucker like Alek.”

“What about Vincent? Don’t you want to know what happened to him?”

“You think I don’t know that he’s already dead? He knew the risk. And he was my half-brother, and a shitty one at that. I’d turn on him on a dime. I didn’t come back to this fucking city out of loyalty to him. Now stop talking!”

Colton turned to his phone again and began to type.

“You have the money here, don’t you? The cash. It’s not in some offshore account. That’s why you came back. To retrieve it.”

Colton put his phone down and reached for a rag. He walked over and tied it around Kara’s mouth, tight.

“I said shut up. One more word out of you and I’ll beat your face into a pulp. You hear me? Nod once to show you understand.”

Kara nodded and stayed silent.

She knew when to attack and when to back off. Colton’s gaze turned feral, and his hands were shaking.

He opened up a box on the floor and pulled out a large duffle bag. He unzipped it and pulled out stacks of cash. Lifting them up, he waved them at Kara and laughed.

“Nice huh? But it’s not enough. Not for what I got planned,” Colton hissed.

He typed on his phone, then placed it against his ear.

“Gio Ferraro, it’s Colton Verano. I have your bitch… that’s right… if you want her back, you’re gonna get me half a mil in cash in two hours… I said, two hours! … good… I want it dropped off at the private landing strip near Newark. And don’t try anything stupid or she dies.”

Colton tapped his phone and threw it on a nearby table.

He was a live wire about to detonate. And Kara was way too close to the blast zone.

18

GIO

Gio received the alarm notice from Kara shortly after Tiko collapsed in the hallway.

And Gio was so fucking relieved when he saw that text that he nearly collapsed himself.

After pulling Tiko inside the penthouse and laying him out on the sofa, Gio sprang into action.

According to the notification GPS, Kara was being held in a building in Flushing. Thank God his woman was smart as fuck and took precautions with her safety.

He’d left Tiko behind with a promise that he’d be back with Kara. Gio called Roman and four of his guys from the casino security to back him up. They were five minutes out from Kara’s location when he got the call from Colton Verano.

Stupid motherfucker.

The thief wanted more money? A half a mil in cash?

A bullet to the brain was all that Colton was gonna get from Gio.

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