Page 90 of The Fall of a Promise

Circling him, I admire our work. A part of me wants this all to myself, to take all the credit, but I don’t want to rob Cesare the chance to do something for his daughter.

Isaac is hanging by the thread as I approach him. “You say I’m weak because of my wife, but I disagree. In fact, quite the contrary.” I pause so we’re face to face. “I’ve never been more dangerous.”

He stutters, unable to lift his head. Grabbing his face, I force him to make eye contact with me, at least with his good eye.

“You wanna know what makes you weak? Turning on your own men. You have no sense of loyalty, and you get to die without honor,” I tell him as I pry his mouth open again to slice off his tongue as he wails.

Spotting a little critter along the wall, I feel the corner of my lips go up. I make my way over and snatch one of the rodents by the tail before walking back up to Isaac.

“Dante, hand me the tape.”

He chuckles but doesn’t say a word as he hands over the roll of duct tape.

“I really can’t blame you. It’s in your nature. A rat has no loyalty and will do anything to survive,” I say before shoving the creature into his mouth and wrapping the tape around his head and lips. He thrashes as he fights against me. Meanwhile, the rat is likely clawing its way down his throat, but it’s no use. “Especially when it feels threatened.”

Taking the same blade, I finally let loose on him. Stabbing and slicing over and over into his torso. I lose count before stepping back. Panting from fury, wishing I could instantly heal him only so I can find new ways to make him suffer.

Once I’m as satisfied as I’ll ever be, I pull off the coveralls and gloves then toss them into a pile by the bastard’s feet before getting dressed. The blood pooling beneath his feet is the last thing I see before I turn to leave.

“Cleaners are on the way. Feel better?” Dante asks smugly as he plops down into the passenger side of my car.

“Not even close. I’ll feel better once my wife is back, safe and unharmed.” I start up the car and speed off.

“We’ll get her, man.”

As if on cue, both our phones go off.

“It’s an email from Xander with a time and coordinates.” Dante eyes the contents of the message curiously as he starts typing away. “The hell?” Dante mutters before turning his phone to show the green dot hovering above... the middle of the ocean.

Chapter Twenty-Four

ANYA

Where the hell is my husband?

Or should I say myfirsthusband? Because I will most definitely be referring to him as that for the foreseeable future. He’ll hate it, and it will only serve him right for taking so damn long. I expected him to come charging in allMe, man! You, woman!Once he received the annulment papers. Maybe, it’s the cold talking, but the big bastard is going to pay.

As if marrying Caishen’s son isn’t tragic enough, I’m getting married on a damn mega yacht in the middle of the ocean during the freakin’ winter. What is it with this man and water?

A cover was put over my head before we left the house, so once again, I have no idea where we’re at, but my money is still in Canada. Caishen couldn’t have gone too far because he’s still needed in New York. I only realized we were on water when the car started rocking, but they kept the cover on for what felt like at least an hour.

I glare at the men around me, who are cozy and warm in their jackets and coats compared to my full-on sleeveless wedding dress. Caishen has yet to come outside. Why we couldn’t do this ceremony inside is beyond me. I can’t say what the holdup is. If there’s anyone in a hurry for this union, it’s him. I imagine he’s making me wait just to be a dick.

I glance at a shaking Pria, who’s standing between two of Caishen’s men, one grabbing each of her arms as if she’s some sort of flight risk. Although I don’t blame her, I’d rather jump off this ship to my death than have the fate Caishen has given her.She has a black eye and a split in her lip, bruises and welts down her neck. I’m sure the sweater is covering most of her injuries as well.

Don’t you worry, girl, I’m going to get us out of here.

At least they put her in jeans and a sweater, not like it’ll make much of a difference but it’s better than the thin nightgown she was in. I haven’t had a chance to speak with her yet. Caishen keeps us separated for the most part. Having no clue where they keep her or what happens to her when I’m not around.

Caishen’s beaten her twice already in the last two days—during that first dinner, when I declined to drink more wine, and this morning, when I wouldn’t let one of the maids help me bathe. Guilt gnaws at me, and I vow to do whatever I can to help her. God, she must hate me.

Anytime now, Nico!

Dread settles over me. If Nico still has no idea where we’re at, how will I get us out of here? There have to be safety measures on this ship. Surely, there’s a life boat or speedboat somewhere. The ship is huge. They can be on the other side. I can say the vows and plan our escape once we get back to land. He can’t keep my head covered every time we travel.

I commit to memory the landscape of the ship. We’re on the main deck, so I can still see the open sky, and there’s four more tiers above us. My guess is that there’s atleastthree more below us. There’s also a large swimming pool on the platform. There’s actually staff on this ship as well. I can see the bar from here, where a bartender is wiping glasses and servers are setting up for what I’m assuming is the reception. I find this kind of odd since there’s no family here or real guests. Caishen has a wife, but I’ve yet to see her. She hasn’t been at any of the dinners.

Xander looks unbothered by the weather. The man himself made his first appearance this morning. He was already waitingfor me on the deck when they took the cloth off of my head. He’s yet to say a word to me, barely acknowledging me.

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