“Thank you, Edoardo,” Cora says, “really, thank you for everything.”
I’ve seen him plunge his hands into an open wound without flinching, but her words make him blush.Porca merda,holy shit! This is hilarious.
“You want me out of here too?” I offer, and she slowly shakes her head.
“It’s nice to have company,” she says shyly. Picking up the smoothie, she takes a first cautious sip and then a more robust one. “This is so good.”
“I’m glad,” I grin, “because that means I can eat that ham sandwich.”
Nearly choking on her next sip as she laughs, Cora waves a hand at the tray invitingly.
“So, what do you do when you’re not killing monsters?” she asks, watching me devour the sandwich.
“Lots of things,” I answer vaguely. “My family has several nightclubs and casinos, some boutique hotels.”
“Hmm…” she takes a tiny spoonful of the eggs, “so are you the rich playboy ne’er do well or the serious businessman?”
Swallowing the last bite of ham, I shrug. “A little of both, I guess. What about you?”
She deftly diverts the conversation away from herself whenever I ask her a question, and my suspicion grows. Maybe she doesn’t trust anyone right now, it’s not surprising. However, in my world, evasion always means they’re hiding something. I just haven’t decided what Cora’s intent is.
“Did you get anything more from her?” Yuri’s gearing up, ready to take his Bratva team home.
“Not really,” I shrug, “she mumbled something about a few friends and a great aunt. She was so shaken up by how long she’d been trapped in that dungeon that questioning her was going nowhere.”
He frowns, “This is off, you know that. She hasn’t even given you a last name.”
“Her behavior is not unusual for a trauma victim,” Edoardo volunteers. “Even though we rescued her, that doesn’t mean much. Right now, we’re just another group of men holding her. I doubt she’s ready to trust us any more than she trusted Schmidt. It might take a while.”
“I do not have to tell you the clock is ticking,” Yuri warns me, “the rather spectacular explosion at Schmidt’s compound pulled in law enforcement from all over Germany. Get what you can from him and finish him off. The last thing we need is the FIS closing in on you before he is dead.”
“Agreed,” I nod, “I’ll handle it tonight. I just want to make sure we pull every scrap of information from that fucked up brain of his first.”
Yuri gripped my shoulder. “Stay safe, move fast.”
“We’ll talk later,” I promise, “it’s been fun. Just like old times, eh?”
He scowled. “If you are referring to the Ares Academy, no, it is not. This time, I didn’t end up in the hospital when it was your turn to lead the team.”
“Always holding a grudge, my friend.” I shake my head sadly, “You’re going to end up with an ulcer.”
“I cannot understand why someone hasn’t killed you yet,” he sighs, before giving me a wry smile and sliding into the black SUV, heading for the private airstrip and the jet waiting to take him home.
Chapter Four
In which we learn that if you want a job done right, you have to do it yourself.
Cora…
“You promised me that you’d kill Him!”
“Cora,Bellissima,we will,” Dario says soothingly. It’s nighttime, and I’ve compulsively checked the window, over and over, so comforted to be able to follow the passage of time. When he comes to check on me, I ask the same thing I have every time I see him.
“Is He dead?”
“He will be soon. Tonight,” he promises.
“You keep saying that and He’s still alive! It’s been a day and a half since you captured Him!” They’re insane, or maybe I am. “Why can’t you realize how dangerous He is!” I’m shouting, and yes, they’re clearly thinking I’m the insane one. “You’re in His territory,” I leaned in on Dario, up on my tiptoes, “He always bragged about how many people in the government and law enforcement He has in His pocket. He- He would sit with me after assaulting the other girls and tell me of all the important people He knew who-” I gag, taking a moment and forcing the smoothie back down. I need that smoothie, “Who dined at His table. He-” I gagged again.
