“No. You know everything I do.”
“I doubt that.” Resentment drips from Marcus’s words.
“I am many things, War, but I am not a liar.”
“Leandro.” Hollis’s voice is tired, and I hate that he’s having to deal with this on top of everything else.
“I am serious, Hol. I’ve laid all of the information out. We have a lead on Antonio, and we’ll get him back. Then we will use whatever we can gather from his rescue, plus his account, to save Roman and Lio.”
“And you won’t ever try to play chess master again,” Tennant says. “You’re shit at it.”
Leandro’s mouth thins, but he inclines his head. “I made a miscalculation. Nobody is perfect, but I’ll learn from my mistakes.”
“Not good enough,” Marcus snaps.
“Enough,” Carter says. “Please, Marcus. Leandro admits he was wrong. Everyone is entitled to a second chance. Right now, we need to come up with a plan, or plans, to get Antonio back. My fellow Bosses, too.”
“I’d like to help,” Ignacio says. “I can’t be part of the on-the-ground team, but I cannot be useless any longer.”
Carter nods. “We’ll be happy to have your expertise, Ignacio. You, Ten, and Marcus can work together.”
The three of them nod in agreement. I let out a breath, too many emotions to name swirling inside me, making me clutch at my remaining two Boys. Chaos, War, and the Amato weapon working together…fuck. It’s not relief that rushes through me, but with the three of them, a tingle of hope forms that the two missing pieces of me will be returned soon.
“Fuck,” I mutter, blinking my eyes open as the pain in my head reminds me that getting knocked out due to being lippy was maybe not the best option. It doesn’t help that there’s a fucking spotlight shining down on me. Concussions fucking suck.
“Ah, the Ghost is finally awake. It was certainly easy enough to catch you.” Cecily’s voice is like nails on a chalkboard.
Ugh. No. Nope. Fuck this. Jude is going to kill me.
“He doesn’t seem like much.”
I roll my eyes, triggering more pain, but fuck, it’s bad enough that I'm being insulted by the bitch, do I need to be insulted by her henchman too? Rope digs into my skin, as my hands are pulled behind me and my feet are tied to the chair…which, given the lack of movement, must be cemented to the damn floor. Fuck.
“You’re fucking fools for taking me,” I retort, unable to keep my mouth shut.
“Oh, look at that. He does talk.” Cecily comes closer, but she’s still in the shadows, so I can’t make out her features well. I hope to fuck the trackers are active, and they didn’t find them while I was out.
“So, where’s Lio and Roman?” I ask, trying to go for nonchalant, but I know the stress bleeds through. I desperately want confirmation that they’re alright.
Cecily laughs, and her henchmen join in, my stomach turning as the reasons why run through my head. “You don’t need to worry about them. Perhaps, you should worry about yourself. After all, you were given up. You must not be that important anymore, Ghost. Maybe because you’re so disfigured? Or because Allesandro isn’t there to step in anymore…”
My heart thumps hard. An insider…fuck, that would make sense. But the only person who knew was Leandro. That wouldn’t make any sense. He wouldn’t hurt Lio or Roman. But fuck, if he did…Lio will be devastated, especially since the Amatos don’t give second chances. Unlike…fuck. No, I willnotgo there.
“If there’s someone betraying the Families, they won’t live long. But I guarantee, whatever you’re planning isn’t going to work. You don’t know shit about loyalty.”
“Loyalty,” she scoffs. “As if you, or anyone you associate with, knows what that word means. And we’re committed to getting the job done. We’re not soft. Although, kudos for taking out the old guard. Didn’t think you had it in you. Especially with how much Allesandro paid for you.”
My head snaps back, making the pounding worse, as I growl, “What the fuck do you mean?”
“You think we didn’t do our homework? It appears we know more about you than even you do.” She doesn’t bother to containher amusement, nor do the henchmen who are snickering. With a sigh, as if put out, she says, “Well, I suppose it won’t hurt to tell you. It’s not like you’re going to live through this anyway. You were up for auction as a whore… What did you do? Piss off your pimp? But Allesandro found out and stepped in, paying a ridiculous amount of money, in my opinion. Nobody’s ass could be worth that much, and technically, your pimp should have been reporting to him anyway, since you were a common street whore. And then, to eventually elevate you to management…weak. Always so damn weak. He should have let the fucking Columbians take you. He would have had a major cut of the proceeds…”
My body goes cold. I remember the Columbians from my days as a street whore, specifically one of them who was interested. Since I prefer not to be missing limbs—and alive—I was glad to get the fuck out before facing him. If Allesandro really prevented that…
“How the fuck would you even know that?” I sneer, pushing the panic down.
Tsking, she says pityingly, “This is why you’ll lose. You don’t do your homework. We have files—extensive files—on each one of you. Hell, when we looked through the files, it was almost as if your mighty Il Padrone was some kind of fucking savior, except in the case of Lio…which is what makes him so much fun to play with.”
“What the fuck have you done to him, bitch?” I growl, ignoring the rest of it. I can’t think about it right now.
