“Relax.” I drag the blade against his cheek. “Anyone ever tell you that you’re very tense?”
And then I open his throat with my blade. He slumps instantly. Blood spills down his shirt.
I step back before it hits my boots. “See, Rafe. Like I said . . . therapeutic.” I wipe the blade on the back of his shirt and toss it on the table. Rafe bellows out a laugh.
The warehouse door creaks. Vin (one of my uncle’s men) steps in. He’s got no idea what I wanted with this fool, but luckily for me, Vin isn’t the sharpest tool in the shed and won’t ask any questions other than where to bury it. “Body?”
“Recycling.” I shrug. “Or compost. I’m not picky.”
Vin snorts. “Anything useful?”
“Everything useful,” I answer, grabbing my phone. “Rafe and I have some personal business, so see to it that he gets disposed of.”
Vin nods sharply. “Got it.”
He disappears again. I pull up Matteo’s name and hit call. He answers on the second ring.
“My favorite cousin,” Matteo drawls. “What’re you up to?”
“A whole lot of nothing,” I snap.
“Sounds about right, you are pretty useless.”
I roll my eyes. “Shut up and listen. I’m going dark for a bit. Need to get my dick sucked.” We’re really moving on Danforth Steel, but he doesn’t need to know that. Let him think I need to blow off some steam.
“Seriously?”
“Yes, seriously, my ex is getting fucking married, which means my cock will be in some whore’s mouth before the end of the night. You got a problem with that? Because you know as well as I do, you’d be doing the same thing in my position.”
“Fair. I got your back.”
Thank fuck for that because honestly, I don’t know what I’d do if he didn’t. I do hate lying to him, though, but this is one secret I’ll have to take to the grave. If my uncle ever finds out what I have planned for Victoria, he’d kill me. And while I’m not afraid of death, the Grim Reaper can’t make an appearance until I’ve gotten my pound of flesh, courtesy of my revenge plot.
I hang up the phone, and the moment I do, Rafe whistles. “Can’t believe you just lied to Matteo, and I can’t believe he bought it.”
“Fuck off, Rafe.”
“What’s the plan?”
“Oh, nothing major,” I say lightly, flipping a bloodstained coin between my fingers. “Just dismantling their company piece by piece. Starting with blowing up the steel arm of their empire.”
“Subtle.” Rafe laughs. “Anyone tell you you’ve become quite cruel?”
“I’m not cruel.” I scoff. “I just know what I want.”
Rafe hums. “And what do you want?”
I smile. It’s a slow and feral kind. “I want to ruin them,” I say. “Strip them of everything.”
His laugh is sharp. “Love that for you. Orders?” he asks.
“Simple,” I say, stepping farther away from the body on my way to the door. “We hit the Danforth Steel plant. Tonight. Don’t destroy it. That’s too obvious. Can’t have them figuring out it’s me yet. How about a fire? Cripple production. Make them scramble.”
His tone darkens with anticipation. “Understood.” He nods before he walks out of the room to put my plan in place.
The warehouse feels quieter now. Heavy in a different way. I walk into the office, shutting the door behind me with a click. The desk is clean except for one thing.
The photo.
