“That’s for threatening my child and any future children,” she said, walking behind him.
“Can someone split his shirt for me?” she asked.
Halligan accepted a knife from the man holding Franco’s left side and sliced through his shirt. When he started to hand it back, Loni stopped him.
“I might need it if this doesn’t work,” she said, laying the towel with something inside of it down and holding up a cheese grater.
He chuckled. “You paying him back for your back, honey? A cheese grater doesn’t seem like a big enough penalty for what he did,” Halligan said. Now that he thought about it, he needed to know something. He leaned close.
“Are the men who Franco had whip you in here?” he asked.
Loni glanced around the room, then motioned to two men standing by the bar with one of Bruno’s men beside them.
“Bruno, those two men by the bar participated in what Loni is making Franco pay for. I’d like them to have the same punishment,” Halligan said.
Before Bruno could reply, his men had the two guys Loni had indicated on the floor, one on each side of Franco. His men ripped their shirts down the back too.
“Principessa, what did they do to you?” Bruno asked.
Loni stared at Bruno. Halligan could see her thinking through how much she wanted to share. She leaned close.
“Help me show him,” she said. Halligan nodded. His woman was strong and fierce.
She turned her back to Bruno, and Halligan lifted her shirt high enough for the scars to be seen. Bruno sucked in a breath.
“Imbecille!” Bruno breathed out, walking closer. “I am sorry. I didn’t know.”
Loni nodded, then took the cheese grater. While she was getting ready, Bruno sent someone outside. Loni always seemed so sweet that Halligan worried she’d regret doing this later.
She leaned over and pressed it against Franco’s skin, dragging it down.
Although it barely broke the skin, Franco began sobbing and asking her to stop.
“Did you listen to me when I begged you to stop?” Loni asked.
Halligan slid his arm around Loni, “I want you to do whatever you need to feel closure for what he did to you, but I also don’t want anything to haunt you.”
Loni leaned against him. She nodded and turned to him. “I want him to suffer a little and never bother me again. I’m sure you and Icilio would both like to teach him a few lessons,” she said.
“I know I would, and I’m guessing you’re right about Icilio. Anything you’d like done?” Halligan asked.
“Break his fingers and hurt his back. The back is for me, but the fingers are for our maid when we were kids. He stepped on her fingers just because he could,” Loni said.
“I promise. Now, do you want to go back downstairs with Dad and the girls?” he asked.
“I do.” Loni kissed his cheek and walked over to Bruno. “I appreciate you coming. I’d love for you to stay if you can. I’m sure we can find rooms for you if you’d like to,” Loni said.
Bruno raised her hand to his lips again, dropping a kiss on it. “I would love to accept. And thank you for allowing me a glimpse of your grandmother and my brother. I could see their teaching coming out in you,” he said.
Loni leaned up and kissed his cheek. She turned back to Halligan. “You know, if anybody thinks his dick should be cut off, I bet Renae would be happy to help if you all are too squeamish,” she said, flicking her fingers at them and heading toward the kitchen.
Icilio chuckled. “I like her with you. She’s confident and very happy, but if you ever hurt her…”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah… you’ll kill me. I’m sure we’ll have disagreements, but I plan on her having everything her heart desires.”
“Oh, for Pete’s sake, shut up about it. She’s just a bitch,” Franco said.
Halligan watched Icilio’s face harden and his neck turn red. Franco really didn’t have any sense of self-preservation with the way he was taunting them.
