The wimp grunts, immediately scampering up, eyes wide and body jittering.
The urge to have blood on my hands is strong, but I release a long, steady breath. Someone in this place ratted me out, and until I find him, they are all fucking guilty.
Suddenly, Matteo reappears, and his voice comes low beside me. “We won’t have issues with the cops, Boss. I’ve spoken to our guy, Jonathan. We will investigate the source of the fire.”
I nod stiffly, bringing my eyes back to the line of guards. None of them dares to meet my eyes.
“No one comes in or goes out without Matteo’s clearance,” I order in a deadly whisper. Then I turn to Matteo. “Find the bastard.”
***
I don’t linger around to watch part of my empire burn into ashes. There were stashes of drugs, money, ledgers, and invoices in that fucking warehouse. Fuck knows where they’ll hit next.
My breath evens out as I loosen my tight grip on the steering wheel. I swear to God, the next hit will be by me. James, the bastard, hobbling around the docks with an eyepatch, is already marked for that.
We have men tailing him, watching his every move, until he slips and leads us to the anonymous cowards pulling the string.
I feel a headache crawl up my forehead as I take deep breaths to steady my rage. I slowly pull into the mansion, kill the engine, and jump out.
I ascend the stairs and am about to turn the corner to my wing when I suddenly bump into Isabella. Fuck. Watching her fall and exaggerate the collision would have been entertaining any other day.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” I hiss, already thinking of adding a restriction to her movements. This is my wing. She doesn’t get to just waltz around here.
Her hands slowly rub at a spot on her shoulder, where she’d bumped into me. She reaches for her glasses on the floor and settles them on her nose. When her eyes land on mine, her startled look hardens into a tight frown. Then, her gaze sharpens, revulsion narrowing the corners of her eyes.
“You usually seem composed,” she starts, disgust dripping down her voice. “I guess torturing men and sending the video to your wife is enough to crack even your perfect mask.”
My jaw ticks, but I don’t answer. Instead, I shove my hands deeper in my pockets and sidestep her, stalking toward my office. But irritation slowly climbs my nerves when her voice stops me.
“Tell me, what did you do that for?” she drawls, and I don’t miss the edge of taunt in her voice. “To feel alive? Powerful? To show that you’re a man who’ll make good on his baseless threats?”
My feet come to a halt. I sharply pivot toward her, my nostrils flaring. “Leave. Now.”
Instead, she stands her ground. “We both know I don’t do well with commands.”
Growling darkly, I take a daunting step toward her, letting my shadow fall over her small frame. “That was a warning.”
Her gaze on mine falters as silence descends on the space. I half expect her to back off and drop it, but she stretches her head forward and shoots me a narrowed gaze. “Then I should reaffirm that I don’t do well with warnings.”
Foolish words from a foolish girl. “I swear to God, Bell—”
“You think you’re some sort of god who controls the universe,” she interrupts with a scoff, “but a man that preys on the weak is no better than a coward.”
Her words scratch at my spine. The way she says it with such audacity, like she’s unaware of the danger she’s playing with, drives me damn near to the edge.
I grit my teeth and, in a blink, slam her back into the wall, my fist clenching around her slender throat.
“Watch your mouth, little wife. God shows mercy, I don’t.” My voice comes out low and gritty.
Her breaths quake, eyes glinting with tears, but she doesn’t shut it. “You’re a monster,” she spits with venom.
A low, dry chuckle escapes my lips. “Monster? You wish, Princess.” Then my voice reduces to a deadly whisper as I bare my teeth in a snarl, “Monsters end your suffering, but me? I’ll make you beg for it.”
Her lips part to release a strained whimper, and somehow that draws a twisted smile from my face.
“You belong to the devil now, Bella.” I catch the tear strolling down her cheek with my thumb. “Every scream… every tear… every breath you take feeds me. And I’ll make sure all of hell bends to watch you break for me.”
Chapter nine
