I feint left then strike right. My blade opens a gash across his chest, and he staggers back with a grunt.
He laughs, the sound wet and ragged. “We’re the same, you and I. Monsters pretending to be men. The only difference is I’m honest about what I am.”
“We’re nothing alike.” I press my advantage, driving him back toward the rusted machinery. “I protect what’s mine. You destroy everything you touch.”
“I destroyed your sister.” The words are designed to wound, to make me lose control. “She begged, you know. Begged for them to stop. Begged for you to save her.”
White-hot rage floods my vision, but I force it down. He wants me angry, wants me sloppy. I won’t give him the satisfaction.
My men stand in a loose circle around us, weapons ready but not interfering.
They know this fight is mine.
They know some debts can only be paid in blood, one on one.
Adrian lunges again, and this time I’m ready.
I catch his wrist and twist, feeling bones grind together.
He drops the knife with a howl of pain, and I drive my fist into his face.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
His head snaps back with each impact, blood spraying from his nose and split lip.
He goes down hard, and I’m on him immediately.
My knife presses against his throat, right over the old scar I gave him.
It would be so easy to finish this now. One quick slice, and Adrian Morello bleeds out on this dirty warehouse floor.
“Why are you gloating?” I demand, pressing the blade harder. A thin line of blood appears. “You’re ten seconds away from death, so why do you look like the fucking cat that ate the mouse?
Adrian laughs, the sound wet and bubbling. “You really don’t know, do you? All this time, all this revenge, and you never figured it out.”
“Figured what out?”
“You didn’t get all the men involved with your sister’s rape.” He chuckles, then stops when my knife presses further into his skin. “Even if you kill me, there’s still one more.”
“Tell me his name.” My hand is steady, but inside I’m screaming. I need to know. Need to make sure every single person who touched my sister pays for what they did.
“Why should I?” Adrian’s dark eyes glitter with malice. “You’re going to kill me anyway.”
“Because if you tell me, I’ll make it quick.” I lean closer, my voice dropping to a whisper. “If you don’t, I’ll make it last for days. I’ll keep you alive and screaming until you beg me for death.”
Something flickers in his expression. Fear, maybe. Or calculation. “He’s someone close to you. Someone you trust.”
My blood runs cold. “A name, Adrian.”
“Mikhail.” Sophia’s voice cuts through the tension. I glance over to see her supporting Melinda, who can barely stand. Marco hovers nearby, ready to help. “We need to get her to a hospital.”
She’s right. Melinda needs medical attention, and we’re exposed here. But I can’t let Adrian take this information to his grave.
I return my attention to Adrian. “Tell me the name, or I start cutting pieces off.”
