He sinks to his knees, his eyes wide with panic as he gasps for help, but I just watch with immense satisfaction before pulling out my phone and sending a message to Dean, asking him tosend the cleanup crew to the warehouse in an hour. That will give me plenty of time to deal with Anthony.
Sage comes in carrying an unconscious Anthony over his shoulder. He slams his dead weight into a chair and ties his hands behind him with a couple of zip ties before doing the same to his legs, making escape difficult.
Sage looks down at the enemy, whose gasps for breath get shorter as his blood spills all over the pristine white floor.
“Cleaning that up is going to suck,” he comments as the two of us wait for the final bit of life to leave the man. “I’m glad we have someone to do it for us.” He leans against the metal counter that holds some scientific equipment.
“Ugh, I should probably give the team a bonus. They’ve had to deal with two of my messes in the last week or so.”
Sage puts his arm around me and pulls me against his chest, giving me a hug and pressing a kiss to the top of my head. “Don’t be silly. That’s why you employ them, and you pay them enough for discretion as it is.”
“I’ll comp the team a weekend stay at the Lucky Diamond. Happy employees equal loyal ones, or so Dad used to tell me. That doesn’t explain this asshole.” I kick Anthony’s leg and pull away from Sage as he starts to come around. He was being paid very well for his services, and he still betrayed us.
Sage crosses his arms and glares at his former friend while I step behind him so he can’t see me when he comes around. I love the element of surprise and seeing them just about shit their pants when they realize that I’m personally seeing to their torture.
“Sage?” Anthony sounds groggy, and he struggles with his bonds, but my man has him locked down tight. He might not enjoy torture like I do, but he can lock a body down like a champ.
I look over my surroundings, cataloguing the tools I have to work with, which is limited compared to my usual workspace, but I’m nothing if not practical.
“What the fuck, man?” Anthony sounds annoyed. “Fucking untie me,” he demands, and Sage makes a tutting sound.
“Anthony, man, you fucked up. So what did the Maricusos offer you to betray us? What was your life worth?” Sage sounds bored.
I guess Anthony must finally get his wits about him and catch sight of the dead body, because he starts babbling.
“Oh my god, you killed him. I can’t believe you killed him. I’m a dead man now.”
“Yes, you are, but I’m not going to be the one who kills you,” Sage says genially before nodding in my direction. “She is.”
I step into Anthony’s view, and his face turns an ashen shade as I tap the pair of forceps that I found against my palm. I’m not sure why they are in the lab, but they have a nice pointy end that has potential.
“I swear, Ms. Russo, I had no choice. They have my sister,” he pleads, tears welling in his eyes. “They threatened to kill her if I didn’t do what they told me.”
Sage scoffs. “What a load of shit. You’re an only fucking child—a spoiled rotten only child rebelling against two wonderful parents who would have gladly given you the world.”
The tears instantly dry up, replaced with a vicious scowl in Sage’s direction. “Shut your fucking mouth, you freak,” he snarls. I step forward and drive the forceps into the meaty part of Anthony’s thigh. His thin, cotton scrub-like pants do nothing to protect him from being impaled, and his scream reverberates around the warehouse.
“I don’t like it when people call Sage names,” I remark conversationally.
“Aww, what do I keep saying? You are such a softy, Victoria Russo.” Sage blows me a kiss, and between his gasps for breath, Anthony starts spewing vitriol.
“She’s a fucking psychotic bitch who should have been put down years ago. Only thing she is good for is sucking or taking a cock. Thinks she’s something special now that her brother has turned into a fucking pussy and can’t run this family, but all she’s doing is making it ripe for takeover.”
“Ah, and that is the root of this very situation. Why were you making product for the enemy?” I ask, and he clamps his lips shut, a stubborn set to his jaw as his nostrils flare as he tries to breathe through the pain.
I grin at him gleefully. “Dude, you can be as stubborn as you like. It’s been a while since I have been allowed to torture someone, and you are giving me all the motivation I need.”
I lean forward and grab each side of the forceps before yanking them open. Inside the wound, the two ends dig through more flesh. He howls again. It’s music to my ears, and I feel my nipples pebble with excitement.
“Stop,” he rasps. “Please stop. Fuck, first I told him I wanted you.” He opens his eyes and looks at me with a mixture of hatred and lust. “Wanted to parade you in front of Sage, knowing I had you and he didn’t. Wanted to fuck that pretty mouth and ass and make him watch while you screamed my name.”
I raise my eyebrows at Sage. “I thought this guy was your friend. That doesn’t sound very friendly.”
Sage leans back against one of the benches and crosses his arms. “I did too. I guess I was wrong.”
“Why would I be friends with a gutter rat like you? You were useful in helping me with my chemistry career, but I am so far out of your league, it’s ridiculous.” Anthony is nasty as fuck. Sage is a way better man than he will ever be, no matter where hecame from. Being well off doesn’t automatically make you a good person.
“So Lorenzo promised you me?” I ask him, and he shakes his head.
