Page 44 of Ruthless Sinner

Chapter 46

Dante

Our rendezvous point is a lonely stretch of backroad situated between Manhattan and Rosedale. Raiden Drake leads the party on his motorcycle, followed by a menacing white van with no windows.

I asked Adalina to stay in the car. Naturally, she ignored the request and instead stands beside me as the Destroyers arrive.

“Look-y here, boys,” Raiden smirks as he walks up. “And who might you be, sweetheart?”

My heart throbs with a roar of possessiveness. “None of your business. Where’s Martinelli?”

Raiden clucks his tongue, not daring to take his eyes off Adalina. “Tut, tut, Terlizzi. I’m not talking to you.”

Adalina’s dark eyes narrow slightly as she sizes up the biker before her. “I’m his daughter.”

With a snort, Raiden looks from Adalina to me. “You’re not old enough to have a daughter,” he chuckles, his deep voice rumbling like distant thunder.

“Not his daughter,” she corrects. “I’m Adalina Martinelli. I’m his daughter.” This time, she nods at the van.

Raiden nods his head slowly. If he has an opinion on the matter, he doesn’t voice it. “Why couldn’t you lead the Terlizzis to Daddy Dearest if that’s the case?”

Her courage never falters, and I admire her for that. “The last time couple of times I’ve interacted with my father, he’s either said he wanted me dead or he’s tried to kill me.”

“Damn,” Raiden clucks his tongue again, “a girl with daddy issues. I bet you give real good head.”

I step forward to defend Adalina’s honor, but she needs no assistance. She laughs at Raiden and shoots me a wink before saying, “Unzip your pants and let’s find out. I’ll warn you, though, sometimes I bite.”

There’s a moment of silence before Raiden bursts into laughter, slapping his knee and shaking his head. “You’re feisty as fuck. I like you.” His gaze flickers over to me for a moment before he speaks, his tone laced with admiration and approval, “You should get rid of the teenager and stick with this one, Terlizzi. She’s a keeper.”

My lips are taut and stretched into a forced smile. “I’m trying, Drake.” Once I’ve dealt with this troublesome Tommaso Martinelli situation, I’ll begin plotting my escape from the betrothal that ties me to the Castiglione family forever. If I cannot offer Saverio something of equal value, I fear he will stop at nothing to destroy what remains of my family.

“Wolfe, Gunnar,” Raiden barks, “bring Martinelli out.”

My heart begins to hammer in my chest as I watch the two bikers go to the van, open the back doors, and pull out a bound and gagged Tommaso Martinelli. A dark hood conceals his face, but muffled grunts and curses escape from behind the gag in his mouth.

“We popped him in the head with a pipe. It was unavoidable.” Raiden nonchalantly shrugs his shoulders as he strides confidently towards Tommaso. In a single fluid motion, he reaches up and pulls off the hood, revealing Tommaso’s dark hair and sharp features contorted into anger. “But besides a little bump, he’s fine. His men weren’t so lucky. Three or four of them got killed in the process. I’ll be expecting a tip since some of those men were loyal customers. I’m not saying they bankrolled our operation, but they were big spenders.”

I’d give Raiden Drake and the Destroyers my entire fortune if it meant getting my hands on Tommaso once and for all. Thankfully, that’s not what they’re asking. “It’ll be deposited in your bank account by 8 am.”

Enzo lunges towards Tommaso, baring his teeth like a rabid dog. His eyes burn with intense hatred, and a twisted smile spreads across his face as he takes custody of the man.

“It was a pleasure doing business with you, Terlizzi. Call us again any time you need a delivery.” Raiden tips an imaginary hat, and then he and his guys slither back to their rides.

“Fuck that guy,” Enzo grumbles as they walk away. “I hate dealing with the Destroyers.”

Me, too, but they got the job done. “Take his gag out,” I instruct Enzo, changing the subject.

With a deft movement, he snatches the handkerchief from Tommaso’s mouth. The first words out of his mouth are, “You’re a dead man, Terlizzi.”

And it makes me laugh because he’s in no position to make threats. “No, Tommaso, you’re a dead man. You fucked with the wrong man. You tried to kill the wrong girl. You took a hit out on the wrong family. And now, you’re going to pay for what you did.”

Tommaso starts to argue, his voice raising with each word. One nod at Enzo, and the cloth is shoved back in his mouth, obstructing his anger. I don’t need a local farmer to hear our exchange and call the cops.

“Put him in the trunk.” Enzo drags a fighting Tommaso to the back of the car while I turn to Adalina. “You can still back out,” I offer.

But the resolve in her eyes has hardened. “Not a chance. Just do me a favor.” She holds her chin up a fraction of an inch higher. “Make him hurt, Dante. Make him hurt really. fucking. bad.”

Though the timing may not be perfect, I can’t resist leaning down to press my lips against hers. The sensation is electrifying, a jolt of energy that courses through my body and replenishes my strength. “That’s the least I’ll do, Adalina. Trust me. He’s going to regret everything he ever did to you.”

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