Page 61 of Shot For Mercy

“He’s a good one.” I chuckle.

“Let’s get up.” Cole sighs, and I do too.

I want to stay in bed for the rest of the day, but I understand why we can’t. We have the advantage right now. It won’t be long until the Pakhan realizes his son is missing, and then he’ll retaliate. We’ll be ready for it, though, and I’ll protect Cole at all costs.

After we’ve both showered and dressed, we’re on our way to our hidden warehouse. A new one I just acquired. One the Russians don’t even know about. I’m using it to my advantage while we still can, especially since I don’t know how long we’ll stay hidden for. Who knows if I can trust the men I employ. Some of them could turn on me if they’re offered even a little more money. I can’t buy their loyalty. Which is exactly why I’ve only revealed it to my most trusted men.

The ride there is silent, but it’s comfortable. His hand grips my thigh the entire way, and I just stare at him. How can someone be so fucking perfect? His face is so symmetrical too, it’s truly unfair. So handsome. I can’t stand it. I want to look away, but I can’t. He’s absolutely riveting.

Once we pull up to the warehouse, Cole is the first one out of the SUV. He walks to the door with purpose, and the two guards step away from the door to let him through. They nod as I approach, and I nod back, chasing after Cole. It’s dark in here, and Andrey is being kept in the back. Cole leads the way as if he’s been here a hundred times, even though this is our first time walking these halls.

We make it to the back room quickly, and Cole laughs loudly at the sight of Andrey’s fucked up face. It seems like my brothers already got started without us. Giovanni’s hands hang by his sides, brass knuckles dripping blood. He loves those. Loves to fight with his hands. Cole, on the other hand, loves sharp objects. Saws and scalpels being his favorite.

“My turn,” Cole murmurs, squeezing Giovanni’s shoulder before taking a scalpel out of his pocket. I chuckle, and my brothers’ heads swivel my way, their eyes wide. I’m not sure they’ve ever seen Cole in action before. Not like this. “I can’t wait to fucking end you, you piece of shit,” he says to Andrey, who just smiles.

“There’s nothing you can do to me that will make me out my family.”

Cole tilts his head to the side, assessing Andrey. “I’m sure there’s plenty I could do.”

Cole walks closer to Andrey, and the man whimpers weakly. He might not want to give up information, might even hold it all in and not give us shit, but the reality of it is that he’s scared—as he should be. Cole isn’t fucking around right now. Andrey is a dead man. Once the Pakhan finds out about this, he’ll really put a target on Cole’s head. I have to do whatever it takes to protect him. This is all a horrible idea, and I might regret it later, but the least I can do is give him closure. Heneedsthis.

I blink, and Cole’s scalpel is suddenly in Andrey’s arm. He drags it through muscle, and it bleeds profusely. A guttural scream escapes Andrey, and I wince. Cole is pissed off, and when he’s angry, he’s unpredictable. You really don’t want to be on his bad side.

He steps away from Andrey with a manic grin on his face, and Giovanni shivers beside me. Yeah, brother, Cole is just a tiny bit crazy, but I love that about him. I don’t have to worry about breaking him. He can handle himself and this life. He can be my equal. We can do this together, and one way or another, we fucking will.

“Jesuuuuus,” Giovanni mutters when Cole sticks his fingers into the tattered skin of Andrey’s arm, making him scream. “That’s disgusting.”

“Just a little bit,” Alessandro says with a grin, clearly enjoying the show. “But this is entertaining, that’s for sure. Cole has it in him, after all.”

“We’ve always known that, though,” Lorenzo says with a shake of his head. “He’s kind of insane.”

“I can hear you,” Cole says, turning around to face us. There’s a smirk on his face, and he looks unbothered by my brothers’ monologue. “I’m right here.”

“Well, you are crazy.” Tony chuckles.

“Come here,” I tell Cole, and he dutifully walks toward me until he’s standing in front of me. His Vans are touching my very expensive loafers, and I smirk. We’re so different from each other, but we work anyway. I grab the back of his head and kiss him softly, pressing my lips to his. He thrusts his tongue into my mouth, stroking languidly, like we don’t have an audience. “God, I can’t get enough of you.”

“Same.” Cole smirks, stepping away from me, going back to Andrey’s side.

My brothers are staring at me with a grin; everyone but Alessandro, the grumpy bastard. He’s never happy, I swear to God.

Cole crouches in front of Andrey, stabbing his leg and dragging the scalpel through muscle, away from the main artery. Andrey screams once more. “Here’s how this is going to go,” Cole tells Andrey. “I’m going to ask you some questions, and you’re going to answer.”

“Never,” Andrey whispers.

“Where’s the safe house?” Cole asks. The safe house is where the Pakhan and Natasha must be hiding by now. They’re not going to stay at their headquarters when Andrey has been kidnapped from there. “I want to know.”

We’re met with silence except for a deep groan from Andrey. He’s clearly in a lot of pain and bleeding profusely. He’s not going to make it very long if Cole continues this little game.

“Where is it, Andrey?” Cole asks through gritted teeth.

“There are too many to count,” Andrey whispers, clearly in pain.

“Then where is your father?” Cole asks him again.

“Not telling you that.”

Cole smirks, stepping away. “Shame.” He sighs. “I was going to kill you quickly, but it seems like you want to play for a while, and who am I to deny you?”

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