Page 241 of Sinfully Savage Mafia

Good God, I want to crack it so badly. I want to prove to him that he can’t screw me over, that I’m just as strong, if not stronger, as the rest of my family, and if he doesn’t give me what I want, that I’ll cut out his tongue, too.

“You owe me!” he screams. “And you’re gonna pay!”

“You didn’t deliver,” I seethe against his ear. “So, no, I’m not paying you a fucking cent!” I press his wrist farther back against his forearm so that the top of his fingers are practically kissing it.

“Then Zoe ain’t the only one who’s gonna be violated tonight,” he growls.

My eyes widen, my teeth clenched tight as I snap his wrist, shoving him face-first into the cold floor tiles before I open the door to the room.

The screaming isn’t a big deal.

There are plenty of other, way more disturbing sounds floating into the hallway from other closed doors in the vicinity. I’m sure nobody gave Salvatore’s screeches a second thought. Risk is an exclusive sex den, so nothing really raises eyebrows, especially sounds of pain.

Ray comes into the room and glares at Salvatore writhing on the floor. He then looks up at me, his forehead pinched. He lets out a deep breath, shaking his head. “You should have let me in sooner.”

“I had to handle things with Salvatore,” I say, sweeping a hand through my hair.

“That’s the thing. Salvatore isn’t the problem. He’s the distraction.”

“What the hell are you talking about, Ray?”

“You know the shipment of blow that was delivered this afternoon and locked up in the storage room below the club?” Ray’s lips press together into a tight line. “I just got confirmation from Johnny. The lock was sliced off. The blow is gone.” His eyes narrow as they fall upon Salvatore. “And so is Zoe.”

CHAPTER2

MARCHELLA

“Why are you so fidgety?” I ask my older brother Frankie as I smooth my hair back into a ponytail. “You’re going to wear out the rug from all of your pacing. And since I just vacuumed, it would have been nice for you to take off your damn shoes first!”

“Sorry,” he grumbles, raking a hand through his wavy, dark hair. With a nod toward the rug, he shrugs his shoulders. “Not like the vacuuming helps anyway.”

I purse my lips. “That’s hardly my fault. And just so we’re clear, I’m working endless hours at the restaurant to make sure there’s still carpet under our feet.” With a raised eyebrow, I glower at Frankie. “What about you, hmm? Did you collect any money this week?”

Frankie’s nostrils flare. “You know, Chella, I’m doing the best I can!”

“Really?” I fold my arms over my chest. “Because I haven’t seen a freaking penny from you in the past two weeks! You do know that rent is due at the end of the month, right? Or are you just counting on me to save us?Again!” Anger bubbles deep in my chest, threatening to boil over for about the tenth time today.

“Stop being such a fucking nag!” he thunders. “Do you realize how much stress I’m under right now? No! You don’t! And you want to know why? Because you’re too busy being a goddamn martyr!”

I gasp, my eyes widening. “Did you seriously just…call me…holy shit, Frankie,” I mutter, shaking my head. “Do you realize if it wasn’t for me that we’d be on the street? Hungry? Homeless? Possibly dead?” I clench my fists, my voice rising. “I had plans, too! Did you know that? Did you even care? Do you think I wanted to give up my dreams to move into this shit-ass apartment in one of the worst areas in the city? Do you think I have any desire to live in this fucking hell?” I stomp toward him, stopping directly in front of him. “No!” I scream at the top of my lungs. “I didn’t! But here I am!”

He flashes me a sheepish look, then averts his gaze. “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry for what, exactly?”

“Being an insensitive ass.”

“And?” I say in a sharp voice.

“And for taking advantage of your good nature,” he mumbles, sneaking a look at me. His lips curl into a grin.

“And?”

“And for wearing my shoes on the shitty rug.”

I flop onto the worn sofa that we were lucky enough to score from a nearby Salvation Army store. Although, it’s more apropos to say we were probably luckier that it wasn’t infested with anything that could eat us alive or spread a communicable disease. “What the hell are we going to do?” I murmur, dropping my head into my hands.

Frankie sinks down next to me. “Chell, we’re gonna be okay. I promise.”

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