Page 60 of Wicked Tricks

No one had ever caught my attention like Rome had.

The girls my mother had suggested, fixed me up with, were all brought up being taught just how to behave in our world.

They were submissive, compliant, quiet - boring.

I knew that it’s what I was supposed to want, a trophy wife who did as she was told.

But I had always just preferred being alone.

I just had to figure out a way to get Rome to stop fighting it. Because I knew that there was something there between us. There was this spark, this fire, every time we were near each other. I knew that I wasn’t imagining it. I knew that it was no longer about the thrill of the conquest or the chase. I had already had her, and instead of losing interest as I usually did - I wanted her now more than ever.

Maybe she could never trust me, I had never given her a reason to. I looked up at the sky as the sun set, the day was coming to an end. Angel turned off suddenly, down a dirt track that disappeared into the trees.

The only indication of the road being there, was a single red ribbon tied to a tree branch a while back from the turn.

From there, it was a drive even deeper into the scrub.

“Please, Antoni, don’t kill me,” Luca pleaded, crying shamelessly.

I ignored him, tired of the dramatics, and was relieved when I saw the small shack appear before us. I smiled, knowing the fear that would be rising inside of Luca. Being an employee, or ex-employee, he knew exactly what this little house in the woods was used for.

We dragged him inside, kicking and screaming.

The old wooden door opened with a menacing screech, and the floorboards groaned under our weight as we walked inside. Dimitri turned on the lights, illuminating the plain, unfurnished cabin. There was a single wooden chair in the middle of the room, and Angel pushed Luca down onto it.

Standing in front of him, he lit a cigarette.

Dimitri threw an arm around Angel as I leaned in the doorway.

“So,” Dimitri rubbed his hands together, “who gets to go first?”

Luca sobbed, “please, don’t kill me.”

“Boss should go first,” Angel said flatly, taking a long draw on his cigarette.

Luca turned his eyes to me, wide with pleading and fear, “Boss, come on. I’ll - I’ll leave town, you’ll never see me again.”

“What about Grace?” I asked.

“I’ll stay away,” he nodded hopefully.

I pursed my lips together, folding my arms.

I joined the boys as they stood over him.

“So how can I guarantee,” I began, taking the cigarette from Angel’s fingers and taking a draw, “that Grace, and I, will never see your pathetic fucking face ever again?”

“You have my word,” he nodded, falling to his knees again, begging.

I ducked down to meet his face, leaning in close.

“Your word doesn’t mean shit,” I said, taking the cigarette and pressing the burning cherry deep into his chest. The distinct smell of burning fibre filled the room as his thick chest hair was singed by the heat.

He screamed, and writhed in pain, crumbling closer to the ground.

“Please,” he screamed, crying hysterically.

“Fine,” I said, handing the crumpled cigarette back to Angel, “but if I see your fucking face again, if I hear of anything happening to Grace, oranyone, because of you - you’re fucking dead.”

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