Page 47 of Chaos & Corruption

“You first.”

There’s a certain level of expectation a father has for the guy who dates his daughter. There are tests he needs to pass to prove himself worthy. I think this is one of those tests and as unprepared as I am, I rise to the challenge. When the stakes are so high, and the reward is so fucking precious there is no other choice.

Swiping my sweaty hands down my denim clad thighs, I step around the former mobster and enter the darkened hospital room where his daughter lies. As soon as my eyes land on Victoria I realize there was no way to prepare for the sight of her. It’s a horror like no other. My beautiful not so pretend girlfriend with the mis-matched eyes is barely recognizable.

I take another step forward, drinking her in from head to toe just like I did the first time I laid eyes on her. White gauze wraps around her forehead covering the crown of her head. Her long brown hair is mostly matted with remnants of blood caked between the strands. The eyes I’ve become infatuated with are swollen shut and marred by purple bruises that match the ones on her nose. My gaze slides past the oxygen tube and settles on her open mouth. The gorgeous plump lips that I believe wholeheartedly were made for my kisses and my kisses only, are held open by some sort of contraption, displaying a mouthful mandible hardware.

“Her nose is broke,” Mr. Bianci rasps. “Her jaw, and pelvis too.” He pauses as he closes the distance between us, coming to stand right beside me. “Cracked rib missed her lung by half of a centimeter. Her injuries are so extensive the doctors decided to put her in a medically induced coma. They say it’ll give her body time to heal.”

I guess that makes sense, but there is something the doesn’t.

“You’re a retired boxer or something, right?” I question, bringing my gaze to Mr. Bianci. “Victoria bragged about her brother—the big shot MMA fighter and you all said she was trained in self-defense. So if fighting is in her blood, why didn’t she fight back?”

“We don’t know that she didn’t fight back.”

My gaze cuts back to Victoria and my nostrils flare as I drag in a deep breath. She’s the strongest girl I’ve ever met and her father’s right. I don’t know that she didn’t fight back, she was just no match for her assailant.

“There’s a lot I don’t know, Alex,” Mr. Bianci adds. “Talked to my daughter every day since I dropped her off at Stonewall and she never mentioned having a boyfriend. But the cops tell me that’s what she stored you as a contact in her phone.”

I straighten my shoulders and turn to face him. I guess we’ve reached the point of truth. However, I’m not so sure how much of mine I’m willing to share with him. If I tell him how Victoria and I came to be, then I’m giving up the Scorpio Society and I can’t do that. Not because I’m scared or I’m protecting that fucking twisted cult in any way. No, that’s not the reason. You see, beneath the grief in Mr. Bianci’s eyes there is a dire need for revenge and that’s not his to take.

It’s mine.

I run my fingers through my hair and give him a sliver of the truth.

“Me and Victoria…it sort of just happened, sir.” I swallow. “I’m sorry I didn’t take better care of her. That I allowed this to happen on my watch.”

But I give you my word, whoever is responsible will pay.

“You know how you make it better?”

I kill whoever did it.

I torture them and make them beg for mercy.

Then I deliver them to Hell.

“I have an idea.”

He shakes his head.

“You tell me everything you know. Whoever did this to her, knew to send you the photo which leads me to believe you have an idea who it was.”

I don’t but I know who does. I’m willing to bet my life that whoever raped Mila is who beat the living shit out of Victoria. It’s time for Victoria’s best friend to talk. It’s time for fucking justice.

“I’m not asking, Alex,” Mr. Bianci warns. “Look at my daughter.” My gaze slides back to Victoria and I flinch.

Broken and still so beautiful.

“Now, look at me.” Again, I do as I’m told. “Do I look like a man who asks for anything or am I a man who takes without question?”

I don’t doubt for a second he’s the latter. The man probably has a stack of bodies to his name. He’s definitely better suited for the mission I’m about to embark on, but that won’t sway my determination to see this through.

“I’m going to give you a minute with her because I’ve had a father stand in my way and as good as his intentions were, they destroyed his daughter, and I swore I wouldn’t be that dad. But don’t mistake my kindness for weakness, Alex. Others havedisappearedfor making that very assumption.”

One minute he’s the distraught father, the next he’s the vengeful mobster. I don’t fault him for it, my emotions are all over the place too and I only know the girl that’s got us both twisted a short while.

Imagine being in his shoes.

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