Page 335 of Legacy

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Ribs give. He gurgles. He starts to fade. I won’t let him.

I toss the bat aside. It clatters across the concrete, the sound sharp and final. Then I grab the cart.

Car battery.

Two clamps.

A switch.

Nico says nothing. Just watches as I roll it over.

I drag one of the cords across Gio’s chest. His eyes flicker.

“You ever feel electricity tear through your spine, Gio?” I ask softly. “No?That’s a shame.”

I clamp one to the skin on his chest.

He starts to beg.

I clamp the other to the inside of his thigh.

He sobs.

I flick the switch.

His whole body jerks. A scream tears from his throat. High. Shrill. Desperate.

“That’s for her spine,” I whisper. “For the way it seized when you fuckingtasedher.”

I let it ride. Five seconds. Ten.

Then I flip the switch off.

His body slumps.

I lean in close.

“You don’t touch what’s mine. You don’thurther. And you sure as fuck don’t throw her into the trunk like she’s nothing.”

He sobs. Broken. Mucus and blood dripping from his nose.

“I should end you now,” I growl. “But I want you to feel what she felt. I want you to learnempathy.”

I flick the switch again.

He screams.

And I smile.

Because this?

This is just the beginning.

My phone vibrates on the table.

Nico checks it. “Unknown number.”

“Decline it.” My voice is ice. “I don’t want their demands. They’re not running this shit. I am.”

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