Page 14 of Stefano
Chapter Nine
Blood Oath
Stefano
The man tied to the chair is already half-dead, but I don’t care.
His lip is split, his eye swollen shut, blood dripping from his nose onto the concrete floor.I’ve broken fingers, cracked ribs, left him shaking with pain.And still, he hasn’t given me what I want.
Where is she?
I grab his hair, yanking his head back until his neck strains.“Say the name again.”
He groans, blood bubbling in his throat.“Matías.”
The sound of it is gasoline on the fire raging inside me.My fist slams into his jaw, the crack echoing in the basement.He slumps sideways, choking on his own spit.
Severu leans against the wall, arms crossed, his expression carved from stone.“You’re going to kill him before he talks.”
“I’ll kill him after he talks,” I growl, pacing in front of the chair.
My hands shake, not from fear, but from fury I can’t contain.Andrea’s face flashes in my mind, pale and terrified.Every second wasted here is another second she suffers.
The cartel soldier coughs, wheezing.“They ...they took her to the warehouse ...outskirts.By the docks.”
Finally.
I crouch, my voice a blade.“If she’s hurt, I’ll make your death slow enough you’ll pray for hell.”
His eyes widen with terror.He spits blood, trying to form words.“Not ...my choice.Matías ...he wanted bait.For you.”
The rope snaps under my knife.He slumps forward, gasping, only for me to grab the back of his head and slam it into the wall.His skull cracks.He crumples, lifeless, at my feet.
Severu pushes off the wall, his jaw tight.“You didn’t have to kill him.”
“Yes, I did.”My voice is low, certain.“Anyone who touches her dies.”
