Page 23 of Reign Of Triumph
“I know. I just wish this could be different.”
“I do too.”
“Eros, please don’t make him suffer,” I beg.
“It’s been a day to remember. Tomorrow will not be pleasant, but eventually, we will move on. Try and get some rest. Your mother will need your support very soon,” Eros says before he leaves.
I cry myself to sleep, tears on my pillow, but in the morning find myself wrapped in Eros’s arms.
Twelve
It’s Not Over
Eros
“I should have known that bitch of a sister would betray me,” Giusto spits out, earning himself another fist to his face. I’ve held myself back from tearing him apart limb from limb. I think of all the ways I planned to torture Giusto, yet thus far, I’ve only hit him three times, and each time when he mentions Serafina.
My father, on the other hand, has proven that despite his age, he has a mean left hook. Dad keeps at Giusto until he’s spitting out his teeth as well as blood, all the while raging, shouting things like “This is for my baby girl” and “You killed my Miranda.”
Marco merely looks disappointed when he says, “You brought this on yourself. This is the time of your reckoning. I’m glad your father isn’t around to see how you planned to throw your sister to the wolves. You sacrificed her life to save your own skin. It’s cowardly. To add to this, plotting to kill your underboss guarantees your certain death. May God have mercy on your soul.”
“I want to speak with Giusto alone,” I announce, my eyes locked with Giusto’s.
They file out, the heavy steel door slamming shut behind them.
“What comes next? A cattle prod?” Giusto asks with a toothless sneer. With Giusto tied to a chair, there’s nothing he can do. I can make him suffer for hours before ending his life.
“Just tell me why? Why Miranda?” I ask.
“She was a hot piece of virgin ass, and I wanted to stick my dick in her. Is that what you want to hear? Or do you want to know how she begged me to stop? She cried the entire time. It was a fucking turn-on. I liked it. Fuck! For years, I’d get off just thinking of how it felt when I pounded into her tight cunt.”
Giusto can’t touch me, but he hopes to hurt me with his words. I don’t even flinch, keeping my expression emotionless.
I say nothing, letting him imagine all the ways I can inflict pain.
“What are you waiting for? Go ahead,” he says defiantly, lifting his chin.
I’ve broken stronger men than Giusto. He’s no challenge.
I take out my gun. For Serafina, I’ll give him a quick death.
“The great and mighty Eros, and this is it? A bullet.” He lets out an evil laugh. “Pathetic.” I can see my lack of response annoys him, as he continues to needle me. “Even when I’m dead, this won’t be over, asshole.”
I pull the trigger, watching as his head flops back with a bullet between his eyes. Blood spills across the back wall. I ignore it and walk out.
When I get close to Nero, I say, “When we tell Vera, we’ll say that I identified the body. It’ll be a closed casket. I don’t want her seeing her son this way.”
It doesn’t take me long to get home. I climb the stairs to the master bedroom, strip off my clothes, and stand under a hot shower. I’m fucking tired. After toweling dry, I slide into bed next to my sleeping wife. The guard told me he could hear Serafina sobbing earlier. I gather her into my arms and close my eyes.
Thirteen
What Do We Do Now?
Serafina
“Fi, baby, it’s time to get up.” I hear Eros’s voice and rustle under the covers, gripping my pillow closer, wanting to ward off the day. Only, my pillow isn’t soft and fluffy. It’s firm and strong, and as I run my fingers over it, I realize it has defined abs.
My eyes spark open to find Eros grinning his sexy just woke up and look this good grin at me. His bare, muscular chest is on display, and my hand, having a will of its own, is roaming and exploring the hardness of his body. I snatch back my hand as if it had been scorched by a fire.
