Chapter 14
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Ace
Listening to bones splinter beneath my fist is like music to my fucking ears.
Drops of blood glide down my cheek, landing on my bare arm as it hurdles toward the man’s fucked up face. The blow is sickening to my ears, followed by a deep groan. Again, hearing someone in pain because of me is something I could listen to all damn day.
“Please… stop.” His breaths are labored, the syllables cracking slightly. His shaved head is slick with blood and sweat. “It wasn’t… my fault.”
I exhale a sharp breath and stand back, admiring my handiwork. The skin around his eyes is swollen to the point I’m sure I look like a blurry blob, and bruises are starting to form on his cheekbones which I’m sure are shattered inside his skull. Blood, both dry and fresh, litters his face.
He looks like fucking shit.
When I dragged his ass in here last night, kicking and screaming like a goddamn child, I knew he wasn’t going to make it easy for me. The poor bastard pushed my buttons, trying to talk me out of what I needed to do and attempting to escape, I knew I had to do something to keep him in place.
And that meant holding him against the large wooden boards lining the small room for occasions like this, and hammering two large nails through the palms of his hands. It made his screams louder, begging for help or death. No one came to his aid because not only is the room soundproof, but I was ordered to torture this fucker.
We’ve been going at this for hours. My knuckles are beginning to ache, but I welcome the pain. I fucking crave it.
It’s a distraction from her . Silver hair. Eyes as green as the Amazon rainforest. A fucking sweet voice that damn well nearly brings me to my knees every time it echoes through my mind.
Fucking hell.
“Then whose fault was it, David?” My eyes meet his swollen eyelids. “Because, last time I checked, you were the one who fucked up the supply drop.”
“I was jumped,” he spits, frustration dripping from his words. “I had no idea those assholes were going to be there. I didn’t… know they would take everything and leave me for dead.”
“If I were you, I would have made sure you died before showing your face back here.” I roll my neck from side to side, relieving the built-up tension. Despite the pain in my knuckles, I flex them, ready to continue. “Enzo is fucking pissed, and rightfully so. But luckily for you, he doesn’t want me to kill you. Not yet.”
David’s lip quivers as he stares at me, his head falling forward. “Y-you don’t have to do this, man. It wo-won’t happen again, I promise.”
“You’re right, it won’t happen again.” Without so much as breaking eye contact, I reel my right fist back and land it square against his jaw. Blood spurts from his busted lips, spraying across the wall beside him. I grin at the sight. “Once I’m done with you, you’re going to wish you were dead.”
* * *
I step out of the room, wiping my knuckles with the edge of my shirt. Maybe it wasn’t the best idea to wear a white T-shirt given the bloody mess I left behind.
Two guards rush into the room, and moments later, David’s limp and unconscious body is being dragged away. They disappear down the hallway, leaving me alone with my thoughts. Which isn’t a good thing because they always drift back to her .
Every. Goddamn. Time.
Approaching footsteps from the opposite end of the hallway have my back straightening. I turn just in time to see Enzo, dressed in a pressed three-piece black suit with his dirty blond hair slicked back, flanked by two beefy guards. His black eyes find mine before traveling down to the blood-soaked shirt hanging from my frame.
An evil grin splits his face. “I see you had a good time.”
“He may have squealed like a pig, but goddamn, was he fun to torture.”
Enzo’s aged features tighten as he clenches his jaw, his arms clasped firmly behind his back. “Did you get any new information from him?”
I run my hand through my messy hair, dried blood clumping some of the strands together. “He’s adamant he knew nothing about those Bonanno fuckers jumping him. They came out of nowhere while he was down at the docks ready to make the drop.”
Enzo exhales a long breath. “No one knew about the drop besides me and David. Which means we have a fucking mole.”
Having a mole in the Gambino gang is unheard of. Enzo runs a tight fucking ship around here, keeping every member in line with a simple hard glance. No one would dare fuck with the Don, especially if you want to continue breathing through your mouth and not a straw.
Who would be game enough to tip off our rival gang about a drop? Someone with a death wish, I’m sure.
“If there is someone game enough to do that, I will fucking find them.”
The corner of Enzo’s mouth turns up in a smirk. “I know you will.” He clears his throat. “Any news on the girl you kidnapped?”
I swallow hard and run my tongue over the inside of my cheek. “She’s taken care of.”
Enzo regards me for a moment, his intense blue eyes meeting mine. I don’t need to say the words out loud for him to understand the meaning of those four simple words.
“Good,” he finally comments. “And thank you for taking care of David.”
“It’s what I do.” I shrug and shove my hands deep into the pockets of my black jeans. “Is there anything else you need from me?”
Enzo waves me off with a flick of his hand. “You’ve done enough. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
I bid my boss farewell and leave the mansion. Enzo likes to conduct his gang from the comfort of his lavish home. The hallways are filled with members, maids, and cooks. No matter where I walk, I encounter someone on Enzo’s payroll. It’s not uncommon for me to run into cops from the NYPD either. Most of the department is dirty, but it’s none of my business.
Enzo hired me for one thing, and one thing only: to kill. If someone needs to be taken out or tortured for any wrongdoings, I’m the man Enzo calls. It’s an easy job, really. And one I fucking love. Getting my hands dirty and my clothes messy is what I like to call a good day in the office.
The sky is pitch black when I step through the front door and descend the porch steps. My black Aston Martin DBS sits idle in the driveway. It’s a reliable car and comfortable as hell. It was the first big purchase I made once the money started rolling in. And I have zero regrets about it.
Smooth leather meets the back of my jeans as I slide into the front seat. Cool air nips at my arms, but I welcome it. Even though it’s winter, I find myself hotter than usual, my skin overly feverish.
I wonder if it has anything to do with a certain woman with silver-blonde hair and green eyes filled with innocence and kindness that bring me to my fucking knees every time I think about her.
My fingers flex around the leather steering wheel, my eyes boring straight ahead at the tree line surrounding the Gambino mansion. I know I should go home, but every fucking ounce of my soul demands I go see my little bird. Even if just for ten minutes.
I’ve been doing that a lot since the day she was rescued. I wasn’t supposed to seek her out at the hospital, posing as a nurse and watching from close by as her fiancé sat by her side, holding her hand. It took everything in me not to march into the room and remind her that she didn’t cry out his name when she came on my cock. But I didn’t. I couldn’t.
And maybe I shouldn’t have followed her to her fiancé’s parents’ house and texted her from the comfort of the tree line. Seeing her squirm knowing I had found her and was watching from afar was enough to make me lose my goddamn mind.
I think the moment I realized I had grown obsessed with my little bird was two nights ago when I broke into her house and watched her have sex with her fiancé through the crack in their bedroom door. At that moment, with my fists clenched at my jaw and my teeth grating against each other, I knew I was a fucking goner for this woman.
I couldn’t look away. Jealousy coursed through my veins like a disease, and it took every ounce of self-control to stay rooted in place. I hated seeing my little bird like that, but what did fill me with immense joy was the fact she wasn’t enjoying it.
I could tell by the way her eyes flicked to the balcony doors as she rode his cock, as if she were looking for someone. That someone being me. Her moans sounded forced, and she seemed uninterested in the man lying beneath her.
As I walked out of the house that night and watched her from the tree line, waiting for her to come out on the balcony, I knew I couldn’t stay away. For now, I was content with letting her know I was watching, enjoying the way she squirmed while reading each text message I sent. At least, until I decided my next move.
Because I know for a damn fact I’m not letting my little bird go.
Like most nights, I find myself standing in the tree line surrounding her property. From my position, I see her eating dinner with her fiancé. He’s talking at her while she sits and listens. Although, I don’t know how much she’s truly listening because her gaze continues to sweep across the large floor to ceiling windows overlooking the backyard.
For a moment, I wonder if she spots me hidden in the darkness, watching.
She turns her gaze back to her plain fiancé and pushes food around her plate.
I grin, and reach for my phone lying in my pocket. If my little bird is looking for me, then I’m going to give her what she wants.
ACE: You waiting for me, little bird?
Paetyn’s phone vibrates on the table beside her, and she rushes to snatch it up. Her fiancé is still yapping away, not noticing her attention is elsewhere. Her eyes flick across the message before winding. She glances out the windows briefly before typing back a response.
PAE: I told you to leave me alone.
I grin. Oh, this is going to be fucking fun.
ACE: Are you thinking about me while your fiancé talks? Do you wish it was my voice instead?
Her eyes flick between the device resting firmly in her lap and that bastard, who is still fucking talking.
I couldn’t imagine living with that dickhead. He screams boring.
PAE: I’m not doing this with you, psycho. Leave me alone.
My tongue rolls in my cheek as I read her message. She’s testing me, I know. Although her words say one thing, her body shifting in the seat as she awaits a response tells me she fucking loves this push and pull. She wants me but refuses to admit it to herself.
ACE: Psycho, hmm? I’m psycho enough to walk in right now, tie your fucking fiancé up, and make him watch while I fuck you. He’ll hear you cry out my name and not his. Is that what you want?
PAE: You wouldn’t dare….
ACE: Call me a psycho again, and see what happens, little bird. I’m a man of my word.
I watch as she squirms while reading my text. My cock is painfully hard at seeing her body react this way, and it takes everything in me not to touch myself at the sight of her.
Before she can type a response, the senator says something, snatching her attention away from me. She lowers her phone in her lap and resumes their conversation, forgetting about me.
I grit my teeth and slip my phone back into the pocket of my jeans.
One day, she will be mine. I’ll make fucking sure of it.