Chapter 33
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ENZO
I thought losing her the first time hurt, but nothing can compare to this kind of torment.
Her broken expression as the truth spilt from my lips is an agonizing image tattooed in the darkest depths of my mind. I never realized how I was just drifting through life before, aimless and alone.
Anastasia was a force, storming into my life in five-inch heels with a power radiating around her unlike anything I had ever witnessed before. And fuck, did I love that woman.
Deep down, I must have known I always have. That’s why no-one else could ever tempt me, because my feelings for her were woven into every inch of my soul, tying us together even when we were apart.
I let my duties to my legacy and family diminish the hold she has on me but now I can finally fully grasp the aching need I have to be with her.
She’s the thread stitching together the torn parts of my soul.
Without her, the never-ending darkness will seep out of me, corrupting all the parts of myself I hoped would become redeemable with her by my side. And I can’t rest until I get her back.
I smash my fist into Ian Donnelly’s face again. He grunts as my wedding ring splits open skin, allowing blood to seep into his bruised eye. I haul him up against the wall and shove him back so the impact hits his dislocated shoulder. “Where the fuck is Aldo?”
“Aldo?” He puzzles in a thick Irish accent.
I groan, wanting to drive my head into the wall at the tedious number of times I’ve done this over the past week. “Seamus. Seamus O’Connell.” I reiterate.
“I don’t know!” He groans and I grit my teeth, dropping him on the ground. His ass lands like a sack of potatoes and I reach for the bat. “No, no, no!” Like a rat, he tries to scurry away from me but there’s nowhere to go .
Deep below the new offices, I had this basement built. It’s more of a torture chamber, equipped with everything I need to dispose of any inconveniences.
Unfortunately for Ian Donelly, he’s one of the higher-ranking members of the Irish mob. It would have been more satisfying to have Killian down here, but I’m saving him for later.
Anger bleeds into my vision and mixed in with sleepless nights without a certain raven-haired goddess in my bed, I’m becoming more trigger happy with each second that passes.
I slam the bat down besides his head, the echo almost mocking Ian as he begins to sob. “I’ll break the other knee, and then I’ll start on your fingernails. Trust me, I don’t have anything else to do so we can spend all night making sure you definitely don’t know the answer to my question.”
My fingers curl around his kneecap and I raise the bat up, ready to swing. “Okay, fine!” I lower the bat, hungry for information. “Last I heard he was holed up by the harbor. There’s no address for him, no house, nothing. He moves around quickly so I don’t know if he’s still there.”
I doubt it but still, one shitty lead is better than nothing.
I slap his face with my bloody palm, almost smiling as I reach into my back pocket for my gun. “There, that wasn’t so hard, was it? ”
“Wait don’t—” I pull the trigger, deafening the room into silence as Ian’s body slumps dead against the wall.
Once upon a time, this kind of crime would have eaten me up for days but now it just passes through me with ease. Like my hands aren’t stained with his blood and his three kids aren’t going to mourn their father.
Stepping back, I tuck my gun away as the door creaks open. Dom strolls in, fighting a gag when he sees the dead body. Sighing hard, he digs out his phone whilst I reach for a rag to wipe the blood from my face. “I guess I’ll call the cleaners again .”
Ignoring the obvious dig, I text one of my men close to the harbor district to check out the new lead, but Aldo wouldn’t be stupid enough to stay there. “When will it end, Enzo? Five dead within a week? People will notice, Aldo will know you’re coming for him.”
I scoff. “Good. I want the bastard to know. I don’t want to give him a moment’s peace until I chop his head off with my own hands.”
I wonder if he still looks the same — not that I remember much from hiding in the closet but his eyes…I’ll never forget those eyes.
The same ones I’m forced to stare at each time I look in the mirror .
My father’s eyes. Mine.
“You’ll find him but butchering every person you think has spoken to the bastard seems a little excessive.”
Ignoring him, I unbutton my shirt and throw it in the trash, knowing there’s way in hell I’m getting those blood stains out. Dom leans against the wall, staring at me until I can’t take the feel of his eyes burning into my skull anymore.
“What?”
He shrugs, “I’m just wondering when you’re gonna stop moping and get your girl back.”
A bitter laugh leaves my throat. He seriously thinks Anastasia is that easy to win over? “You don’t know my wife. She can hold a grudge.”
“Yeah, and so can you. This thing between you isn’t going to solve itself and the longer you let her anger marinate, it’s going to turn into something ugly. Something beyond repair and then you’re really fucked.”
Straightening up, I pull on a clean shirt wondering how Dom managed to dish out smart advice for once. “When did you start giving out relationship advice?”
A smile spreads across his face. “Since I became invested in one myself.”
“You and Jas? ”
“You don’t have to sound so fucking surprised. I’m a catch.” For the first time since Anastasia kicked me out, I laugh. Dom might be an idiot but for a long time he was the only person in my world to make things seem a little brighter.
“How did you convince her?”
“With this.” He grabs his crotch and I snort.
“You’re forgetting I’ve seen your dick way too many times. It’s not impressive enough to get a woman like Jas to commit to you.”
He shrugs. “I made her see how matched we are. That all the differences between us, which made her think we couldn’t work, were exactly why we would. I’m the chaos and disorder to her uptight ass. She needs a little fun and I need some discipline.”
“Tell her the whole truth, Enzo. She deserves to know every painful piece of your past. Let her decide if she wants to walk away, don’t make the decision for her.”
“The problem is she won’t even talk to me. She won’t respond to my texts, my calls and her fucking bodyguard won’t even let me in the damn building. I managed to get a tail on her for a while just to make sure she was safe, but he ended up in hospital with a broken leg and a warning to leave her the fuck alone. ”
That was over a week ago now. Nine days knowing nothing about her whereabouts, her safety, her wellbeing.
“I guess the only way to get her to listen is if you make her.” His gaze meets mine just as the idea begins to formulate in my head. It’s probably a bad one and it might even make her hate me more, but it’ll get her to at least hear me out. If she still decides to walk away…no, that’s not an option.
Dom groans. “I can already tell this is going to be a bad idea.”
A smile rises on my lips. “Get the jet ready.