Chapter 27 #2
“We just were starting with any north end room. That was the one we managed to get to before you guys showed up. We had to sneak in in the chaos.”
“But you didn’t sneak in, did you?” Dante suddenly asks, tone sharp, barbed. “You had help. Who the fuck helped you?”
“The house manager,” he gasps out.
No one reacts to that. We all know he’s lying. Sofia was with the women.
“See, here’s the thing, I don’t like liars,” Alessio muses, his tone almost bored, but his eyes hold the promise of pain.
“Especially when you’re trying to lie about a woman that I consider a sister.
And he,” pointing at Dante, “really won’t like you trying to frame the woman he’s planning on marrying if he knows what’s good for him.
” The beating is swift, sudden, and I’m surprised that Dante doesn’t try to join in. Instead, he watches, waiting.
When Alessio finishes, the man is sobbing. “She told me she was the house manager,” he pleads. “That’s what she told us. She could get us in. Just ask for the house manager in the kitchen.”
“What is her name?” Alessio demands.
“Janice.”
I look over at Dante. His eyes are narrowed. Then he glances at Nico. “The bitch that entered your office without knocking back when Sofia first started.”
“The bitch that Sofia put a gun to her head?” Nico asks, tone foreboding. Dante nods. “Get her and bring her here. The fucking bitch will pay.”
“Why her?” Alessio demands of the man.
“She’s fucking one of Marco’s men,” he rasps. “Paul something. I don’t know. I never talk to the guy. He’s a fucking idiot and thinks he’s going to be something because Marco asked him to join his side first.”
No other questions give us any results, so Lazaro kills him with one sharp twist of his neck. Alfie stares at Alessio defiantly.
“You had your fun. My turn.” Alessio glares at Dante, but he steps back with a dramatic wave of his hand.
I’ll hand it to him, once Dante gets going, he’s just as effective as the rest of us.
Alonzo gives him a begrudging look of approval when he pulls out the battery and clamps it on his balls, and then a second battery to do his nipples.
The man screams and jerks at the first jolt in his balls.
He still doesn’t give up the information though. Not yet.
It takes Dante alternating a few times between the two, and then one short, hard jolt of both to finally get him to crack. The smell of burnt flesh fills the air.
“There’s some kind of hidden entrance and exit, but it’s locked from the inside. They…they wanted us to open it so that they can get in.”
Hidden entrance? Jesus Christ, what kind of place did they make this? I look at Nico, who narrows his eyes. Guess we know where we have to look and tear apart next.
“How did you know what to look for?”
“W-w-we didn’t. I was just told that the door was there.”
“And how did Orlando or whoever find out about this?”
“S-s-said his uncle used to use it. Or his father. I don’t remember. They were talking in circles so fast I couldn’t keep up.”
Dante keeps working him, demanding more answers. What else he heard, no matter how small. Finally, when we know he has nothing more to give, Dante slices his throat and lets him suffocate on his own blood, none of us paying any attention to his gurgles.
“We need to search, quickly,” Papa tells Nico tightly. “We have no idea who else might be looking for that entrance. Or if there are any others.”
“We’ll have to tear down the whole fucking place,” Nico grouses. “Fuck, this shit is fucking annoying. Hidden rooms and entrances. What next? A fucking underground maze?”
“Don’t put that out there or it’ll happen,” Lazaro warns. “That shit seems to appear when you start talking about it.”
“We’re going to need to give Amara blueprints of the place to see if she spots anything,” I joke lightly. “At this point, she’s our best bet on finding anything like that.”
“What I want to know is why Leonardo isn’t trying to get in here,” Papa jumps in, frustration leaking into his voice. “We took Lucy. She was promised to a buyer, so he’s either trying to find another way to appease the buyer, or he’s planning an attack on his own.”
“If there’s another entrance in here that we don’t know about yet and he does, we’re fucked,” I warn. “This place is too big to have someone patrolling every floor all the time.”
“If he knew about that entrance, why hasn’t he used it yet, though? Or tried to get in to find it?” Alonzo adds.
“Or this is all a ruse to keep us occupied and looking for ghosts,” Nico says abruptly. “Distract us with anything else, thin our men out to try and find this shit, and they slip in and take us unaware.”
“It also keeps us from looking for the final girl,” Alessio points out. “Amara’s sister.”
“I don’t know, but someone needs to find shit out quick. Dante, get that girl down here. Now.” Dante nods, and Nico moves to slide off his jacket. I glance at Papa who gives me a quick nod. He’ll stay with Nico while they figure out what the girl knows.
I almost feel bad for her, but the bitch is about to learn a deadly lesson.
The rest of us head out of the basement. I glance down at myself. I need to freshen up before I check in on Lucy. I’ll send her running for sure with the state I’m in. “Where are the women?” I ask Alonzo.
“Tino and Franco are guarding them in Amara’s salon. They’re talking over everything and reviewing the documents they have.”
I nod. “Alright. I need to shower, and then I’ll head down there.”
Alonzo nods. “I’m going to check on the men.” Then he leaves. I note his tight shoulders. He wants to go with me, but he won’t. Maybe he’s finally starting to realize he can’t push Rori into giving him a chance. Or whatever it is that he wants. Who the fuck knows with him.
I head to my room, grabbing some fresh clothes before hitting the shower.
I don’t miss the way the shower now has some of Lucy and Kidas’ products, and that the scent of Lucy’s bodywash and shampoo fills the space since she was the last one in here.
It leaks into all my senses, and my cock hardens thinking of the taste of her mouth.
I groan and turn the water to icy cold. The shock helps a little, but not enough.
I need to get myself under control. I don’t want her to ever feel that I’m pressuring her.
Or that she can’t trust me. I will never allow her to compare me to her worthless ex.
She’s been hurt enough. I need to be patient, careful.
And that means getting my damn cock under control.
I rush through my shower and quickly dress in a pair of sweatpants and t-shirt. I don’t often go so casual, but it’s late, and if we’re going to be searching the north wing, I want to at least be comfortable. I brush back my wet hair and head out to find Lucy and the others.
When I walk down the hall toward Amara’s salon, I find our two guards outside the door, talking quietly, but still on alert. When they see me, they nod. “Lazaro just got here too,” Tino informs me quickly.
“Good. Any issues?”
“Nah, they’re mostly talking and Sofia and Gia are in the hidden office going through things. The baby was a bit fussy but he’s been quiet for a bit now.”
I nod. “Thanks.” I clap them both on the shoulders. “I’ll get a couple guys to come and relieve you so you can get a break.” They give me grateful nods and I send off a quick message to Aurelio to get that done before I head into the room.
My gaze immediately sweeps for Lucy, and when I see her on the couch, reading something, I relax. Except that relaxation is instantly gone when I see the tears on her cheeks and the pain on her face.