Chapter 30
Iwoke to screaming ribs, the rattling of the chains I hung from, and the absolute certainty that Cash was nearby. I could practically smell the little rat. My feet just barely touched the floor, and everything hurt because of it. My ribs, my shoulders, my arms, my back.
At least I’m alive. Though, I wasn’t sure how long that would last. I didn’t even know how long I’d been unconscious.
“I know you’re awake.” Prying my eyes open, I saw him firsthand.
Cash didn’t look much different than he had on opening night, like a typical Seattle bachelor. Trimmed scruff along a sharp jaw, handsome features, a well-maintained physique in a very nice suit. Add in those deep blue eyes, and he probably had his pick of partners.
Too bad he was a fucking psychopath. Or was he a sociopath? I could never remember the difference.
A clap interrupted my internal ramblings. “It’s good to see you again, queenie. We’re going to have so much fun together.”
Like fuck we were. My mouth was so dry, I had to swallow a few times just to speak. “Where’s Sabine?” I rasped.
Grabbing a bottle of water from the floor at my feet, he cracked the lid and held it to my mouth. I was too greedy to care if it was drugged or not.
“There we go. Nice and easy,” he said when I was done. He squashed the bottle and tossed it behind him. “Now, who were you asking about?”
“Sabine,” I repeated.
His brows tipped low then smoothed themselves out. “Ah, the girl. Gone. She served her purpose.”
My heart broke for Brittany. She was a little girl. All she wanted was her big sister. Now, she’d have nothing but memories. The urge to scream at Cash was strong, but I didn’t want to draw attention to Brittany. The last thing she needed was her sister’s killer coming for her too.
Looking around to avoid spitting in his face, I realized there was nothing to see. Beyond it being a massive empty room, I could find no hints to tell me where we were. No sounds penetrated the space either. No cars, no moving water, no people besides the two of us. Had he taken me out of Seattle? I hoped not. It would make it that much harder to get home when I was free, though the manacles on my hands told me getting out was a much bigger problem.
“So, this was your big plan?” I asked him, nodding to the room. “Get me to your secret hideout and kill me privately? Seems like a waste.”
He scoffed. “I’m not going to kill you yet.”
“No?”
“Of course not. I’m going to give you a chance to surrender first.”
As if. He was going to kill me no matter what I did, but if I could keep him occupied long enough, someone would come for me. Once again, I thanked my stars that Greyson had decided to chip me like a dog. It really paid off in tough situations.
Tilting my head, I tried to see if Cash was telling the truth. If so, it would be a fucking miracle. “Are you going to let me go if I do?”
“You know better,” he reprimanded.
I did, which was why I wanted him to spell it out. Better to have all our cards on the table. “So, you are going to kill me.”
He didn’t admit it, but I wasn’t surprised. I’d noticed that Cash liked to pretend that he wasn’t a terrible person with me. Or maybe it was because he thought that was how he had to act, like he was mimicking someone else’s behavior since his was almost always just a little off.
“Let’s make a deal,” he said. “Surrender, and I’ll make your death quick.”
“What do you think happens when I die? Do you have the infrastructure to take over and the loyalty to keep your seat when the rest of the city comes after you? What about the inside knowledge? Got any cops in your pocket? We all know you’ve been piggybacking off our CI networks. What about city officials? Are you even remotely prepared for a responsibility this large?”
I suppressed a grin when he ground his jaw tight enough to make a sound. “I’m not an idiot, Marianna. I’ve got everything I need to make the transition smooth.”
“What about the Feds? You got them in your pocket too? Because a little birdie told me they’re coming for you.”
Cash’s head whipped up, and I knew I had him. He wasn’t nervous about me, but he was nervous about government attention. It told me that not only had he pissed off people in high places, but if he made it to prison, he wouldn’t last long.
He had the look of unresolved fear about him, and I vowed to read through the FBI files we got on Cash when I got home. Because I would get home. There was no other acceptable ending.
“What’s wrong, Cash?” I teased. “Worried you’re not pretty enough for the pen?”
“I’m not worried about jail because I won’t spend a single day behind bars.” He tried to sound confident, but there was a waver in his voice that told me I was right.
Wanting him to sit in the discomfort for a while, I shut my mouth and stared. The more I watched him, the less comfortable he looked. He fidgeted, tugging at his suit sleeves, his shirt, even his belt occasionally. He looked like a kid dressed in daddy’s clothes, not a wannabe crime boss, which was ironic, considering he was old enough to be a daddy.
I was about to tell him as much when he spoke first. “You know, I never expected you.”
Please, not a monologue.I blinked slowly, trying to convey the utter disinterest I had in hearing what he had to say. “Am I supposed to know what you’re talking about?”
“After your father died, your brother took over. He did a decent enough job, but he wasn’t right either. It wasn’t even hard to take him out. With him gone, I expected the family to pick one of your cousins to take his place, someone easily manipulated. Instead, they rallied behind you instead, and you’ve beaten their expectations every time. It’s incredible, really.” He ran a finger across my cheek. “My little queenie. I always knew you were destined for greatness.”
“You killed Antoni.” The words tasted like sand in my mouth, and grief threatened to swallow me again.
To his credit, Cash actually looked sympathetic, though not guilty. “I did, though it pained me. You’d always been such good kids. I didn’t want this for either of you.”
Bullshit. He’d made it clear he didn’t give a shit about anyone. People are disposable. They’re meat sacks that are only useful for a while. “Don’t lie to me. You don’t care about us. You never have, and why would you?”
“You’re sure about that? You’re positive that I’ve never cared about you at all?” He dug in his pocket and lifted a single round peppermint candy. Flashes of a man sneaking us sweets during long meetings wiggled in my memory, and my breath caught.
What the fuck?
Not a single cell in my body wanted to believe Cash because the implications were astounding. Not only that he’d taken the other half of me away, but that he’d been working against us for that long. What I’d thought was an upstart trying to take over an established regime was starting to look like a deep-seated revenge that nothing but utter annihilation would cure.
Swallowing, I asked, “How long have you been planning this?”
“Planning what?” Cash asked coyly, like he didn’t know exactly what I was talking about. Asshole.
“Taking over the city. Usurping my family. All of it.”
“Oh, that.” He grinned. “Decades, darling.”
“Because of my father.” It was a guess, but it added up. Cash hated my family, and knowing he’d been that close to me when I was younger, knowing how my father was with his people when he ruled, I could almost understand why. Everyone had hated Mario Marcosa, and he deserved every ounce of ire.
“Mario was power-hungry. Greedy.”
“He was, but it’s not like you’re any different.” I shouldn’t have said it, but I was still smarting over the casual mention of murdering my twin.
“I haven’t built my empire on a mound of bones.” I could practically see the frustration flushing his skin.
“You wouldn’t care if you had.”
Cash frowned. “That’s not true.”
“Isn’t it? You murdered my brother and my cousin.”
“To be fair, I was aiming for you,” he corrected. Like that was any better.
“You’ve put countless people in the crossfire. You kill without thinking about the consequences. It’s because of you that the Feds are sniffing around the city. You don’t have what it takes to put others first, and you’ve shown time and time again that you’d be a terrible leader. What makes you think you’re fit to take my seat?”
His growl made the hair on my arms rise, and I had to swallow a moan when he slammed his fist into my side. The already-cracked ribs screamed in agony, but I didn’t. I wouldn’t.
He let me swing for a bit, turning away to catch his breath and his composure. When he came back to me, he steadied my body gently, and I wasn’t sure if it was supposed to be an apology or just because he hated that I’d gotten to him.
“I don’t intend to change, but maybe you’re right. Maybe I just need a woman’s touch.”
“I’m taken,” I deadpanned.
“Are you still taken if all your men are dead?” Cash’s feral smile filled my vision, but I ignored his words. I couldn’t believe them. Not yet. “I wasn’t talking about you, though. Your little Irish friend is another story altogether. She’s certainly someone I’m interested in.”
Aislynn.
Rage swarmed all over me, and I wondered if it was possible to burn my way through the metal. “She’s already promised to someone else.”
“Your remaining cousin, Cameron. I’m aware. Except it seems like he might not be around much longer either. Once he’s gone, I’ll be able to snatch her up for a good deal and get O’Bannon too. Do you think the Irishman will throw in his part of the city for getting his daughter off his hands? Rumor on the street is she’s been up for sale for ages.” He tapped a finger against his taunting smile. “Do you think there’s something wrong with her?”
“No, but there’s something wrong with you.”
“That’s not very nice to say to an old friend.”
“We’re not friends, and you’re delusional if you think anyone is going to do what you want. That includes Ash. Kill me, and the other families will wipe you from this planet before you can make a single demand. Take Ash against her will, and she’ll gut you while you sleep.” I almost hoped he would. What a fitting way to go.
“They’ll be too busy fighting for power to think about me.” Of course, no mention of Aislynn. She wasn’t the actual target.
But everything he said was wrong. He’d obviously studied at my father’s knee because while Cash was focused on the end goal, he didn’t understand how people moved yet. My death would unite the other families, even temporarily. They were all smart enough to know they could fight for the throne after Cash was dead. “This must be why my father got rid of you. No forethought.”
With an enraged growl, he yanked a knife from his pocket, pulled back and slammed it into my stomach. The impact knocked the breath from my lungs and fire seared through my body, but I still didn’t scream. Even the twist of the blade wasn’t enough to make me do it.
I was no stranger to pain. I’d been born in it, trained in it, reveled in it. Once upon a time, it was my only friend. Cash wouldn’t break me, and I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of hearing my pain. “Impulsive, too. Dangerous combo.”
“Your father was a moron,” he spat. “He let his own feelings about your mother and the cartel keep him from gaining more ground. If he’d have listened, we could’ve had all of Washington at our feet. Instead, he kept us stuck in this fucking city.”
“If you hate it so much, you should leave,” I panted. Blood pooled against his wrist where he still held the knife, and I snickered at the red stain creeping up the white fabric of his button-down. “Hope you have a good dry cleaner. Blood’s a bitch to get out.”
Cash looked down and grimaced, pulling his hand away but leaving the knife in. Though it still hurt like hell, I didn’t mind. The longer it stayed in, the more time I had to live.
Cash yanked off his jacket and tossed it to the side, doing the same to the button-down. Only when he was down to a T-shirt and his slacks did he seem to relax. I’d been right before. He was almost obsessive about his appearance. “It doesn’t matter. Soon, you’ll be dead, and Seattle will be mine.”
“You’ll have to get through everyone else first. Not just the other families, but my people. My men.”
“Who says I haven’t already?” He smiled, and the cold glee in it had my heart racing. “Your little robot was bleeding out on the floor when I last checked. The same with the other one, the fighter. I doubt they made it out before the flames took them. Now I just need to get the mouse, and I’ll be four for four. Including you, of course.”
I closed my eyes against the agony of that, not willing to give up yet. They had to be alive. There was no other choice. “What’s with you and fire?”
“I’ve always been fascinated by it. Something that can destroy and heal. It’s beautiful and cleansing, don’t you think?” He smiled, a feral twitch of his lips. He flicked the handle of the knife, and I had to grind my teeth together to keep the scream in. Pain stole my vision as he did it again and again, little adjustments against the agonized flesh. “Maybe I should show you firsthand. We can fix this right up. Extend our time together.”
Cash’s grin got wider as he slipped a hand into his pocket and pulled out a lighter. It was obviously custom-made and expensive, and I saw the flash of the Ace symbol before he flicked it open and lit the flame.
“What do you say, Mari? Want to play with me?”
Absolutely the fuck not. I rocked myself away from him despite the way it shifted the knife again, ready to kick and bite any part of him that touched me. I wasn’t going to be his plaything. He reached above me and unsnapped my wrists, letting my arms fall heavily in front of me as my whole body swayed. I hadn’t expected to be on the ground again, and it messed with my equilibrium. Cash’s grip was the only thing keeping me upright, and I wanted it off immediately.
Ringing interrupted us, and while Cash snarled, I used the distraction to pull myself out of his hold. He tried to grab me back, but I was already on the floor. The landing rattled my teeth and I hissed through them, but at least I was free and I hadn’t landed on my stomach. That was good enough for me.
“What?” Cash snapped, having answered the phone at some point. I attempted to slow my breathing, trying to hear what the other person was saying, but I couldn’t. “I’m busy. Yes, I’m aware. I’ve taken care of them. That too. Don’t worry, little brother. It’s almost over. You’ll be back to your life soon enough. Fuck, all right. I’m leaving now.”
He hung up the phone with an unsettled huff and shoved it back into his pocket before focusing on me again.
“Now look at what you’ve done,” he reprimanded. “You’ve definitely made that wound worse.”
Like I cared. “Didn’t know you had a brother,” I said instead. He hummed, not answering, but it didn’t matter. I filed the information away for later, just like I did with everything else I’d learned. If I made it out, I was going to use every morsel of knowledge I had to make it hurt before he died.
“Listen, I’ve loved our chat, but I’ve got a visitor on the way, so I’ve got to go.” Cash squatted in front of me, brushing my hair away from my eyes so he could take one last look at my face. With a wild smile, he reached down and yanked the knife out, holding it up so we could both see the blood before he tossed it away. “See you on the other side, queenie.”
Instinct had my body curling into a ball as he disappeared out the door. The blood, which had been a relatively slow trickle, quickly pooled beneath me. I tried to pull myself tighter, to roll onto my stomach and get some pressure on the wound, but with my arms cuffed in the manacles and no way to get them off, I knew it was over.
Exhausted and getting weaker by the minute, I lay on the ground wondering if there was anyone left to find me before it was too late. If so, they’d come. I knew my men. Not just Grey and Dominic, but Moore and Tennessee and Cameron. Once they knew I was missing, none of them would stop until they found me.
What if Cash was telling the truth?
If he’d really set another fire, if they were gone, and I’d lost everyone I’d ever loved… Well, at least I’d be with them soon enough. It was a small comfort, but one I didn’t mind taking when I had nothing to do but wait for the end. Because one way or another, the Marianna Marcosa I’d been had died.
The question was, would I rise from the ashes ready to slay my demons or stay buried for good?
Only time would tell.