96. Chapter Ninety-Six
Chapter Ninety-Six
Mateo
A figure clad entirely in black steps forward. A female figure, judging from her silhouette.
She pulls the balaclava off her head, and long, platinum blonde hair tumbles over her shoulders.
Beside me, Mari gasps.
“Sofia?” Her voice is a mix of shock and disbelief.
“Surprise,” she singsongs, her lips curling into an infuriating smile.
I pull Mari behind me, my need to protect her taking over. She grabs onto my hand, squeezing it so tight I feel her pulse rattling her bones.
But then I sense her straightening, and she steps next to me again, her head held high despite the shock still shimmering in her eyes.
“What are you doing here?” she asks, a shaky edge to her voice, but still holding on to her composure.
“Well…” Sofia taps a manicured finger against her lips dramatically, never taking her eyes off us. “After we talked the other day, I had a feeling you’d try to leave. I’m just here to help. You know, make sure it’s for good.” Her tone is casual, as if discussing the weather.
Mari’s staring at Sofia, her forehead creased in confusion, as though trying to make sense of the twisted puzzle before her. But I get what Sofia means.
“When I heard through the grapevine, you were going to take a few days off to go sailing, I knew you were making a run for it,” Sofia continues, her voice laced with amusement. “So I had a tracker put on this magnificent vessel.”
She looks around, letting out a dramatic sigh.
“What a shame to blow up a beautiful, expensive boat like this. I’m guessing you planned to be off it when that happens. But actually you’ll still be here, already dead.
“How comforting,” I deadpan, my mind working overtime to find a way out. Weapons, options, the best angle to fight this.
Next to me, Mari covers her mouth, her face draining of color.
“I thought you were my friend! Why are you doing this?” Her voice cracks with pain, the betrayal too much to hide.
“Aww, sweetie. Friend? Please. Someone like me doesn’t have friends.” Sofia’s voice is saccharine, dripping with mock sympathy.
I shift my position subtly, tugging Mari’s hand, trying to maneuver us. But Sofia catches it immediately, her eyes narrowing.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk. I wouldn’t try that,” she warns, widening her stance for stability. Her grip tightens around the gun, switching to both hands, her posture almost bored in its confidence.
“As to why I’m doing this?” Sofia scoffs, eyes glittering with disdain. “Isn’t it obvious? I’m going to claim the De Marco throne. And I need something you have.”
The words are so absurd, I can’t help but let out a bitter laugh.
So Sofia really is who Antonio was referring to in his dying moments.
“A Molinaro on our throne? Never.”
Sofia’s eyes snap to mine, and her smile morphs into something darker, more malicious.
“What? You think just because I’m a woman I can’t lead your precious la famiglia ?” she sneers, her tone dripping with mockery.
“Newsflash: women are better leaders. I learned a thing or two from my dear papà . He underestimated me because I’m a girl, but I listened. I learned.”
She points the gun at Mari, a sharp jab that cuts deep.
“And your father,” she spits the words like poison, “was all too eager to share his little secrets with us for years.”
She looks at me, her expression twisted with satisfaction. “I heard about his death. Did you have anything to do with it, Loverboy?”
My blood boils, my fists clenching, but I don’t show it. I keep my cool, barely.
“And how do you plan to take the throne , Sofia?” I ask, dragging her name out mockingly. “You think you can waltz in and claim it without an army behind you?”
“You’d be surprised how many men would follow me,” she says, grinning like a cat with a mouse. “But I won’t need them. I won’t need an army, because there won’t be a war. I am going to waltz right in.”
Her grin grows wider. “I know all about your magic necklaces and the power they hold. With all the De Marco heirs gone, whoever holds them controls everything. And luckily, you’re wearing two of them.”
I freeze. How the hell does she know that?
“So I just need the location of the third one,” she says sweetly.
“And why would I give that to you?” I challenge, my voice steady, but the tension in my body is thick.
“You’ve already made it clear you’ll kill us. So you can get fucked.”
“I am going to kill you,” she smirks, eyes glittering, “But the method I choose will depend on how cooperative you are.”
Before I can react, another figure jumps from the shadows, wrapping a heavy arm around Mari’s neck in a brutal chokehold, pressing a cold gun against her head.
My heart stops when she screams.
“Just as I was saying, Signor De Marco,” Sofia giggles, gleeful, “Methods…” She draws the word out, her eyes flickering between me and Mari.
“I’m sure you wouldn’t want your precious wife to suffer too long, would you?” Her voice drops low, every word poisonous. “There’s so much I can do to her, or my beloved Davide can.”
The man holding Mari is Davide?
Red-hot fury explodes inside me, threatening to consume me whole.
He yanks off his balaclava and winks, smug like his mistress, as if he’s already won. Then he presses the gun harder against Mari’s skin. She winces, her breath hitching while my pulse stutters.
“I could shoot her kneecaps,” Sofia suggests, her voice sickeningly sweet. “Make her scream for you. That would really get you moving.” Her eyes gleam with sadistic glee.
“Or, for something more personal,” Sofia leans in closer, her voice thick with venom, “I could have Davide fuck her, right here in front of you with his nine-inch cock. Believe me, he packs quite a punch.”
Mari’s eyes widen in terror, her body trembling. “Sofia, please—”
“Oh, shut up!” Sofia snaps, cutting her off. “You are such a disappointment!
“I had high hopes for you, Mariella. You and I seemed to click when we first met. Both of us cast aside, forced to play the game. I thought you were ready to rise to the top with me,” she sneers, her lips curling. “But no. You let a De Marco seduce and trap you. You are pathetic.”
She spits the word ‘pathetic’ like it’s a curse.
“You left one prison for another, and for what? A thick cock and a few seconds of pleasure? I had so much to offer you. I could’ve given you power, respect, a place where you could finally be somebody.
“But you blew it, or rather him, and now?” She shrugs as if to dismiss us. “You’ll die next to your beloved husband.”
I can barely hold myself back from charging at her.
But I glance at Mari. Her eyes are wide, her breath shallow, but there’s something more.
Determination.
I meet her gaze. In that instant, I know what she’s thinking.
Our freedom is close. We’ve come too far to lose it now. And I’ll be damned if I let Sofia, or anyone else, take it from us.
Mari nods almost imperceptibly, and I understand.
Thunder crashes, deafening in the silence.
In one fluid motion, Mari drops low, using the self-defense move we’ve practiced. She shifts her weight, twisting out of Davide’s grip, and slams her elbow into his gut. He stumbles back, just enough for her to break free.
I move quickly. My fist flies through the air and connects with his jaw, sending him crashing to the deck.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Sofia’s finger tighten around the trigger… just as Mari bolts straight at her.
My heart stops.
Bang.