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“Matías Montford,” he seethes. “You were supposed to die that night.”

“Well I didn’t.” He pauses then makes his way around until he is squatting in front of Ezio. “And you weren’t supposed to run at the first signs of danger. At least according to your boss, Charles Vanguard. But it seems he wasn’t your real boss. Giancarlo Renzetti was. And still is. Isn’t that right,Ezio?”

The way Matías says his name makes his eyes bulge. I snort. He really thought we thought he was Nicolas Di Masio.

He watches Matías as he paces in front of him. “Well?”

“I don’t know who Ezio is. My name is Nicolas Di Masio.”

I let out a laugh at that. “Okay, if that’s what you want us to call you. Either way, you fucked over The Partners. I couldn’t care less about your name.”

He shakes his head. “I didn’t, I swear. Charles Vanguard wanted to get in with the mafia. I just did his bidding.”

I click my tongue. “So you admit to stealing shipments from The Partners.”

“Only under Vanguard’s orders.”

“Vanguard has been dead for seven months.”

His eyes glance to Matías then me. “And I’ve been hiding from the Renzettis ever since. That’s why I didn’t know you were alive, Matías. That’s why I’ve been living—”

“Cut the shit, Ezio. You were at the docks tonight because you somehow knew that we had a shipment coming in. Don’t even say it’s coincidence.”

He looks over at me. “I don’t know who you are. But I swear I am not working for the Renzettis.”

Matías shoots me a look and I nod. That sinister grin taking over his face. He pulls a switchblade out of his pocket and slices a long line from the top of Ezio’s shoulder to his wrist. Ezio hisses at the cut but doesn’t say a word. Matías copies the movement along his other arm.

“Come on, Ezio. I’m not really into blood. If you just answer the questions, we will let you go,” I say.

He laughs. “You think I actually believe that? I may not know who you are but I know how The Partners work, know how he works,” he says, gesturing with his head toward Matías. “I have nothing to say other than I don’t work for the Renzettis.”

Matías takes his knife and slams it into Ezio’s thigh. Ezio screams and I watch as his blood drips on the floor.

“Fine. You don’t work for them. Then where are my shipments?”

“I don’t know what you are talking about,” he grits through his teeth.

“I have video footage of you at three different docks when my shipments went missing. I find it hard to believe that was purely coincidence.”

“I’ve seen stranger things,” Ezio says. Matías doesn’t even wait for my signal just twists the knife in Ezio’s thigh. I know he is enjoying this. Enjoying torturing the man that tore apart Alessia’s family.

I walk forward, pausing next to the table of tools Matías set up for the interrogation. I run my fingers along them then face Ezio. “I am not one for getting blood on my ten-thousand-dollar suits. So please just tell the truth.”

Sweat pours from his face, no doubt in pain from the wound in his leg. “I told you I don’t know shit.”

I sigh as I pick up the hammer. I really despise this. Only once have I done this in all my years with The Partners. But Bella’s brother is a piece of shit and I will get my suit bloody for this. “I don’t know why you are pretending to have any sense of honor.”

He watches me as I stand in front of him, the hammer hanging from my right hand. “You know, I knew this girl once. A long time ago. She told me stories about her brother. How ruthless he was. How terrible he was. She used to get bullied and he did nothing. Even his friends would bully her. He just laughed when she told him.”

Matías gives me a curious look. But Ezio’s eyes are focused on me as if he is trying to piece things together.

“Then one night, she told me about how her brother had his friends over. But he left with one to run an errand. His other friends found her, bullied her like they usually do then raped her. Her brother came home and she heard his friends bragging about it and he just laughed.” I watch him and wait for him to say something but he remains silent. “You have no sense of honor or loyalty. It’s no wonder she hates you.”

Matías reads the room and pulls a wrench off the cart and slams it into Ezio’s knee. “Piece of shit,” he yells at him. “You don’t do that to your family.”

“I wonder why she hasn’t killed you in all these years. Probably because she has a heart of gold. Although I do know she is well skilled with a knife. If given the opportunity, I am sure she would kill you.”

“My sister is weak. She always has been.”