Page 79 of Ashes

Great, he’s crying again.

I tsked. “There’s no need for that.”

“I had to,” he cried out, his face dissolving into misery. “He was going to kill me and come after my family…”

I threw my head back, a sardonic laugh escaping my lips. “And what did you think I was going to do to you when I found out you crossed me for money?”

Men like him were pathetic. They never valued the good life they had and always wanted more, discarding the helping hand they were lent for more.

He swallowed, his gaze flicking to the soiled knife in my hand then back to me. “Please. Please…”

Pitiful.

“You like it?” I taunted before I plunged the knife into his thigh and twisted it sharply.

His screams pierced the air, blood gushing from his wound. Crimson streamed down the chair leg, joining the pool of blood on the floor below.

Pulling the knife out, I sat back in my chair and looked at my work as Ricci struggled to breathe between his incessant sobs. His white T-shirt was splattered and stained, and his black jogging pants were torn, his shoes tossed to the side.

What a dumb decision it was to go for a jog late at night after making the grave mistake of selling me out.

I waited for his whimpers to quiet down before I drove the knife into his other thigh, flesh and bone yielding under the razor-sharp steel. His screeching bounced off the walls, the sound grating my ears.

I usually would have enjoyed seeing him suffer, but my mood worsened every minute I was having to deal with this when I’d rather be with my wife.

I returned my attention to Ricci. His eyes bulged in pain, wheezing gasps leaving his throat as sweat mixed with blood trickled down the sides of his face.

“You made a mistake by sharing our little conversation, Senator Ricci.”

He stared at me with his remaining good eye, the other one swollen shut. “It wasn’t h—” he started, but hissentence was cut short when my knife slid across his throat, severing both jugulars.

I was done wasting my time listening to his excuses. I didn’t kill often, unless you put the ones I cared about in danger. Valentina or Kai could have been killed, and Ricci deserved his final fate.

I turned my attention back to him and watched him struggle with air until his gurgled pleas eventually quieted for good, blood sputtering out of his mouth.

I dropped the knife onto the floor and got out of my seat. After shooting a quick message to Valentina to tell her I was done with my recreation, I quickly wiped my hands with a clean rag and headed for my car that was parked in the adjoining garage of the facility.

It was early morning by the time I got home.

I rolled my neck under the hot water, every muscle in my body wound tight and sore. I threw my head back and ran my hands over my face, taking a deep breath.

My mind whirled with a million thoughts. I was getting closer every day to the answers I’d been looking for, but I couldn’t help but dread it at the same time.

All because of her.

She preoccupied my mind more than my need to avenge my parents and I didn’t know if it was a good thing or a bad one.

Pushing the thought away, I rinsed myself off and stepped out of the shower and headed for my bedroom. I was about to grab my phone off my bed to check if thecleaning crew had taken care of Ricci’s body when I heard a small gasp.

I froze in my tracks when my gaze landed on someone standing at my bedroom door. It took me a second to register that Sienna was here and a cold shiver ran down my spine, realizing that I was completely bare for her to see.

I’d always been careful to hide that part of myself. No one except Noah had seen the countless scar tissues marring my back.

Non… Elle ne peut pas me voir comme ça.

Panic built in my chest like wildfire before turning molten and sinking to the bottom of my stomach.

“Get out of my room,” I roared at her.