Page 112 of Broken Mafia Bride

He shakes his head, face white as a sheet. “Look, I?—”

“The hands,” I cut in, sick of hearing of his half-truths and desperate cover-ups. I’m sick of everybody hiding something. More than ever, I feel like it’s Giulia and me against everybody.

Ever since I found out Martina was on the plane that Lucio Sanna assured us she wasn’t on, I’ve been watching Pepe more, trying to see if there’s any behavior or attitude that suggests he’s hiding something. I’ve even started asking him pointed questions about what he plans to do after Lucio is gone.

“Know why?” I ask him.

The guy shakes his head slowly, eyes still wide and fixed on the knife.

“The reason is that the fingers are already sectioned by nature,” I drawl. “I don’t have to think too much about where to cut. It makes it very convenient. Don’t you think?”

Before he can say anything else, I’m pressing the knife into his middle finger, pushing it down until the finger is completely severed. He lets out a howl of pain as blood spurts out.

Pepe steps forward, a garrote held between his two hands. He goes behind the chair and wraps it around the guy’s neck, steadily tightening it, while I reach for another finger.

“W-wait—” he croaks before I can push the knife down. “Th-there’s something else.”

I meet my cousin’s eyes, signaling at him to stop, and he lets the garrote loosen.

“Well? What is it?” I ask impatiently.

“Listen, I d-don’t know who he is,” he says. “I told you as much. I don’t know who’s behind this. I’m just following ordersfrom a long, complicated chain of command. The boss at the top has to be someone powerful, someone who’s very fucking careful. He’s taking great care to cover up his tracks. Trust me, a man like that can’t be found unless he wants to. You’re wasting your fucking time.”

“That’s too bad for you then,” I tell him. “If you have no useful information for me, I’ll have to kill you. Or do you want to rifle through that brain and get some useful information that can convince me to let you go?”

His breath is ragged as he stares at me with consideration. I can see the wheels clanging in his head. He’s weighing his chances, and it leaves me with a cold feeling. He’s faced with clear death right here and still afraid of some nameless, faceless man who’s pulling strings like a master puppeteer.

“I’ve h-heard things,” he finally stammers out. “There’s talk… about someone close to you. I don’t know much, nobody is saying much, but you’re not safe, and neither is Giulia.”

My blood runs cold. “Giulia? What do they want with her?” I dare any bastard to lay a hand on a single strand of her hair. After all she’s been through, she doesn’t deserve to still be a target.

If something happens to her…

I refuse to even think about that sickening possibility. My stomach tightens and spasms.

“I don’t know,” he tells me. “You have to believe me. I don’t know any more than this. But I know they have bigger plans. Something big is coming.”

I’m starting to think his whole talk of following a long string of commands was bullshit. The terror in his eyes makes it clear that he knows who exactly is behind this. Or at least, he has a suspicion. Nobody would be scared of a ghost.

“Who’s behind this?” I ask him again.

Just as he opens his mouth, I hear the metal door fly open behind us. One of Pepe’s men rushes in.

“We just finished our search. There are bombs in the building!” he roars. “And they’re about to go off—we’ve got to get out of here, now!”

“What about him?” I motion at the tied-up man.

Before anyone can give me a reply, there’s a deafening sound of an explosion. The world around me goes silent for a split second, and then it’s all rushing back.

My ears are ringing, and there’s thick smoke everywhere, filling my lungs and blocking my vision. I cough, glancing around me in confusion.

“Raffaele, we need to go!” Pepe grabs me by the elbow, steering me to the door. He has a bleeding gash on the side of his head from the explosion. “His employer must have been onto him as well. They’ve rigged this place, and there might be more bombs. We need to get out of here.”

I glance over my shoulder, searching for the waiter.

Pepe confirms my worst fear. “Dead.”

Goddamnit!