Page 57 of Climbing Everest

I can hear Kato’s voice rumbling from the office as we step onto the landing and move through the house. It fades as we make our way to the kitchen, and I smile at Ms. Galanos as she stands on a chair wiping down the cabinet fronts.

“Why the hell are you up there when there’s a real-life giant living here?” I ask her.

I have never been a fan of heights, but I really don’t like seeing the older woman stretching onto her toes to reach as high as possible.

“It’s my job, Mrs. Antoniou,” she replies without glancing in my direction.

The title shocks me and I slow to a stop, my wide eyes going from her to Brix. Yeah, in a week that will be my name. Doesn’t mean it’s any less strange being treated as though I’m already married to the Don.

Brix’s hand lands on the small of my back and urges me forward. With a few blinks, I walk forward and pull open the door leading to the basement.

Not only is the basement fully finished in this house, but it could easily pass for a whole other mini mansion. It spans the entire length of the house, and has several closed doors once you pass the home gym. I’ve never actually gone this far in the basement.

When we were kids, the bottom level was absolutely forbidden. It wasn’t until our teen years that we discovered the kind of debauchery that occurred on a regular basis down here.

Kato had obviously made some changes and done some reno. The home gym is top of the art, the lighting is warm and cozy without making me feel like I’m traversing under ground level.

But the further we move down the hall, the cooler the air gets and there’s this…odor. It’s cloying and reminds me way too much of a decaying corpse.

Actually, with what my guys do and how they grew up, there’s a good chance more than one person might very well have died in this very basement. The home gym, while obviously used by my men, could also be considered camouflage if anyone were to wander down here.

“What’s going on, Brix?”

I’m not scared. Or at least not scared of being hurt or killed by any of the three of them.

“Why are we down here? I thought…”

I thought there was supposed to be a present waiting for me. That’s what both Kato and Brix said, that Madd has a gift for me.

So why am I being guided to the belly of the basement, a space I’ve never seen with my own eyes, a place that smells heavily of decomposition. And I’m damn sure it’s not from a dead animal in the walls.

“Brix?” I whisper.

I can’t help it when I move closer to him, gripping his thick arm with both hands as though I’ll need to throw him in front of me when some monster jumps out from behind a wall.

When he pushes open the last door at the very end of the hallway, I’m met with both an overwhelming stench and muffled sounds like someone has been gagged and is crying or cursing or maybe begging for help.

Brixton isn’t rushing in, so that means no one we love is in danger. Right?

The room is dimly lit with something that sure as hell looks like one of those ring lights people use to make videos lighting up a man in the center of the room.

There’s a blood splattered and soaked hood over his head and anything he tries to say is garbled and muffled. I was right – he’s definitely gagged.

But who the fuck is he?

Maddox leans against what I can only think of as a workbench, only instead of tools to build there are tools of destruction.

Yeah, there a hammer, a saw, that kind of thing.

But there are also scalpels, a blowtorch, even what sure as hell looks like a cheese grater.

And no, I don’t want to contemplate what exactly that would be used for.

“Surprise,” Madd says, pushing from the counter when he spots me following Brixton in.

“What…” I can’t find the words. All I can do is stare at the man struggling against the restraints keeping him tied to the chair bolted into the floor.

This is a torture room. There’s no other way to describe it. Have there been other people down here since I came back? Surely, I would have noticed if some schmuck was dragged through the house.

Unless there’s another entrance into the dungeon. I suppose that would make more sense so the staff wouldn’t see anyone coming or going. Or, you know, being carried out in a bodybag.

Releasing my death grip on Brixton’s arm, I shuffle closer, tilting my head as though I can see better through the bag over the man’s head.

When I look up at Maddox, my brows raised, eyes wide, and heart racing, I start pretty hard when he leans forward and yanks the hood off the man’s head, and reveals…

“Holy shit,” I breathe out.

Fucking Denis. One of the assholes who nearly beat me to death. One of the pieces of shit who caused me to lose my baby.

Raising my eyes back to Madd, I look from him to Brix, to Denis, then back again. I…don’t know what to do. Or think. Or say.

Brix’s hand rests on the back of my neck as Denis’s brows slam together when his eyes lock on me and his muffled sounds grow louder. I can’t truly make out his words, but I swear I hear fucking bitch.

I mean, could be my imagination, but wouldn’t surprise me.

“Kato gave Pakhan Yegerov the names of the men who assaulted you. Denis here was handed over as a show of good faith that he knew nothing of what your father did to you. Pretty sure Flora had a big hand in it, but we thought you might want to have a little fun. Take out some of your pent-up aggression.”

“ You thought,” Brix says. “I don’t want her anywhere near this piece of shit.” His voice is always deep and growly. Right now, though, he sounds dangerous, as though he’s mere seconds from ripping Denis’s head from his shoulders with his bare hands.

And I’m pretty sure my giant beast of a man can do it without breaking a sweat.

Stepping away from Brix, I move until I’m only a few feet from Denis and look down into his face. He’s definitely been roughed up.

Scratch that – he’s had the shit beat out of him. A glance at Maddox’s knuckles tells me it was him who bloodied my father’s guard. Denis’s nose looks broken, his left eye is nearly swollen shut, and there’s a split that runs through his top and bottom lip.

“I can’t…do you expect me to start punching him? I don’t think I can do much damage.”

I can get out of various holds, I can shoot a gun probably as well as my husbands, but hand to hand combat has never been a strong suit for me. Not like I was ever taught to fight. I’m more likely to break my knuckles than I am to actually inflict any damage.

“You don’t have to use your fists.” Maddox moves to the side and sweeps his arm toward the tools of death like he’s some game show host showcasing the prizes.

What does it say about me that I’m not instantly appalled or repulsed by the idea of using one of those tools to inflict some damage to this monster.

“What about Mikhail and Eriks?” I ask, my eyes on Denis.

There is nothing short of hate and rage burning bright in the eye not swelling.

“They’re in the wind,” Brixton says from directly behind me.

Guess he’s not real happy about me being so close to one of the men who almost killed me.

Seriously, though. What can he possibly do? He’s restrained and two of my husbands are right here. He wouldn’t get within a few feet of me before one of them either snapped his neck or put a bullet in his brain.

Rounding the chair until I’m standing directly in front of Denis, I say, “Did you ask him if he knows where they are? Or where my parents are?”

“I was waiting for you. Thought you might want a little revenge while we question him,” Madd says.

For the first time in my life, I actually understand bloodlust. For the first time in my life, my heart is thumping like crazy over the prospect of making Denis feel every moment of pain he and the others inflicted on me.

And then taking his life the way he stole the life of my child.