Page 126 of Dark Breaker

I kick at the legs of my chair in frustration, then I stand, and waddle toward the door with the chair still tied to my back. I begin violently swatting the chair against the door, but succeed only in breaking one of the wooden legs, so that when I want to sit once more I no longer have that option.

I can’t even lower myself gently to the floor, since I have no way to brace myself with my bound hands. I can only really bend my arms at the elbows, which isn’t good enough. So I have to let myself fall sideways and I hit painfully hard. I actually relish the pain—it’s my punishment for losing Rosa.

I only just got her back, and now I’ve lost her all over again.

She’ll be all right. She will.

“How could you let her get captured?” Luciano asks. “You said you’d protect her.”

I don’t answer him. I want to ignore his words but I can’t, because he’s right. I know it’s my fault. She was in my care. I should have stayed at a hotel tonight. Or somewhere outside Palermo. We should have ran away after I rescued her from the beach house. But instead I returned.

But how could I know the Jackal would attack again tonight? And I had to come back, anyway, because we still needed to rescue her brothers and mine.

So I have to stop blaming myself and instead concentrate on finding a way out of this. Her rescue is my top priority.

I realize then I’d let her brothers die, and even my brother, if it meant saving her.

Does that make me a bad person?

Of course I’d prefer it if they lived, but if I have to, I’m trading their lives for hers. Hell, if I’m given the choice, I’ll even give my own life for her.

Because I love her.

I realize that now. I definitely love her. Through and through.

“I’m just glad he found her.” Massimo says. His voice brings me back to reality and I meet his eye.

“So who was it that kidnapped her?” Massimo asks.

“You’re not going to believe this,” I tell him from where I’m lying on the floor. “But turns out, it was her crazy ex.”

“Nunzio?” Massimo asks.

“No, the other one,” I say. “Carlo or whatever his name is.”

“Carlo?” Massimo seems taken aback. “He’s the last I would have suspected. Didn’t think he was capable of something like that.”

“Oh, he was capable all right,” I reply. “He won’t be bothering Rosa again.”

Massimo nods. “Good.”

“What do you think he’s doing to her?” Nicolo asks. “The Jackal?”

“He’s a dead man,” I reply. “Whether he touches her or not. No one kidnaps my wife and lives.”

Luciano nods. “And no one kidnaps our sister.”

“And how long it takes him to die depends on what he does to her,” I finish answering my brother’s question. “If he locks her away and leaves her alone, he’ll die quickly. If he does anything else, his death is going to stretch out for hours. Maybe days.”

“Well, he’s not exactly at our mercy at the moment, is he?” Nicolo presses.

“No,” I agree. “But when the time comes and our roles are reversed, I won’t hesitate to end him. He’s caused my family too much grief. All off us.”

We don’t really have much more to say. All we can do is wait at this point.

I close my eyes and try to nap, but I can’t—I’m too worried about Rosa, not to mention I’m still wired from the attack on my penthouse suite. Plus my position here on the floor isn’t all that conducive to napping. The glow of the overhead lights doesn’t help, either.

About twenty minutes later the door opens and the Jackal comes in alone.