Page 117 of Thorns of Blood

Logically, there could be a million explanations for this, but my mind already veered in the direction of their guilty verdict.

I’d fucking kill them all.

I was preparing to make my move when Lia glanced my way and… winked.

My brows furrowed. What exactly was going on here?

FORTY-FOUR

LIANA

“Well, well, well. What do we have here?” I instantly tensed, that familiar pitch I had been trying to forget for years too close for comfort. My brothers-in-law shoved me forward, playing the part of my executioners perfectly. “It’s the Russian whore. Kill her.”

Romeo and Cristiano tensed at my sides, but thankfully their mother didn’t pick up on it. Giovanni, on the other hand, growled lowly in his throat, his whole body shifting forward as if preparing to attack his own mother.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” I asked calmly.

Julia’s lips—God, it was hard to think of her as anything other than The Mistress—curved up into a smile, that malicious, superior smile that I remembered so well. I felt Romeo and Cristiano stiffening at my back, and a part of me was so fucking thankful for them at this moment.

Julia’s eyes were glued on me as she addressed her men. “Kill the girl. Leave my sons alive.”

My eyes flicked to Giovanni. I noted the red imprint of a palm on his handsome face, but other than that he was unharmed.Our eyes locked wordlessly and he nodded slightly, as if he could read my thoughts. I really hoped he could. I left him to keep him safe, not wanting to cause him more hurt, but in the end, his mother hurt him anyhow.

The corners of his lips lifted, and the look in his eyes told me everything.I love you. I believe in you. We’ll make this right.

I returned my eyes to the woman in front of me who had caused me so much pain and humiliation.

“You know, if you hadn’t been so greedy, he would have never learned how truly evil you are,” I said casually. “You made a terrible mistake by kidnapping my husband.”

“He’s my son,” she screamed.

“Which hand?” I asked, keeping my cool despite the rage flowing through my veins. She stared dumbly at me. “Which hand did you use to touch him? Because it will be the first part of you I slice.”

Julia glared at me, then shifted and slapped Giovanni across the face so hard his head flew to the left. I winced at the impact but kept my nonchalant expression as I looked at her.

“Right hand, duly noted.”

“And what are you going to do? You may be a mafia princess, supposedly untouchable, but that’s never really helped you, has it? You always lose. You’ve been losing for the past eight years.” She cackled like some mad witch from Salem. “And now you pulled my son into it.”

I snickered. I had never seen a mother discard her child so quickly, maybe aside from Sofia Volkov. The pair should hang out together in the deepest pits of hell.

“You really think so? Because from where I stand, you look like the loser.”

She strutted toward me, and it occurred to me just how pleasing it would be to watch her downfall in real time. Becausefor the first time, I could see how insecure she was. Scared and alone. This time, it was me she slapped.

A quick glance at my brothers-in-law and the rest of it happened fast. Cristiano and Romeo sprang forward, attacking the two closest guards while Giovanni attacked the other two. Julia, so typical of her, bolted from the cell.

I couldn’t worry about who could hold their own here, instead I went after her, and before she could reach the end of the hallway, I grabbed her by her chignon and yanked her back.

“Not so fast,” I tsked. “We’re not done here.”

Gunshots rang out from inside the cell, but I blocked it out. I focused on the woman who killed my baby, who stole my dignity.

I shoved her down on her knees and slapped her so hard she fell over, her head hitting the filthy stone. I grabbed her right hand and smiled viciously.

She started screaming and I struck her hard, breaking her nose in the process.

“A promise is a promise after all,” I purred.