Page 37

Chapter 37

Eden

My neck hurts as my chin rests on my chest, but I resist the urge to lift my head out of the uncomfortable position. I'm keeping my enemy unaware that I'm awake.

I've slowly regained consciousness and taken stock of what I can while keeping my eyes closed.

Both my arms and legs are tied to a chair. I'm in a place that smells musty and abandoned. Based on listening to the conversations, I'm with at least five men, and two more have just entered the room.

The energy changed with these two; these two are allies to the assholes who took me, but they're outsiders.

But that's not what has my attention. Nor is it what is making my hands shake as my emotions are going to get the better of me, and I try to swallow down my rage.

Lixin Xhang and Amazu Musa.

They're traitors. Vito's suspicions were correct.

"Eden should be awake by now," Lixin says in his smooth voice. Eden, not Ed. "She's been out for over two hours."

I force myself to remain slack when I hear someone move and sense them in front of me. There's the sound of leather creaking, and a hand grips my knee. The stale smell of whiskey.

Amazu.

It may not be my wisest move, but rage gets the better of me. Some internal knowledge has settled deep within me that he and Lixin are responsible for Aiken's death.

I snap my head up and sink my teeth into flesh. It's Amazu's cheek, and he howls. I don't let go; I double-the-fuck-down and bite harder until the metallic taste of blood flows into my mouth.

Someone punches the side of my head, making pain explode. That makes me ease up on biting off Amazu's cheek just enough for him to pull free. I gather his blood in my mouth and spit it in his face.

"You fucking bitch!" he screams and slaps me, following it up with an enraged backhand. More pain erupts in my face, and my lip splits open.

He backhands me again, and his ring rips a gash across my cheek. I swallow my cry of pain, and it only comes out as a grunt.

I will not be cowed by these cocksuckers. I won't go down easily.

I'm scared—I'd be stupid not to be—but they won't see that. Memories of Aiken's murder roll through my head. He fought to the very end.

And so will I.

I lift my head and laugh, but it's not the hysterical laugh of a frightened woman. It's the laugh of someone who's saying fuck you . It's an unhinged laugh—I channel the rumors I've heard of Vito into the sound. They're taken aback and look at me like I've lost my mind.

I quickly scan the room to take stock of my situation.

I'm in the middle of what looks like an abandoned break room in some industrial facility.

There's a wall of grimy windows that probably, at one point, allowed the occupants to see out into the main area.

The only men I recognize are Lixin and Amazu. Three of the other five are the yes-men—grunts or soldiers—in someone's criminal organization, while the other two look like something more.

The shortest one has a bulbous nose, flat eyes, a haggard-looking face, and a rumpled suit.

The other guy is also in a suit, but it's made of better material and tailored to his lean frame. His black hair is slicked back, and his eyes are as cold and cunningas a snake's.

Lixin crouches in front of me and studies my bloody cheek. He runs his finger through the blood, then presses his finger into the gash, and I feel more blood leak from the wound. He keeps watching me as he puts his finger in his mouth, sucking it off. "I have a thing for blood and making pretty things bleed. Do you know how long I've waited to taste yours, Eden?"

"First off, it's Ed ," I say with my cold, impassive mask—my best resting bitch face—firmly in place . "And second, fuck you, Lixin."

He tuts. Amazu paces behind him, holding a rag to his bloody face, glaring at me.

"How's the cheek, Amazu?" I ask like I don't have a care in the world.

I don't know if anyone is coming to my rescue. Vito won't know where I am, but maybe the cube—if I'm right about Aiken's recordings being saved in there—may give some clue. I know Axin has been watching over me, but I don't know if he had eyes on me when I left Gilly's. I'm hoping he did; he had briefly mentioned trying to secure a drone with technology that allowed it to go undetected.

Regardless, I won't give these men what they want. I know Lixin and Amazu are egotistical narcissists. Lixin, based on his admission, is also a sadist. The two other leaders look like your typical villains, and since they're working with Lixin and Amazu, I'm assuming they're similar.

They want my pain. My fear. My screams.

Amazu pulls out his knife. "I'm going to cut you, cunt."

Lixin reaches back without taking his eyes off me. There's a hot hunger in them. "Amazu, your knife, please. You'll get your turn with our beautiful Eden."

Amazu slaps the hilt of his knife into Lixin's palm. "I'll enjoy slicing you to ribbons and making you scream."

"She's not to be killed; she'll be a great addition to the ring." The one with snake eyes studies me. "It will be a pleasure watching her break ."

"Indeed," the one in the rumpled suit sneers.

"Mancini and Novak." Lixin's jaw clenches. His narrowed eyes cut to the side to where they stand. "Wait your fucking turn."

Mancini and Novak. Both enemies of the Santoros.

The convoluted puzzle pieces might be finally arranging into a clear picture. But the puzzle pieces falling into place don't alleviate my concern for my current predicament. Lixin had said I was out for two hours, and a lot of distance can be traveled in two hours. I might not even be in Santoro territory any longer.

My stomach falls.

How will Vito know where to look for me?

But I stiffen my spine. This knowledge won't defeat me. It won't destroy my resolve to stand up to these men for as long a I can.

Everyone has a breaking point, and the monsters looking at me are telling me that they'll do everything to find mine. But I'll go down swinging for as long as I can.

Lixin cups my chin. Gently at first, then he squeezes, vicious and hard, with a malicious smile. He lifts the knife and holds it in front of my face. "Where are your tears? Your whimpers?"

It feels like my jaw will be crushed, but I remain silent. He brings the knife to my hammering pulse point. The sharp tip breaks my skin.

The breathing through my nose—like puffs of a dragon—is the only reaction I give him. Even as he scores the knife down my neck, shallowly cutting the skin.

Lixin smiles. "Indeed, Mancini, Eden here will be so lovely to break." He raises from his crouched position but doesn't fully stand. Instead, he leans into me and licks up my neck, collecting the blood.

"So fucking tasty," he whispers in my ear. "I'll enjoy fucking you with my knife while you're bloody and screaming."

I jerk back as far as my restraints will allow, pulling my face free of his hand. "Need the knife to do what your pathetic dick can't?"

His nostrils flare, and it looks like he'll strike me. But then he straightens, looking down at me with a malicious hunger. Mancini comes beside him, and Amazu flanks Lixin's other side.

"We need to know if you have a successor in place at Gilly's," Mancini grits.

"What's it to you, snake?"

"Just like your brother," he hisses. "And look where it got him."

I laugh, the sound harsh in the room. "I'm going to be relieved of my duties whether I cooperate with you or not. So again, you snake … What's it to you?"

"Because having control of Gilly's helps us to have power in San Francisco overall." Mancini glowers like I'm a piece of shit on his expensive shoe. "We'll have eyes and ears on all the criminals in this city and their activities. The intel we'll get from spying on Gilly's patrons will ensure we have the backing of every criminal group for our purposes."

Blackmail .

Having control of Gilly's allows them that control and opportunity.

Mancini can't stop talking about their grand plan now that he's on a roll. "It will help us take control of the ports for our pipeline for moving flesh. And it will benefit our goals of establishing a site for the death ring operations, which also has sex slaves—which you’ll make a beautiful addition to, Eden. The owners of the death ring are immensely motivated to set up a site on the West Coast, but the Santoros will never allow it. So while we destroy and annihilate them, our partners, Lixin and Amazu, will ensure the Chamber is in favor and stands behind everything we're doing."

Fear sparks into a burning inferno inside me. This isn't just about Gilly's and getting information they can use to blackmail others. The bigger play is that they want to bring in some kind of death ring and take out the Santoros, using Gilly's and the Chamber to do it.

Does Vito know this yet? Is this what's on Aiken's recordings?

But no, if Aiken had any possible proof, he wouldn't have let this heinous ring be set up, nor would he have just let a whole criminal faction be taken out. He would've given Tommaso a heads-up.

But then he'd break his oath and take sides to protect one criminal group from another.

Aiken would never allow that to happen, though, I counter.

But doubt wars within me. How well do I know Aiken anymore?

No. If Aiken had known this was in the works, he would never have allowed me to take over as Gilly's owner-operator. He would have changed his will and deleted his email, so it would never have been sent to me.

That , I know for certain .

Which means I'm the only one who knows about this plan.

Somehow, I have to survive and escape to warn Vito.

Novak pushes in closer to me. He smells like stale cigarettes and death.

He pushes my hair back from my face. His eyes travel over my body, making me feel naked and violated.

"Such a beauty. It's a shame we can't keep you. But with that face and tits and ass… as a sex slave in the death ring…" He licks his lips. "I look forward to fucking you while we watch people kill each other, trying to survive, every time I visit the San Francisco location we're setting up."

"You're fucking sick." I force the words out around the bile that has rushed into my throat from the graphic, horrendous images that push forth.

I need to get free.

I pray to whatever higher power exists that Axin had eyes on me somehow, and he knows where I am. Or for me to get free and my hands on a phone to warn Vito before it's too late. Before these men have shattered me or have shipped me off to that heinous ring like they've threatened.

Even if I don't survive, as long as I can warn Vito about this horrific plan before it's too late, that will be enough.

Stay calm, sis. Situations like this are all about power .

I don't really believe my dead brother is channeling his voice into my head from the grave, but it's a reminder that I do know things about this world.

I have my own lived experience—both on the streets and all the years with Ohith and Axin.

Power. I need to take some back, throw them off kilter, make them worry, even scared, and try to gain an advantage that way.

Ohith. The Black Ghost .

He won't love that I outed his secret, but it's my only gambling chip at the moment. It might not stop them in what they're about to do to me, but it's a chance I'll have to take. And if I don't survive, at least I know that Ohith will hunt these men down and slaughter them, and I can taunt them from the dead with 'I told you so.'

Amazu takes his knife back from Lixin and twirls it, weaving it through his fingers and over his knuckles. "I want to know about the successor plan, Eden." He had asked me that last night, too, when he was drunk.

I decide not to mention Ohith yet, wanting to see if they freely provide any other details. They believe I'm not getting out of here, and it's no threat to spill secrets to a dead woman walking.

"You said last night, Amazu, that it's hard to find the right fit, and I've only been in the role for a few months."

He studies me with his dark eyes and sniffs. "Your brother claimed he didn't have one, either."

I stiffen, and Lixin smiles, not missing my movement.

"Cunningham, the bitch, swore he had nothing filed with her," Amazu reveals.

That cunt bitch.

I knew something was off about with her. That's why, immediately after taking over my role, I hired a new lawyer.

Images of Gus—dead and broken—flood my head. If they discover he's my successor, I've placed him in their crosshairs. I looked closely into Gilly's successors; never has a staff member been named as one. Since Aiken hadn't selected Gus, I'm hoping these assholes don't even consider that I've chosen him.

"She doesn't have one," Mancini states with confidence. "She's a woman, a little bitch, operating in a big man's world."

Well, fuck you and your misogynistic views, Mancini. But they work well in this case. Keep underestimating me, you dick.

"The successor information can wait for now," Lixin says, eyeing me closely. "What I want to know is about the evidence, Eden. Your brother would've told you where he hid it."

"Don't know what you're talking about."

He smiles, and it sends chills racing through me. He steps closer and pets my head. "Sweet Eden. Did you know I sent the kill team to slaughter Aiken like a pig?"

My heart thunders, and pain swells in my chest. I suspected it, but to hear Lixin admit it—so casually, so… sadistically— is nearly too much.

"I told them to play with him." He continues to pet my head gently, so at odds with his vile words. "Make it last, to make him bleed." He drags his thumb down my cheek, pulling on my gash and making it bleed again, before resuming his gentle caresses. "To not finish him before they left, but to leave him on the verge of death, lingering so he knows the end is coming and there's nothing he could do."

My whole body shakes. Because with every word, I see Aiken's murder happening before my eyes. And it's worse, so much worse, than watching it on the tablet I found.

Because his killer, his executioner, is making me bear witness to it while he touches me.

"I hate you," I choke.

"Sweetheart." He lowers and runs his nose along my cheek. "I want your hate. I want your tears. I want your blood. I want to shatter you into a million fucking pieces ."

I notice he's hard. I close my eyes and try not to be sick.

A zipper sounds, and my eyes fly open. Novak pushes closer. "Enough of this shit. It's time to stuff this bitch's mouth. We'll get all the details we need from her after we have our fun."

That’s enough to snap me out of the horrendous pain that's drowning me as I visualize Aiken’s murder all over again while the man responsible touches me.

"Put your dick anywhere near me, and I'll bite it off," I snarl and snap my teeth. "Ask Amazu how hard I bite."

Lixin fists the back of my hair, yanking my head back. "That's not nice, sweetheart. I was being so gentle with you."

"Fuck. You," I spit. He cranks my neck back further, making me internally scream in pain, but I swallow it.

Power. Take back some power.

I start to laugh.

Mancini frowns. "She's fucking broken already."

"Or insane," Amazu mutters, rubbing his cheek.

"Stop." Lixin jerks my head. "It." He jerks it again.

The tendons in my neck feel like they'll snap, and my hair feels like it's being ripped out. But I still laugh until tears leak from my eyes.

"You're all so fucked, With a capital F."

Novak pushes closer, ready to pull out what I'm sure is his pathetic dick.

"You assholes ever hear of the Black Ghost?"

That gets their attention.

Tension increases in the room.

Lixin eases his grip, and I lift my head out of the painful position. I let my impassive mask fall away, letting them see the darkness in me. The sly, cunning bitch that I am.

"You are not the Black Ghost," Mancini sneers.

"Of course not. The rumors are the Black Ghost is a man." I turn to Lixin and Amazu. "You know I left home at fifteen, lived on the streets. That part of my history is easy enough to find out. But then I disappeared, and you couldn't find more… Did you stop to think why ?"

"You're trying to say the Black Ghost rescued you and took you in?" Amazu puffs his chest but I see the nervousness under that bravado. "Nice fucking try."

"No, I'm not saying that. Because the Black Ghost didn't exist then. Back then, the man who rescued me—the man who became my adoptive father— is someone from your world. Any idea which highly reputable person that could be?"

Novak still has his hand in his pants, looking uneasily at Lixin and Amazu. Mancini looks clueless and pissed off.

"Someone who was seemingly killed around that same time. Someone who your criminal organizations likely used on contract basis to help you out." I cock my head. "Still nothing, boys?"

Novak pulls his hand out of his pants; Lixin and Amazu are stoic.

"Well, let me help you out… That man is Ohith."

The name hits like a bullet, and they flinch.

Lixin recovers first. "Nice try, sweetheart . Novak, you were saying about stuffing her mouth? Well, how about we stuff all her holes at once? But before we get to the fun part, Eden…" He smiles that pure evil smile again. "I want to share something else about your brother's delicious death."

He leans in close, watching me intently. "I had my kill team film Aiken's slaughter, and I watch it every single day. And each time, I have some other bitch sucking me off while I imagine it's you . You choking on my cock while listening to your brother die. You who's lying bloody and broken at my feet."

Hate and fury damn near choke me. "Fuck you, you pathetic piece of shit."

Amazu wraps his hand around my throat, squeezing and blocking my air. "Hit her with a mild dose of the sedative. This bitch has too much fight in her yet. She'll claw one of our eyes out before we get her stuffed with our cocks."

Black dots pepper my vision from lack of oxygen. At a bare minimum, I'll have a finger necklace, if not a crushed throat soon.

Someone punches me in the stomach, which breaks Amazu's grip on me. My airway opens, but my muscles are spasming. My breathing is out of sync as I'm winded and struggling to draw in air.

Somehow, though, I wheeze out a laugh and the words—it's amazing what hate can help you do, "I can't wait to see what they do to you."

They, because it won't just be Ohith. Axin knows about Vito and me, which means Ohith does as well. They'll bring Vito; this knowledge is somehow a visceral part of me. Just like I know that if I die before they can find me, Vito will cover himself in these men's blood.

But I can't taunt them with Vito coming for them. Which is a damn bloody shame because I would love to see their expressions, knowing that the unhinged protector of the Santoro family will be gunning for them. However, to do this, I'd have to expose that Vito loves me, and I can't risk the damage they could do by outing Vito for crossing the line into forbidden territory before he can get to them.

"Cut you apart, piece by piece," I get out easier.

Mancini slaps me and follows it up with a punch, exploding pain in my jaw. "Shut the fuck up."

My mouth fills with blood. I spit. Then grin when it hits Mancini's white dress shirt. I hope my grin looks psychotic and rivals Jack Nicholson's from The Shining .

Novak punches my stomach, making me cough and wheeze. "We don't need a sedative to control this bitch." He punches my stomach again, and I almost puke. My arms and legs strain against the restraints, trying to break free, cutting into my skin, but they don't give. "Physically whooping her ass will do. Then I'm going to fuck your ass raw, bitch." He starts to wail on me.

I'm defenseless, tied to the chair.

"Enough!" Lixin bellows, and the hits stop. "We want her fucking conscious!"

I lift my head with labored breaths. Lixin is rolling up his sleeves, and I freeze.

He sees what I'm looking at and smiles. "Recognize it, sweetheart?"

A large tattoo on his forearm shows three snakes coiled around each other, eating the tails of another, with a small trident in the middle.

"All Novak and Mancini's best soldiers that they've loaned me for the cause wear my mark."

I start to laugh.

It fucking hurts, but I can't help myself. It sounds borderline manic.

"Do Novak and Mancini know you killed two of their best soldiers last night?" I taunt.

Lixin freezes, Novak goes rigid, and Mancini whirls to Lixin. "You fucking told me her guard got lucky. You son of a bitch, those were my best men!"

The three other men in the room, who have just been standing and watching, start to close in, hands on their weapons, glaring at Lixin.

"She's lying!"

I laugh harder, shaking my head. "Nope. Not even a little bit. Snapped the neck of one and blew the heart right out of the other with his Desert Eagle."

"She's trying to push a wedge between us," Amazu shouts. "Don't fucking listen to her!"

"Shut up!" Lixin yells in my face, and Amazu grips my hair and yanks my head back.

Lixin turns back to Mancini. "They were out of control and were going to kill her! We needed her alive."

"Then shoot them in the shoulder or something, you dumb fuck!" Mancini screams in his face.

Amazu looks ready to kill me. "You. Bitch." He lets go of my hair and comes around in front of me.

Wasting no time, I headbutt his nose, making blood instantly gush out.

"You fucking bitch!" He grips his nose with one hand and closes the other around my throat. The promise of death is in his eyes.

A huge bang, followed by smoke, fills the room faster than I blink.

My eyes meet Amazu's dark ones through the haze. "You better run and hide, you little bitch." I relish the fear that covers his face.

Then a large form bursts through the smoke and tackles me sideways in the chair as the room erupts into chaos.