one hand locked around his forearm but the way I’m twisted, it’s no use. I can’t budge him.
“I’m your brother’s wife,” I remind him. “Let me go!”
“He did what he had to do for the family. That’s the only reason you’re his wife. Don’t read too much into him fucking you. You’re a piece of ass. That is all you are. All you ever were.” He takes my other arm and twists it behind my back. I don’t think it’ll take much to snap the bone. “Where’s your brother? Where did you two disappear to?”
“You’re going to break my arm.” It hurts so much. “Please.”
“How did you do it?” His voice breaks. “How did he get to him?”
My heart drops to my belly. Who got to him? “Dante.” I turn my head as much as I can. “Please tell me where he is. Where’s Cristiano?”
“I was starting to think I was wrong about you, you know that? I was starting to think maybe you really did care about my brother. That was my bad.”
“I do care.”
He spins me around and slams me so hard against the wall that my vision blurs. I have to grab hold of him to steady myself.
“I should kill you.” He wraps his hand around my throat.
“Where is he?” I ask as he squeezes.
“Fuck my promise. It doesn’t matter anymore anyway. I should kill you here and now.”
“Where is he?” I manage, clawing at his forearm as his grip tightens.
He hauls me up by my throat, forcing me onto my tip toes as he dips his head lower so we’re nose to nose.
“Where is he?” he asks, spitting the words.
My nails dig into his forearm but it’s no use. I can’t get enough air.
“He’s dead, Scarlett. He’s fucking dead.”
26
Scarlett
Dead?
No.
No.
Dante drops me and I hit the floor, my head bouncing off hard stone.
Cristiano is dead?
“Did you find those pieces of shit?” someone asks.
I roll onto my side gasping for breath, the back of my head throbbing.
“Just the girl.”
I struggle to open my eyes and the room spins, the two of them standing over me like giants. Dante and David.
“She’ll have to do.”
I hear Cerberus’s growl, turn my head just enough to see him stalk into the room, teeth bared.
“For fuck’s sake. Get that beast away from me.” It’s David. Cristiano’s uncle.
I watch Dante take Cerberus and walk him away from us, but when David reaches down to grab hold of my arm and roughly haul me up, Cerberus tries to lunge for him.
“Cerberus!” Dante tries to command him but even as my head lolls, I can see the effort it’s taking him to hold the huge dog back.
David has me by both arms and gives me a hard shake. “Look at me.”
I try. I can’t seem to keep my head up or my eyes open, not to mention getting my legs under me without my knees giving out.
“Fuck,” David curses.
“What do you want with her? We go after Felix now. Leave her in one of the cells. I’ll take care of her when I’m finished with Felix,” Dante says.
“That’s not going to work for me.”
“I made my brother a promise. Leave her to me.”
“Your brother’s dead. Any promises are void.”
More men enter the room as I’m finally able to stand upright.
“I promised,” Dante says. “Dead or alive.”
David turns back to me, grasps my jaw with one hand and tilts my face up to look closely at me. He hands me off to one of the men who just entered.
“Cristiano,” I croak, my throat hoarse after being nearly choked to death.
“Take her to the chopper.”
“I said no!” Dante argues.
David goes to him. “Listen to me,” he starts, voice menacing, but quickly shifting. David sighs, hangs his head. He looks back up at Dante who is a few inches taller than him. He smiles. “Your brother is dead, Dante. You and I are all that’s left of the Grigori family. I love you like a son. You know that. I’ve taken care of you like a father when you family was murdered. When your brother couldn’t be there for you.”
“I know that.”
“Let me take care of this one final loose end. Then we can get on with our lives.”
Dante looks at him and I see how David’s tone and words are getting to him. Either David is a very good actor or what he’s saying is authentic. I’m going with the former.
“It’s my final promise to my brother.”
“Your brother was fooled by her. She deserves what I have planned.”
“And