Chapter One Hundred And Thirty Nine

The bastard laughed, low and broken, but there was something cruel in the way it scraped out of his throat. Like he enjoyed this. Like he wanted to watch me lose it.

I was already on the edge. Already seconds from snapping.

And he knew it.

"Who?" I growled, my voice raw, jagged. It came out like a snarl, like I was already losing my mind.

The laugh only grew, a sick, wheezing sound that made my blood boil.

I grabbed his throat, my fingers digging into the bruised, sweat-slick skin. His breath hitched as I tightened my grip, cutting off his pathetic little chuckle.

"For the last fucking time," I seethed, my face inches from his. "Who sold me out?"

His eyes rolled back for a second, his breath coming in sharp gasps. But then, with the last ounce of amusement he could muster, he lifted a trembling finger-

And pointed.

At one of my men.

A muscle jumped in my jaw as I turned my head, my chest rising and falling with ragged breaths.

The man stood frozen, his face pale, his hands clenched at his sides.

Luca.

Betrayal burned through me like fire.

My own fucking man.

Luca didn't move. Didn't speak. He just stood there, his body stiff, his eyes locked on mine.

Coward.

I released the half-dead bastard in the chair, letting him slump forward with a pathetic groan. My focus was on Luca now. The only thing I saw was him.

"You," I breathed, my voice eerily calm.

Luca swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing. "Boss-"

I moved.

Faster than he could react, I had him by the collar, slamming him against the nearest wall. The force rattled the metal shelves beside us, sending tools clattering to the ground.

"Fucking say it," I hissed. My knuckles turned white as I gripped his shirt. "Say you did it. Say you fed them my moves like a fucking dog."

His mouth opened, but no words came out. His hands came up, gripping my wrists, but he didn't fight me. He knew better.

I wanted to break him.

I wanted to watch his world shatter the way he had shattered mine.

Sofia was out there-alone, in Thomas's hands-because of him.

"Boss, I-"

I drew my gun and shoved it under his chin.

His breath hitched.

"I should put a bullet in your skull," I whispered, my finger curling around the trigger.

Luca's eyes darted between mine, panic settling in. "It wasn't-it wasn't like that," he gasped. "I didn't-I had no choice."

I pressed the gun harder against his jaw. "You had a fucking choice."

He squeezed his eyes shut, his body trembling against my grip.

"Talk," I ordered. "And maybe I'll consider letting you die fast."

His breath was shaky, his chest rising and falling in short, frantic gasps. Then, finally, he spoke.

"It was Thomas," he rasped. "He-he had my sister."

My grip didn't loosen.

"She had nothing to do with this life, Theo," he continued, his voice cracking. "I tried-I tried to keep her out, but Thomas found out. He threatened her. I didn't know what else to do."

I stared at him.

Lies?

Or the truth?

My pulse thundered in my ears.

I should shoot him. I wanted to shoot him.

But something about the way his hands shook, the way his voice cracked, made me pause.

Luca had been with me for years. Loyal. Reliable.

And yet, he had sold me out.

Sold Sofia out.

I exhaled sharply, pressing my forehead against his for a brief moment, the gun still firm against his skin.

Then, I pulled back.

"You better start praying she's still alive," I murmured.

Because if she wasn't-

I'd finish what I started.

I took a step back, but my grip on Luca's collar didn't ease. My pulse was a thunderous roar in my ears, drowning out every rational thought.

"Where is he keeping her?" My voice was eerily quiet, controlled-too controlled.

Luca hesitated.

Wrong fucking move.

I cocked the gun, the sharp click cutting through the suffocating silence. "I asked you a question."

"I don't know." His voice was barely above a whisper.

Rage ignited in my veins.

I lunged, slamming him against the wall again, harder this time. "You guys think this is a fucking game?" I seethed.

Luca winced, his hands coming up in surrender. "Theo, I swear-"

"Swear?" I let out a sharp, humorless laugh. "You swear? Like you swore your loyalty to me before stabbing me in the back?"

He flinched.

"Where the fuck is she, Luca?" My grip tightened, my forearm pressing against his throat.

"I don't know," he choked out. "Thomas never told me-he just made me feed him your moves. That's it, I swear!"

I searched his eyes. Looking for a crack. A tell.

Nothing.

Either he was telling the truth, or he was the best liar I'd ever seen.

But that still left me with nothing.

And I was out of time.

I released him with a shove, sending him staggering forward. He coughed, rubbing his throat, but I wasn't done. Not even close.

I turned back to the half-dead bastard in the chair, gripping his hair and yanking his head back. His swollen eye barely opened, but his mouth curled into something sickly amused.

"Guess I'm your last hope now, huh?" he rasped.

I pressed the barrel of my gun against his temple.

"That depends," I said coldly. "Are you going to give me something I can use, or am I putting a bullet in your skull?"

The bastard smirked. A bloody, weak smirk, but it was enough to make my trigger finger twitch.

"You can kill me," he rasped, voice hoarse from pain, "but that won't bring her back."

My stomach clenched.

I shoved the gun harder against his skull. "She's not dead."

He let out a breathy chuckle, the sound like nails scraping against my sanity. "You sure about that?"

I cocked the gun. "You've got three seconds to tell me where she is."

His lips curled. "Or what?"

"Or I paint this fucking floor with your brains."

Silence.

His swollen eye flickered to Luca, then back to me. His smirk grew. "Maybe you should ask your rat where Thomas likes to hide his toys."

Luca stiffened behind me, but I didn't take my eyes off the bastard in the chair.

I let the silence stretch, suffocating, letting him feel the weight of the gun against his skull, the weight of his last few breaths.

Then I pulled the trigger.

The gunshot rang out, sharp and final. Blood splattered across the concrete. His body slumped forward, lifeless.

I exhaled through my nose, my hands steady, my mind anything but.

Luca sucked in a breath. "Boss-"

"Shut up."

He clamped his mouth shut.

I turned slowly, my gaze locking onto his. "You know something you're not telling me."

"I don't-"

I stepped forward, closing the distance between us. "Luca," I said, my voice a low, deadly warning. "You fed him my moves. That means you heard things. Saw things. Something."

He swallowed hard, hesitation flickering across his face.

"I-" His voice wavered.

I grabbed his shirt, yanking him close. "Where would Thomas take her?"

Luca's breath was uneven, his hands trembling at his sides. "I swear, Boss," he whispered, his voice raw. "I am not lying. I don't know where he took her."

My fingers curled tighter in his shirt, my jaw locked so tight it ached.

"I want to believe you," I murmured, my voice deceptively calm. "I really do."

He swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing. "I wouldn't lie to you, Theo."

I searched his face, every twitch, every flicker of emotion. His eyes were desperate, pleading.

But desperation could be faked.

Lies could be rehearsed.

And my patience was running out.

I pressed the barrel of my gun against his ribs this time, right against the space between them. "Then give me something," I said coldly. "Because I'm running out of reasons not to put a bullet in you."

Luca's breath hitched.

"I-" His voice cracked. "Fuck-okay, okay." He exhaled sharply, forcing himself to speak through the panic.