Chapter 192: LOST EVERYTHING
Martina's POV
We slipped in silently, efficiently, like the avenging spirits we had trained ourselves to be. Every step brought us closer to the heart of Nicholas's compound, and the closer we got, the tighter my chest tightened. I didn't let that show. I couldn't afford to be afraid now. Not when Silvio might be bleeding to death somewhere in these cold confines. Not when the monster who'd caused all this was still breathing.
We killed all of Nicholas's men that we encountered — no survivors, no witnesses. We took care to leave nothing behind, nothing that would identify us or place us in the picture. We moved in a sharp, neat line. Everyone had a role, and everyone was playing it with an accuracy that was almost terrifying. I made my way through the darkened halls, the stench of blood and dust hanging in the air, searching for a sign — a room, a voice, something.
And I turned a corner.
And froze.
Nicholas.
He emerged from a room just ahead of me, tall and serene, like he wasn't dripping with blood and sin. His gaze met mine. I turned away automatically, trying to look casual, to disappear before he had any idea who I was.
Of course, how did I not suspect he would be the mastermind of all this it made perfect sense.
"Stop."
The single word fell from his lips like a condemnaton.
My breath caught in my throat. I could hear the thudding of my own heartbeat in my head. I had seconds, maybe less. I acted slowly, stealthily, for the knife hidden in my belt. With one swift motion, I hurled it at his leg.
A blow.
He let out a snarling cry of agony, and I ran.
But I was wrong.
Guards encircled me before I could advance more than a handful of feet. Filthy hands closed in on me from every direction. I was punched out of the air as I was slammed to the ground. I struggled — God, I struggled — but there were too many and I couldn't move. Then Nicholas hobbled over, yanked the knife from his leg with a snarl, and wrapped his hand around my hair so tightly I thought I'd pull it out.
“How did you find this place". he asked face set in stone with blood I'm sure didn't belong to him on his fingers
Silvio.
I didn't answer only stared back scowling.
"You're going to die at my hands today,
you pretty little girl," he panted in my ear, venom-filled.
He yanked me down a corridor and into a dark room. I couldn't see anything.
Then the lights flicked on.
And I heard a laugh — cold, mocking, female.
I blinked fiercely, accommodating the light. A woman emerged, her dark shape etched against the brightness. She was thin, wearing close leather that stuck to her like skin. Her hair was pulled back in a messy bun, dark and unruly. My head reeled, nausea gnawing at my gut. Everything was a bit askew.
And then—
"Martina!"
That voice.
Silvio.
My heart practically stopped. I gazed in the direction of the voice, and there he was — tied to a chair, his body drenched in blood, his face barely visible beneath bruises and cuts. I ran to him, sobbing tears.
"Oh my God. Oh my God, Silvio!"
I dropped to my knees and tried to untie the ropes, but they were knotted too tightly. I trembled as I tugged uselessly. He was hurt — badly. And he was looking at me like he couldn't believe I was real.
Then —
Pain.
A vicious yank on my hair spun me about. I cried out.
"Let me go!"
The woman growled.
"Selina's the name, you little idiot. And if you know what kind of hell you've gotten me into, you'd not even have the guts to speak."
She leaned in close to me, her warm breath on my cheek.
"Do you miss your husband already? That him?"
She cackled crazily as she tightened her grip on my hair and dragged me across the room like a rag doll. I screamed once again as the pain coursed down my back.
"Finally, we have you, you cunt," she snarled, kicking me with all her might in the ribcage.
The breath was knocked from my body.
Another kick. A punch. Her fists came down relentlessly on my body. I tried to cover myself, but she showed no mercy. Silvio was yelling behind her — his chair creaking back and forth as he struggled against the restraints.
"STOP! SELINA, STOP IT!"
He was losing it. I could hear it in his voice. The desperation. The anger that had no outlet.
"You shouldn't be here, Martina! Why did you come?! Fuck, why did you come?!"
I wanted to respond. But my voice was gone. My energy was waning.
A yank.
A slap.
My lip torn, blood running down my chin.
Selina smiled at the scenery.
"Perhaps I should have a nice little tattoo for your nice little bride," she sneered. She pulled out a knife and pressed the blade gently against my neck, tracing it lightly. A tiny thread of blood followed the edge.
"A flower? A star? No. how about a heart in the place where hers pulsates?"
Silvio bellowed and fought with all his might against the ropes.
Nicholas reclined in the corner, arms folded.
"Calm down, Selina," he said, smiling. "Don't kill her yet. That's no fun."
Selina laughed — a cruel, distorted sound.
"You're right."
She kicked me again. This time, the pain tore through me in some way I couldn't understand. I let out a stifled gasp, grabbing my stomach.
Something was wrong.
Heat spread between my legs.
No.
No.
What the hell was happening?
I looked down.
Blood.
It was spreading through my pants. My thighs. The floor.
I couldn't breathe.
Selina knelt in front of me, tilting her head.
"Oh? Were you pregnant, little one? Did I murder your second child?"
Time froze.
I yanked my eyes up at Silvio. I saw the shift in his face. The calculation. The horror. The loss. And then—frozen murder. His entire face transformed into something I'd only ever once witnessed — when he vowed to burn a man alive.
He was panting like an animal now, pulling, straining, ripping at his bonds.
My vision started to blur.
I was pregnant?
My body folded in upon itself.
Pain.
Sorrow.
Fury.
Selina towered above me, triumphant.
"You should've stayed hidden, Martina. Now you'll die like the others."
I reached out feebly for Silvio, but I couldn't reach him.
I could only cry.
This was it.
And I had lost everything.