Chapter 16
Chapter 16
(Rafael’s POV)
The warehouse reeked of rust and old blood the familiar scents that grounded me, reminded me who I was when the world tried to make me forget.
The man who sent that bastard from the club hung from chains in the center of the room, I wanted to kill him instantly but not without ending the conversation we were about to have.
He had woken up here an hour ago, groggy from the sedative my men had pumped into him after dragging his ass out of the club through the back alley. No one had stopped us.
"Maledetto bastardo," I muttered under my breath, pacing the cold concrete floor. (Fucking bastard!.)
My fists were clenched at my sides, the memory of that bastard hands on Raelyn still burning through me like acid. If I closed my eyes, I could see it, her panic, the way she'd tried to pull away. It took everything in me not to put a bullet between his eyes right now.
Mateo leaned against the wall, with his arms crossed, his younger face was a mirror of mine but softer around the edges. He was twirling a knife between his fingers casually as if we were waiting for coffee. "Fratello, you sure you don't want me to start? This stronzo looks like he's about to piss himself already."
I shot him a glare. "No! This one's mine."
But I appreciated him being here. Mateo had always been the one to pull me back when I went too far or push me forward when I didn't go far enough. It was in the family blood.
Dante, my cousin, chuckled from the shadows, cracking his knuckles one by one. He was built like a bulldog, his presence alone was enough to make most men talk.
"Yeah, well, if Rafael doesn't hurry up, I'll take a turn. I hate waiting." He stepped forward, grabbing a rusted pipe from the corner and tapping it against his palm. "Who sent you, eh? Or do we have to play dentist first?"
The man, Vito, whose name we came to learn from his wallet was some low-level enforcer with ties to the Rossi family.
He lifted his head, blood trickling from his lip where one of my guys had already roughed him up. His eyes darted between us desperate. "I-I don't know what you're talking about. It was just... just a girl in a club. I didn't mean..."
"Liar." I surged forward, grabbing his jaw hard enough to feel the bones grind under my fingers. "You think I'm stupid? You walk into my territory, into a club of my people and go straight for her? No one touches what's mine even by accident."
I leaned in closer, my breath hot against his face. "Chi ti ha mandato? Who sent you?" (Who sent you?)
He whimpered, trying to shake his head, but I held him firm. "N-no one! I swear, it was just—"
"Porca miseria!" I snarled, slamming my fist into his gut. The air was sucked out of him, and he doubled over as much as the chains allowed, gasping.
Fucking hell!. I stepped back, wiping my hand on my pants because touching him had dirtied me. "You're wasting my time. Mateo, give me the pliers."
My brother pushed himself off the wall, tossing the tool to me with a grin that didn't reach his eyes. "Here. Make it hurt."
Dante circled around to the man's side, pipe in hand. "Last chance, Vito. Spill, or we start breaking things you can't fix."
Vito's eyes bulged, sweat pouring down his face. "Okay! Okay! It was Rossi. Enzo Rossi. He... he heard about your new girl said she was a weak spot and told me to... to test the waters. I should rough her up a bit, see if you'd snap. It was just a job!"
Just a job! The words ignited something feral in me. I grabbed his hand, forcing his fingers straight, and clamped the pliers around his pinky finger. "A job? Touching her was a job?"
I twisted the pliers slow and deliberate, feeling the bone crack under the pressure.
He screamed loudly, the sound echoing off the walls like music to my ears. "Per favore! Stop! I'll tell you everything!" (Please!)
I didn't stop I needed him to feel it, the same helplessness she'd felt in that booth.
"You don't get mercy," I growled, releasing the pliers and tossing them aside. Blood dripped from his mangled finger. "Not after what you tried."
Mateo stepped up beside me, his was voice low. "Raf, easy. We need him alive for now. Rossi's making a move and we gotta know how deep this goes."
Dante nodded, smacking the pipe against Vito's knee just hard enough to make him yelp. "Yeah, but after that? He's all yours."
I stared at Vito, my chest heaving. Rossi! That snake had been gunning for my territory for months, but going after Raelyn? That was personal and unforgivable.
"Tie him up tighter," I ordered, turning away. "We'll deal with Rossi next but this one... he doesn't leave here breathing."
As we stepped out into the night, the cold air hitting my face, I felt the weight of everything that happened pressing down. Raelyn was still at the villa, probably wondering why I'd shut her out. She didn't know the half of it, how far I'd go to keep her safe. How many bodies I'd burry if it meant no one ever touched her again.
But she would soon because this wasn't over. It was just beginning. And when I got back to her, I'd make sure she understood that in my world, love wasn't soft. It was sharp, bloody, and eternal.
"Cazzo," I muttered to myself, sliding into the car. (Fuck)
Mateo and Dante climbed in behind me silently. Rossi was next and he'd beg for death before I was done with him.
"Dante assicurati di stringere la sicurezza nella villa, non voglio errori in questo o sei morto" I instructed Dante because I knew if Rossi had the audacity to send someone after Raelyn, he'll surely try to get into my house.
" L'hai preso fratello!" Dante said. (You got it brother ".