Break All Ties

Chapter Ten

With my wet flannel in tow, I shredded what was left of Reese's shirt to clean the blood that gathered across his skin. All things considered, I'd done a pretty good job at patching his wound up.

"You're wasting your time," Assante said, his tone knowing.

"Unless you plan to help, kindly refrain from speaking."

I didn't have to look to know he was growing irritated.

"You're wasting your time, Bellezza."

"I'm sure you're about to tell me how."

"There's no point in cleaning him up and stitching him up when he has to die."

My hand froze in its cleaning. "What are you saying?" I imitated the look of malice I'd seen on his face so many times before. "I'm giving you the chance to think about how you phrase this here. Don't waste it."

I wasn't nearly as intimidating as him, but I was sure he got my meaning.

"He has to die," He said, ignoring my warning.

I dropped the cloth, rising to a stand.

"And now I'll let you say that again and rethink everything that just came out of your mouth."

He wasn't afraid of me.

"He has to die, Bellezza."

I sucked in a breath.

"I'm going to pretend you didn't say that and let you try again one more time."

"We can't let him live. If you let him out of here alive, he'll go straight to the police and then this whole thing is over."

"What whole thing, Lorenzo? Please, enlighten me. You've told me nothing. You won't tell me why you're here or what you're planning. Don't for a single second think that I trust you."

He leered over at me. "And you're the angel, aren't you?" He paced closer, a hand wrapping around my throat. Not to hurt me. He used it to pin me to the wall. "If you didn't have such a track record for running off to the police, maybe then I'd share my plans with you. I can't trust you either."

"Then why the fuck are you here?" He hated it when I swore. I saw the anger ticking away behind his eyes. "If you can't trust me, why did you fly to a different country to come torture me when you're supposed to be on the run?"

"I don't owe you an explanation."

"You owe me fucking something!" I whacked his chest. He didn't stumble, nor did he flinch. "You have ruined every chance I've ever had at a life, not once, but twice. The least you can do is give me an explanation."

"Anyone that leaks to the police is supposed to die."

"Then kill me." I grabbed his gun, a maniacal spark in my eyes. "I broke the rules, Assante. Not one, not two, not even three." His jaw clenched. "I messed your entire scheme up. I put you in prison for three whole years. And whilst you were rotting away behind bars, I was moving on." I grabbed his hand, wrapping it around his gun. "So take your dick out of your mouth and fucking kill me already."

He held it up to my temple, taking off the safety.

"You're mad," He whispered at my ear.

"Like you're any different." As he pushed me further back into the wall, I grabbed a hold of his shoulders, breathing heavily. It felt like I'd just ran a marathon. "Why are you here, Lorenzo? Why are you doing this to me?"

He pulled away and pocketed his gun, his face going cold. He turned away from me, sweeping his arm across the glasses I had stacked up on a far counter. They shattered to the ground, reminding me of the first time I'd lied to him. Of the day he'd thrown a glass against a far wall. It was the same day I realised he wasn't afraid of violence.