Total pages in book: 54
Estimated words: 49961 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 250(@200wpm)___ 200(@250wpm)___ 167(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 49961 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 250(@200wpm)___ 200(@250wpm)___ 167(@300wpm)
His attacker grabbed Costa’s head, forcing him to watch as the first invader reached into Emilio’s widely spread mouth and ripped out his tongue, garbling the last few notes of his howl.
The splatter of blood and the removed organ demanded Costa’s attention when it thudded onto his desk. Costa forced himself to pull his attention from the bloody mass before him as he struggled to contain the visceral terror welling up inside him. To his horror, the man reached into the gaping wound in Emilio’s chest to tear out his heart and add it to the gruesome display on the dark wood in front of him
Shocked by what he’d witnessed, Costa stared at the scene before him as the man casually wiped his sword on Emilio’s jacket and shoved the body out of the way. Emilio’s remains tumbled to the floor, still twitching. Costa swallowed hard as the intruder’s ice-cold, green gaze targeted on him.
Costa stiffened his spine, trying to appear unfazed by the violence and his own vulnerability, even though the other man held him in place. He guessed all his guards had perished as well. “That’s rather a lot, isn’t it?”
“This is your final warning. Touching a hair on the heads of our people or employees will result in mass annihilation of your forces, your family lineage, and yourself. You particularly will suffer.”
Before he could prevent himself, Costa’s gaze lowered to the new additions to his desk blotter. Suffer more than that?
“I don’t think you understand who you’re talking to or what you’ve started,” Costa blustered.
“You are Enzo Costa. Your father ran the organization until his unfortunate death at your hands six years ago. Your mother, Lucia, and your three sisters, Serafina, Alessia, and Mirabella, are still alive. You have twelve nieces and nephews. No wife. No children. I’d guess your swimmers aren’t so good.”
Ignoring the last part even though it made him bristle, Costa asked, “Are you threatening my family?”
“If I need to. You seem to have a problem with our existence. Either get over it now and ignore our presence, or I will eliminate you, your family, and anyone who dares to rally to your aid.”
“I control this area. You moved into my turf,” Costa said. His quick temper had gotten him into trouble before.
A sudden, slight cool breeze made his cock shrink inside his fine wool trousers. The hands at his head prevented Costa from checking out what had caused it. He barely kept his gaze from landing again on the displayed trophies.
“You’re lucky. I left your dick attached. Do you want to tell me you’re in control one more time? I can place it in the pile in front of you.”
Costa glared at him angrily as he clenched his teeth together to silence himself as the man before him continued to speak.
“Do not attempt to meddle in our affairs. We know who works for you and what your organization is. We will let you conduct your business in peace if you don’t interfere in ours. But understand this: Cross our path again or attempt to retaliate against us, and you will be the last person I visit after slaughtering your entire family. And, as I have proven, you cannot stop me. Do you understand?” The man’s hand swept toward the body parts decorating Costa’s desk.
The fierce glare in the man’s eyes turned Costa’s blood to ice. Unable to do anything else, he nodded his understanding. Costa’s gaze automatically followed the man’s gesture to focus on the bloody pile on his desk. When he looked up, both men were gone.
As he stood, Costa’s hand dropped to the front of his trousers. In shocked horror, he traced the jagged edges and dangling threads. Frantically, he dove his fingers inside the opening and felt stubble. Without him even seeing them do it, one of the men had sliced away his zipper, the fly of his boxer briefs, and shaved his neatly trimmed pubic hair off. They’d acted in the space of a blink of an eye. He raised his hands to his head to ensure they hadn’t knocked him out.
The intruders hadn’t harmed him physically at all. His gaze landed on Emilio’s corpse crumpled in front of his desk. Who used a fucking sword? Instinctively, he stroked over the rift in his pants in horror as he dropped back into his office chair. What the hell was he going to do?
Vowing vengeance, Costa slammed his hand down on his desk and launched his chair backward in revulsion when blood splattered onto his face. He forced himself to breathe slowly. He’d leave them alone for several weeks as he rebuilt his manpower and came up with a strategy.
Chapter
Seventeen
Returning to Nightfall, Marcus showered and put on clean clothes before dropping by Darius’s office to collect his Little girl. Darius sat at his desk with a lamp focused on the ledger in front of him. Darkness shrouded the rest of the secluded space. Marcus nodded his thanks to Darius before walking over to the comfortable couch where Carina breathed deeply.