It only got worse when he uttered an emotionless, “You embarrassed me today. Made a laughing stock of me. Men have died for less. It is only because of your tender age, of your childishness and naiveté, that I have spared your life. But I will make a promise to you right now. The next time you fuck up, I won’t hurt you.” His expression remained impassive. “I will, however, slaughter your entire family and make you watch. Think I’m bluffing? Try me, topolina.” I lifted my watery eyes to his and found them cold and unfeeling. “Now. I am going to shower to wash every fucking bit of you off of me, then I’m going to have a smoke to ease the pain I’m in and after that, I’m going to call my father to check on my children. And you, Vittoria Scala, are free to do whatever the fuck you want so long as you stay in this suite and stay the fuck away from me.”

6. Vicious little mouse

Chapter 6

Vicious little mouse

Ettore

I stood nude, dripping wet in front of the bathroom sink with swirls of steam curling around me, fogging the mirror. My heart thumped in my chest as I kept my heavy gaze on the uncovered bullet wound just above my breastbone. I lifted my hand and felt over the reddened surrounding area, hissing through my teeth when I poked a particularly sensitive spot.

An inch lower.

The blood pumping through my veins turned ice cold.

A single inch lower and nothing could have saved me.

I clenched my jaw so tightly that my temples throbbed. I could see the steady heartbeat jump at my throat. My eyes flashed as the thought of what could have been danced in my mind.

My lip curled in repugnance when I thought about her, crying in the next room. I wasn’t moved by her tears because despite what happened today, I wasn’t a stupid man. She wasn’t crying with genuine regret. She was crying because her abhorrent plan failed and now, she had to deal with the consequences like a big girl. “Vicious little mouse.”

With a shake of my head, I snagged a towel off the shelf and patted myself dry. I tried my best not to get my wound wet, but avoiding the odd few droplets of water was impossible. My touch gentled as I passed over the wound, but even though I barely grazed it, a sharp sting speared through me, and I watched in irritation as a droplet of blood pooled at between the staples holding it closed. That single droplet quickly turned to two and then a thin trail of blood was making its way down one side of my body. And that was about all I could take on this incredibly taxing day.

I laughed bitterly, shaking my head while pressing the towel to the seeping lesion. “Oooh. You vile cunt.”