Soulless Devil (Sons of Valentino #3)(43)

Ask me if I give two shits? The answer would be no. Not one little fucking bit.

“You fucked with the wrong girl, stronzo.” The shine of the blade catches in the overhead lights and something that has never occurred before happens. Doubt. Not doubt that these fuckers deserve to die, because they do. But doubt that Livvy will ever forgive me for following through. She’ll have to, though. Or learn to live with it.

Pushing that little voice away, I position the knife at the bastard’s cock. This makes him scream. “No, Please. Fuck no,” he yells, trying in vain to move. To pivot and prevent me from taking that favored appendage of his.

I look him right in the eye as I take the sharpened edge and slice right through the base, letting the useless piece of meat hit the floor as blood spurts from his body. “You will bleed out like this. Though you deserve so much worse.” I spit in his face before I move on to the next guy.

“No, please. It wasn’t me. I didn’t do it. It was him,” he yells, gesturing to the fucker beside him.

Stephan Petrov, cousin of Dmitri. These two are always together. I have no doubt this fucker was the other guy involved in Livvy’s attack. “Why?” I ask him, needing to know the answer. Needing to hear it aloud. The fact that it was my fault. Her connection to my family that damned Livvy to her fate. I don’t know why I want him to say it. Perhaps I’m a little masochistic.

“Fuck, I don’t know. I was following orders,” he cries out.

“Luca, grab the pliers.” I look over to my brother, who picks up a pair of pliers from the bench. “It’s your lucky day, Stephan, because I’m going to let you live,” I tell him, and he visibly relaxes. “I want you to spread the fucking message of what happens when you fucking touch something that belongs to me.” I turn to Luca and he hands me the instrument. “Hold his tongue out,” I instruct my twin. “I said I’d let him live. I didn’t say it’d be easy.”

Luca grabs Stephan’s tongue, and I slice it off. Within seconds, the Russian bastard passes out from the pain. “What the fuck are they teaching these assholes? Because withstanding a bit of torture isn’t it.” Luca laughs.

“Who the fuck cares. I want him delivered to the hospital, preferably unrecognizable,” I tell Luca before walking out of the warehouse. I need to get back to Livvy. As soon as I’m in the car, I text her.

Me:





I’m on my way home. Are you okay?





Livvy:



Depends on your definition of okay.





I don’t like her response. It was a stupid fucking question to ask her. Of course she’s not fucking okay.

Me:





I’ll be there in ten.





Chapter Twenty-Four





It’s been three weeks since Romeo picked me up from my dorm room and brought me back to his place. I haven’t left his apartment since. Each day, I thought I could do it. Walk outside. Go to class. I crumbled and ended up back in bed. Romeo hasn’t left much either. He’s gone out a few times when he couldn’t not go. But, for the most part, he’s been right next to me.

I never asked what he did that night with Luca when he left me here with his cousin, Izzy, who I’ve come to really like. She’s been dropping in every couple of days. We’ve also been messaging each other nonstop. I know I need to ask him about what it is exactly he does for his family. Just not yet. I want to keep my head in the sand a bit longer. I want to stay in this little cocoon he has created for me.

“You got an A on your Poli Sci essay,” Romeo says, walking into the bedroom with his laptop open in his hands.

“How? I didn’t submit anything.” I’m probably going to have to repeat this whole semester. Romeo managed to get me a doctor’s note, explaining my absence to the college. That doesn’t mean I get a free pass on my assignments though.

“I did it for you.” He smiles.

“You did it for me?”

“Is that so hard to believe?” he asks.

“Well, yeah. You came to me for tutoring, remember?” I remind him. I’ve known for a while now that Romeo did not need tutoring. Why he lied, paid me for sessions, I have no idea.

“Ah, about that… I, ah… well, I’m not even taking English Lit. I kind of just wanted to get to know you.” He shrugs.

“That’s… creepy and cute at the same time.” I smile. I haven’t smiled much these last few weeks, but when I do, it’s usually at something Romeo or Luca says.

“What are your plans for Christmas? My family’s going to Canada. If you want to come, you can. If you want me to stay here with you, I will. What do you want to do?”

Christmas break is in a couple of days. I should have thought about this already. I’m going to have to leave the apartment. I’m going to have to go home. Except I’m not fully recovered yet, and I can’t go home to my parents with so much bruising still visible on my face.

“You go with your family for Christmas. I need to go home and see my own family,” I lie.

“I don’t want to spend one day without you, Livvy. You expect me to go a whole week?”

“You’ll survive, trust me. We can text, call. Every day. The time will fly by.”