Vicious Minds (Children of Vice #4)(16)

“Do you need anything else—”

“Are you about to ask me another question?” I challenged, rubbing the cocaine between my fingers.

“No, sir.”

“I gave you your directions, why are you still here?”

“Leaving now, sir.” He stepped out the first door and got in the elevator. I switched the camera feed, watching him go. When he got to the first garage, I noticed he kept the glass in his handkerchief. He took the Benz and drove out so quickly, the car skidded.

“I’m going to have to kill you one day aren’t I, Toby?” I muttered to myself. I could feel it. His growing resentment, his ambition for more. Ambition could be good…until that ambition butted heads with his loyalty and became treachery.

It doesn’t help that Donatella is screwing him. Actually, that’s the reason why he was becoming worse. He grew up so close to us, he could have been family, and with Dona now sleeping with him, he might actually mistake that for being family.

He’s not good enough for her. Dona had to know that, right? She had to see he was not good enough, he couldn’t give her everything she needed.

“Love makes us all fools, it blinds us, it leaves us powerless and vulnerable… it is a drug with the sweetest of all highs and withdrawals so harsh, so painful, and so cruel it can kill…I recommend it to everyone.” That’s how Dona described love in one of her books. So maybe she was in deep with him. I’d either have to force her eyes open or hope Tobias changed for the better of us all.

Beep.

Beep.

I looked back to the video feed and saw the van pull into the garage. The men filed out of the vehicle and dragged her from the rear. Turning, I crossed the living room and stepped into the back room. The lights turned on and I watched as they threw her into the graffitied room, the ground covered with dirt. They pulled the blindfold from her eyes and she blinked for a few seconds, taking in her surroundings. Her grey eyes finally landed the guards, three of whom had masks on. They stood straighter as a fourth fat man with a grey mustache and greased back hair came forward.

“Get her chair at least, you fucking moron!” He yelled, but looked over to her with a smile. “Forgive them, they don’t get lady company often, they’re animals. They didn’t hurt you, did they?”

“Perfect gentlemen,” she replied, her face emotionless as they brought her a chair.

“Please, please sit, my dear,” he said to her before sitting himself. “I’m Gastón but my friends call me Gus.”

“Are we friends?”

“I’m hope we can be. You see, a little birdie told me they saw you…how do I say… being friendly with Mr. Callahan?”

Her face bunched up and she tilted her head to the side, thoughtfully. “Who?”

“You don’t know Ethan Callahan?”

She shook her head. “Sorry, I don’t have any friends by that name.”

He sighed and clenched his fist before pulling out a phone. “This a picture of you and him seated together at a María Paula’s restaurant.”

She leaned in and then sat back “Oh…he’s a customer.”

“Do you sleep with all your customers? Because this is a picture of you both heading into a hotel isn’t?”

Again, she made the same face and shook her head. “I don’t remember.”

“You don’t remember?”

She trembled and tears started to build in her eyes. “I really don’t remember…I think…I think was drugged! You can ask the maid, I woke up and he was gone—”

“And you didn’t go to the police?”

“I don’t want any trouble.” She shook her head, the tears spilling over. “Please, I don’t know anything! Please let me go! Please!”

“Boys, help the pretty lady regain her memory—”

“NO! PLEASE!” She screamed and sobbed, clasping her hands together as she fell on her knees. “I beg of you—”

Gus raised his hand to stop the guards, reaching over to grab her red face by the chin. “At least tell me what he said while he was in the restaurant. What was he looking at? Why is he here? Tell me something, you stupid little whore.”

She sniffed and nodded. “I heard one thing.”

“What?”

“While he was eating he…he said,” she sobbed, trying to catch her breath.

“He said what?”

“Go fuck yourself you sack of dog shit!” she hollered, and before I could blink, she stabbed him between his neck and shoulders.

“K—Ki—Kill her!” he gasped out, reaching up to his neck to as blood gushed out while she took the ties off her feet and rose from the dirt.

I looked to the guards wondering why none of them fired or even moved to stop her only to see them on their knees gasping and wheezing for air. It was so bad they were trying to take off their masks, but they didn’t have the strength.

When did she do this? How?

“Oh,” she wiped her eyes before the zip ties fell off her wrist. “I haven’t forced myself to cry like that in a bit. It took me much longer than usual. Anyway, hold on Gus, I have some people I need to repay.”

She rolled her shoulders and strolled over to the three men, picking up one of their rifles.