Levi stands by the far wall, leaning against it to give him the perfect vantage point of the room, what’s beyond the window, and the exit. His gaze sweeps across to me, and without a word passing between us, he knows that Roman and I have failed. Pain flickers through his deep eyes and I want nothing more than to run across the sitting room and fall into his strong arms, telling him that everything is going to be alright. But for now, the main focus is Victor.
Marcus shuffles around the room, putting himself directly behind Victor while I trail to the front of the room with Roman, wanting to see Victor’s face.
My heart races.
Victor pulls against his binds, growling as his eyes flick between the three brothers. He knows what kind of shit he’s in and it leaves me wondering if he truly thought that he’d get away with it. Did he really think that the boys wouldn’t track Giovanni here? That they wouldn’t hold him personally responsible for allowing Giovanni to take off with Roman’s newborn son.
Shit, this motherfucker is done for.
A smirk pulls at my lips, and I hate myself for how obvious I am about his downfall. I can’t pretend to know all about the ins and outs of the DeAngelis Mafia, but this man has spent who knows how many years standing at Giovanni’s side. He carries out the jobs that Giovanni is too fucking pussy to do himself. This man is nothing but a swine, taking up too much space on this planet. I can only imagine the shit he’s done to the boys over the years, and today, they get vengeance.
I can only imagine what they have in store for him, and damn it, it shouldn’t excite me the way it does, but what can I say? The boys have well and truly dragged me kicking and screaming over to the dark side, and I’m not gonna lie, I kinda like it over here.
Victor’s darkened gaze sweeps by me and he pauses for a moment, probably having assumed that I was dead. I can only imagine Victor and Giovanni sitting up into the early hours of the morning, sipping on expensive whiskey while laughing about the way Giovanni kidnapped me and shoved me in a cell beside a laboring Felicity and his cheating wife.
Not seeing me as a threat, his gaze quickly shoots back to Roman’s, seeing that the floor is all his tonight.
Roman takes his time, but every second he doesn’t make his move, the anguish and rage only builds within him. He places himself directly in front of the large window and stares back at his uncle, his body like a silhouette in front of the big glass pane. “Where are they?” Roman’s voice finally rumbles through the room, his tone daring his uncle to challenge him, so Roman has an excuse to slit his throat.
Victor roars, pulling against his binds. “Release me,” he spits, “and I might allow you to live.”
Roman laughs and I can’t help the grin that cuts across my face. Who does this guy think he is? Does he not know what his nephews are capable of, or does he assume that using a stern tone with them is going to have them shitting their pants and turning into yes men?
Roman scoffs. “You are in no position to be making demands. Now I will ask you again, where is my father and my baby?” he demands, quickly shooting his gaze toward Marcus at the back of the room and nodding.
Victor keeps his stare on Roman, knowing he’s the one pulling the strings, but I can’t help glancing over his head to watch the way Marcus subtly shuffles around and steps in closer. My brows arch high as I spy the familiar red container filled with gasoline and my eyes only widen as he hoists it up and starts to pour it over his uncle’s head.
Victor spits and flinches under the flammable liquid, and when Marcus finally eases up, he shakes his head, sending droplets of gasoline far and wide through the room. The smell hits my nostrils and I do what I can to not hold my hand to my nose to block it out.
A deep rumbling growl tears from Victor, and something tells me that he’s clearly worked out how tonight is going to go for him. “You think I’m going to tell you now?” Victor laughs manically. “You’ve got no fucking hope.”
The rage is too much and Roman races in toward his uncle, gripping him under the chin. “WHERE ARE THEY?”
Victor continues to laugh. “Your father should have slaughtered you when he had the chance.”
Levi pushes off the wall and steps closer while still giving Roman his space to run the show. “That’s really how you want to play this, Uncle? Come on, I thought you were a smart man.”
Victor spits as gasoline drips from his hair. “Oh, I am, Nephew,” he says. “Which is exactly why I won’t speak. Your father will rise up, and when he does, this bullshit war that you’ve fabricated would look like nothing but a joke. He’s got you right where he wants you, always five steps behind. You three are a joke, now hurry up and do it,” he growls, sharpening his deadly glare back on Roman. “Send me off in a blaze of glory.”
Roman glances at Marcus again and not a second later, Marcus tears Victor’s head back as Roman reaches out and forces his jaw apart, most likely breaking it in the process. Marcus pours the gasoline down his throat, and he has no choice but to swallow it to avoid drowning.
Gasoline splashes all over the sitting room and I find myself backing up, seeing only one outcome here and being smart enough to know that I don’t want to be anywhere near him when he goes up in a ball of explosive flames.
Marcus stops pouring, only to start splashing the gasoline around the room. He walks out and leaves a trail behind him, spreading it far and wide.
Roman releases Victor’s jaw and he immediately starts to cough and splutter, looking like complete shit. I don’t doubt that he’ll be hurling all over the room soon enough.
I don’t know shit about gasoline poisoning, but I know it can be lethal, though something tells me that he’ll be dead long before the gasoline gets a chance to shut down his system.
Levi moves in next to me and presses his hand to my lower back before leading me out of the room. Just as I look back over my shoulder, I see Roman leaning into his uncle. “You’re a fool, Victor. Always have been. Giovanni DeAngelis will never rise. His empire is mine.”
Levi pulls me from the room and all but races to the front door. Marcus is there and the three of us run down the front steps, my hands clenched tightly in both of theirs.
My foot hits the hard pavement of the circle driveway, and just as I look back over my shoulder to search for Roman, a loud explosion tears through the property, sending a bright orange glow soaring through the front sitting room window. The glass shatters with the force of the blow, and I drop to the ground as I stare up at the massive home, watching in horror as the flames quickly take over.
“NO,” I scream, scrambling to my feet. Both Levi and Marcus hold me back. “ROMAN IS IN THERE.”
“He knows what he’s doing,” Marcus tells me, pulling me hard into his chest, caging me in with his strong arms.
I claw at his skin, the desperation ripping through me like a fucking chainsaw tearing through flesh. The panic sets in, and though it’s barely been a second, it feels like a goddamn lifetime.
My panicked stare scans over the property, watching the way the flames quickly trail from room to room, destroying everything in their path. Just when I think there’s absolutely no hope, a dark silhouette appears in the open doorway, the flames lighting up the foyer behind him like an inferno leading straight to hell.