The Last Boss' Daughter

“What the fuck?” I growl.

He sits forward, his eyes meeting mine across the small room. “I’m sure you have a lot of questions. Forget them. Listen to me, because I’m sure you want to kill me right now. I’m sure you’re foaming at the mouth, waiting for your chance to tell Pietro what you know about me. If you do, I’ll kill Annabelle.”

“Bullshit.” If he knew where Annabelle was, and he’s working with Pietro for whatever reason, there’s no reason I’d be alive.

He’s not as good at this as he must think he is, because I see the fear jump in his eyes.

“Everything is still going to go according to plan, just without you. I couldn’t trust you. You made it impossible to trust you. You lied to my face and you took that goddamn girl—”

“Spare me the monologue,” I say with a sneer. “I don’t give a fuck.”

He sits back, looking a little put out. I imagine him rehearsing the satisfying speech he’s going to deliver in front of his mirror, his soft, bare chest all puffed up.

Ha, fuck this guy.

“Was she worth it?” he asks solemnly.

“Really?” I respond, not trying to hide my scorn.

He’s going with “was she worth it?” I’m not his estranged husband, for fuck’s sake.

Pushing to his feet, obviously annoyed with me, Raj says one last time, “Tell Pietro you were working for me and Annabelle dies. Especially if Pietro kills me before I can do it.” Smiling a sick little smile, he adds, “Maybe he’ll let her husband have her back for a few days first.”

My lips curl up in disgust and I make a show of lurching forward, rattling the chair I’m tied to.

Finally opening the door, Raj flees to tell Pietro I’m awake.

The door rattles before it’s jerked open.

Pietro Basso steps through, his smarmy smile and immaculate gray suit out of place in the bleak, dingy room. It’s disappointing that these are the circumstances. I thought if I ever saw Pietro Basso in person, it would be to shoot him as he tried to flee his burning house.

Instead, he gets to kill me.

Clasping his hands together theatrically, Pietro says, “At long last, we meet.”

I keep my eyes on him, steady, unimpressed, but not angry. He’d love me angry.

“Are you excited?” he continues, still grinning. “I’m excited.”

I’m not giving him anything. In fact, I may not utter a single word to him. We’ll see how it plays out.

“Man of few words, huh? That’s okay. We can get right down to business.”

Pietro glances down at the seat, briefly unimpressed with the state of it, but he sits anyway. Slapping his hands on top of his thighs, he tones his grin down to a smile. “So. What’ve you got for me?”

I don’t bother answering, not like he expects me to. Maybe with a fuck you, but not a real answer.

“Let’s start with the obvious. Where’d you take Annabelle? Liam, was it?” he asks, glancing back through the door. Raj lingers outside, glancing my way before looking back to Pietro with a nod.

“Liam,” Pietro says with a nod-and-smile. “You wouldn’t believe how long I’ve waited to know your name. Silly, isn’t it? Anyway. Here you are now, so let’s make this as quick and painless as we can, hm?”

I hadn’t planned on dying when I took this job, but sitting here looking at this polished sleazebag, I’m still not sorry I did. Annabelle would’ve wasted away her whole life, trapped under the thumb of this asshole and other assholes like him. Not like I was doing a whole hell of a lot with my life anyway. Still rather live than die, but… I’m glad I saved her, even if this is where it got me.

I sure wish I would’ve listened to her and stayed home though. Taken off to the beach house with her. Apparently fucking Raj had someone else who could finish the job without me, so he would’ve even cleaned up my mess.

I’d gotten too comfortable. You do this kind of thing long enough, you take for granted that you’ve gotten away with it. Seems like you’ll always get away with it, even if you know there’s a chance you won’t.

“No?” Pietro says, like there was any other answer. He doesn’t seem concerned though, and as I watch him extract my cell phone from his pocket, I realize why.