Ruthless Princess (Mafia Royals 1)

“Would they even listen?” Serena asked quietly. “Or would they just assume we’re high on sex?”

“You could at least try.” Ash looked away from us and walked over to the table. I knew what was there, several guns, torture devices, rope.

He grabbed the rope.

Great choice.

With a pale face, he wrapped the rope around our joined bodies as our backs were pushed hard against the cold metal of the chairs. The knots were tight, digging into my skin like an ever-present bruise.

When I looked up, he had the chains.

Again, solid choice, at least I couldn’t fault him for sucking at his job.

“Good choice,” Serena muttered.

And for some reason, I laughed.

Because it was so fucked up that we were proud of him for torturing us then killing us later.

“Are you guys seriously laughing right now?” Ash gave us both incredulous looks as the door opened. The rest of the cousins piled in. Maybe to say their goodbyes.

“This is wrong,” Maksim said through clenched teeth. “You know it, we know it! So stop it!”

Ash stared pretty boy Maksim down. “Does it matter? Because I guarantee you’ll be tied to something if you try to fight for them.”

Violet gave a panicked look to Breaker, who grabbed her hand and slowly pushed her behind him.

I knew it.

“Don’t worry.” I gave them a sad smile. “If it were anyone else, they’d probably just get a warning shot in the leg, nothing fatal.” I stared at Breaker.

His eyes narrowed.

I continued. “Chase knew anyway…”

“What?” Ash stopped grabbing the chain. “You mean the first time?”

“Yeah, but the second time too,” Serena said. “He told us not to get caught.”

“That’s…” Ash didn’t finish his sentence. He did, however, grab the stupid chain again and start wrapping the heavy thing around us. It pressed into our bodies tight while at the same time pulling us toward the floor with its heaviness. Sooner or later, something would break under the pressure, or crush beneath bone; it was too heavy for either of us to last that long, especially Serena.

And if we moved during the torture, it would slowly slip getting tighter and tighter around our bodies until we suffocated.

So it forced you to sit there and take it and try not to pass out.

Ash went over to the table and braced himself against it, then grabbed his phone. “I need you guys to do me a favor.”

“Really?” Serena said with heavy sarcasm. “You want us, the ones about to get tortured to do you a favor?”

God, her strength was incredible.

The rest of the cousins slowly trickled out of the room as the door gave a resounding click behind them.

I smiled despite the pain in my biceps muscles, slowly squeezing me to death.

“I know, right?” Ash suddenly looked way too happy to be inflicting pain on us. “I jus— I want the cousins to hear your story. From beginning to end. They don’t know, and I think, when you guys die, they’ll understand how important it is to fight for what you loved even if it means dying by their side.”

“Was that your pep talk?” I wondered out loud. “Do you seriously do this shit to everyone you torture? That’s messed up, even for you, Ash.”

“I think—” Ash’s eyes flashed. “That this might be a good way to save lives, so maybe stop talking out of your damn ass and tell the story.”

Serena’s annoyed sigh jumped me out of my stupor. “She sighed like that the first time I fell in love with her.”

Ash held out his phone and then walked to the corner of the room. “Yeah, Maksim? It’s Ash… Yup, you got the text? …Good. …Yes. I’m sorry too. …Yeah.” And then Ash held out his phone and slid it until it was by my feet. “Talk.”

“I sighed in annoyance?” Serena asked with what sounded like a small smile.

I needed to keep her awake, keep her alive; the only way to do that was to keep her mind off the pain that was slowly choking the air out of her body.

“Yeah.” I snorted out a painful laugh. “You were so easily annoyed by everything, and then I was annoyed you didn’t give me any attention even after that time I climbed the tree and threatened to shove you out of it.”

“Because boys aren’t supposed to go, ‘By the way you’re pretty, whoops don’t fall, don’t fall!’”

I choked on my laugh. “Oh, shit, you were so pissed at me you ran to your dad crying that boys were mean. I’m sure that didn’t help my stellar reputation with him.”

“It’s because I liked you, stupid. And you threatened to kill me!”

“Oh, hell, Serena, it was like maybe five feet.”

“I was short still!”

“And you aren’t now?”

“Take it back, you bastard!”

“Stop moving!” I laughed despite our predicament. “And I would take it back like I stole all those kisses.”