The Mafia's Pet

Chapter 37

Vanessa

Words catch in my throat-a chaotic jumble of emotions and confusion. How do you even respond to a kiss that tastes like salvation and damnation all at the same damn time? He remains silent, yet his eyes communicate volumes, leaving me to question whether he was affected by that as deeply as I was.

He turns and strides purposefully over to my fallen captor, and I trail behind, cautiously peeking over his shoulder. The gruesome sight unfolds before me. Both of the man's hands are severed, leaving behind bloody, mangled stumps. Strips of flesh, reminiscent of hamburger meat, dangle from the jagged bones that remain. Dark, viscous blood oozes from the wounds, pooling onto the cold ground as the man writhes in agony, his howls carrying through the alley.

I clench my teeth, fighting the urge to throw up as Diego's words echo in my mind. I yearn to prove to him, and perhaps to myself, that I can rise above and thrive in this world I may never escape. Maybe, just maybe, I can transform from a victim into a queen.

His queen.

I watch Diego use his shoe to crush the man's genitals, eliciting another string of screams and curses. "Kill him," he calmly instructs, a menacing edge to his voice.

I look around, scanning the dimly lit alley, a chill washing over me as I realize no one else is around, and he's talking to me. My eyes widen with disbelief. "W-What?" I stammer, the words catching in my constricted throat.

He can't possibly expect me to kill someone, right? I mean, I'm nothing like him. I'll never be able to close my eyes again without seeing the face of the life I took.

He eases the cold metal of the gun into my hand, compelling me to take it. The weight of the weapon feels alien and heavy, a sinister reminder of the power he's thrust upon me.

"Kill him. Now."

His command hangs in the air like a suffocating fog, his eyes piercing through mine, demanding compliance. My stomach churns at the thought of taking another's life. Even knowing he planned to deliver me to the devil and subject me to unspeakable horrors, I shake my head rapidly.

"I-I can't," I whisper, the words barely audible over the man's agonized screams.

"You will, Vanessa. He touched you. He threatened you. He tried to steal what was mine."

His hands envelop the gun, and he positions himself behind me. The heat emanating from his body intensifies, and his breath, a warm whisper, gently grazes my ear. "Hold on tightly and pull the trigger, Mama," he murmurs, his voice maintaining a surprising gentleness despite the fact he's ordering me to fucking kill someone.

My hand, gripped by violent tremors, struggles to maintain control. Nevertheless, I coerce my eyes to remain open as I pull the trigger. The sudden recoil jolts through me, but I manage to steady the gun. The deafening sound reverberates in the alley, and the bullet pierces through my assailant's skull.

The man falls into an abrupt silence, his life extinguished in an instant. Hollow eyes fixate on me, the bullet-my bullet-a morbid adornment on his forehead. The scent of gunpowder and the weight of death loom thick in the air, the profound silence only punctuated by the lingering echoes of violence.

I'm a murderer now.

But strangely, I don't feel remorse.

I don't feel anything.

"Good girl," Diego murmurs, taking the gun from me. His fingers graze over mine, lingering for a moment, before he carefully wipes the weapon clean with a black cloth. Then, he shoves it into his waistband in one swift movement.

Leo and Danny approach, their expressions a mix of approval and twisted satisfaction. "Straight to the head. I like that," Leo remarks, grinning ear to ear.

"Take care of him," Diego commands with weighty authority. "My defiant bride and I have an important matter to tend to." He lifts me up and carries me away cradled against his chest. The alley's shadows appear to swallow us, leaving behind a man whose fate I sealed with a single pull of the trigger.

Diego's touch is gentle, but beneath it, I sense the simmering intensity of a beast. I'm about to face a punishment more severe than anything before. Without a doubt, whatever he plans for me pales in comparison to the life I just took. Or Viktor's. So, I allow him to carry me back to the church without a fight, his steps echoing the cadence of a reluctant surrender to a fate entwined with darkness.