Chapter 375

That’s how she invaded the security and paid off people in the club. How they knew the fire escape led from the office and how to get me alone. Little prick, I hope Alexi made him suffer when he found out. And I hope it was slow.

I now know why his father wanted to see him, and last night they took an hour to talk. No doubt planning, dealing with their own and his betrayal. All skeletons falling out of the cupboard one after the other.

Jesus Christ.

“You and I are going to get very well-acquainted Marianne. See Alexi here, he did me the honour of saving my son from a man who made an attempt on his life. It seems only fair I deal with the woman who made an attempt on Alexi’s wife. An eye for an eye. Well within the code. A debt repaid on my terms.” Santagato breaks into my swirling thoughts and I snap my focus to him, that sadistic look in his eye that penetrates hers and I can tell he is looking forward to whatever he has planned. Alexi’s manipulation of that shooting paying off in a way he never meant. Tying up loose ends without getting his hands dirty.

It’s all coming together so effortlessly, like he said it would.

Her face drops completely and the last desperate look around the room at what I had assumed were her men, sees no one stepping in to help her. In fact, several men relinquish their guns on the table and file out of the room silently, showing their decision to walk away, knowing what will happen to them if they do not. No ounce of fight in the ones who are not her blood, and no one stops them from leaving. I guess they'd already agreed not to intervene before this went down; it would explain why I’m now seeing Carrero and Santagato men behind everyone one of them within this room. Just in case they tried. This really was a hastily planned meeting, and they tried to cover all bases.

She begins to sob desperately and try as I might to muster any kind of empathy for her, I cannot. She brought this on herself when she came after people they cared about. When she came after me.

“Any opposition to Santagato clearing his debt to me in this way, raise hands now. This is not my choice to make. I don’t lord over another family head.” Alexi asks the room and there is a tense silence as the men look from one to the other, yet no one moves to raise a hand. A murmur of low chatter as some whisper to one another, a wave of unease that travels around us as they come to a decision on what affects them all. It’s a treaty, and I guess with an important decision like this, he likes them to think they helped even if it’s clear it’s already decided.

The tension is killing me, my insides are crumbling to dust as my heart rate elevates once more and I shit myself on so many levels. Even being beside Alexi is doing nothing to alleviate my growing fear while he's in Mafia King mode, cold and cruel and I can’t stand it. We need to get out of here before I throw up or pass out. I’ve had enough and as hard as I’m trying to keep myself in check I’m sweating, terrified of witnessing more than I have already and watching whatever heinous acts they subject this woman to.

I have seen a lot in my lifetime, but watching a woman being raped and tortured cuts too close to the bone and I just can’t. I start trembling again, praying Alexi would never expect me to watch this. He loves me; he knows it would leave its mark on me. Even if she deserves to die.

I’m frantically holding myself together with every ounce of strength I can muster and on the verge of crying.

“No ... No … NOOO!” Marianne screams at all of us and jumps up to do a runner. Her fear overtaking and survival mode kicking in. She is blocked by men all around her, forced back into a seat brutally with no care to the fact she is female, and duct taped down for good measure. She thrashes and fights but it’s futile. They manhandle her roughly and one delivers a backhanded slap across her face to quieten her. The noise reverberating around the room and through me so I shudder at it.

I bite on my lip to quell the emotions. Sit painfully still and concentrate on breathing. It’s a brutal reminder of what worth women have in this world. How sadistic and cruel these men are, and how lucky I am to have someone to make sure this is never me again. Alexi doesn’t even blink. She made her bed and he has no qualms about what happens to her.

With another nod from Alexi her mouth is duct taped too, to shut up the god-awful squawking to bring some quiet back to this echoey space. It’s clinical, like something out of a gangster movie and I feel faint as my blood soars in my ears and crashes around my brain. I haven’t been this scared in a long time, and I have to keep looking to him to remind myself I’m safe. This isn’t happening to me. No one is going to touch me.

Alexi gets up, walks behind me, trailing a gentle fingertip across my back as he does so, another calming measure because he can sense I’m flailing and circles the room until he gets to her side of the table. Walks up, parting the men out of his way so he has a clear path to her, and ends up by her side; leaning down so his mouth comes level with her ear, he looks right at me. That emotionless dark look of a human devoid of all remorse and emotion that makes my heart stop beating. A reminder of who he is, staring me in the face.

What they don’t know is, it’s also his way of giving me a focus and keeping me sane, diffusing my fear and taking control of this room while his bride is in it. He knows I won’t be able to stand watching them tear her apart.

He places a palm on either side of her deliberately and slowly, so he can hold his weight up and leans down menacingly. Towering over her, caging her in and calmly holds his pose, not breaking a sweat or any outward signs of tension.

“You see her right there?” He nods my way. It’s loud enough for everyone to hear him in the now silent room, husky and low with that cruel tone that brings out goosebumps and makes my hair stand on end instantly. My body tingling with anxiety at the appearance of Devil Carrero. Someone I hoped to never face again.

I can’t look away from him, even if he is a stranger like this. Eyes locked on mine, so cool and devoid of everything, and I have to keep reminding myself that this is okay. This is who he can be. It means nothing to me because it’s not who he is for me. I have nothing to fear from this version of him. It’s a very well-played ruse and he is still inside there. I will never have to be afraid of any version of him, even here. If anything were to happen, he would come for me, shield me and never let any of them touch me. I know it in my heart. This is just one of his many faces and means nothing in our relationship anymore.

This is his mask, and he wears it like a second skin because he has to. He’s the reason his family can live happy safe lives, this is his duty and who he has to be. This is not MY Lexi; this is THE Alexi Carrero and as soon as he's done, I will find my parts of him and get the fuck out of here.

I just keep chanting it in my head as the tear-sodden woman nods, her body shaking so visibly she is practically vibrating, and the stench of human urine fills the air. I gag, my heart ripping to shreds at witnessing such extreme human fear. Alexi looks down, moves his feet with a hint of disgust and returns to his intimidating pose, avoiding what puddle she just left on the floor.

I can smell the fear coming from her, can feel her heart pulsating through mine in unison, her adrenaline spiking to almost heart-stopping levels. She knows this is the end of the road. I can’t imagine what that feels like right now and sat here looking at it, I’m torn about what I feel.

“She’s the reason this is how it ends for you, should she deem it so. You fucked with the wrong girl. That’s my queen and touching a hair on her head gets you killed. Your life hangs on whatever she agrees to, so maybe it’s her you should start begging.” He straightens up a little to look at me from a better viewpoint, and I can feel eyes burning into me from all directions. Men sitting up to take an interest in the woman who stole the heart of their emotionless leader and whom he now rests so much importance on. Eating into me and questioning the worth of the sassy redhead who runs his club. There’s a mutter of unease and I can feel it right down to my toes, the assumption I’m some fake imposter who is turning Alexi soft.

Alexi just publicly made it known that touching me, ever, is a fate worse than death and informed even his closest allies that I’m forever out of bounds. He marked me as his queen. The guy who used to hide us from the world. It’s another move on his part to make sure I’m always safe and no one can claim they didn’t know. No one can deny knowing I’m his wife now, protected under his family name and marked as the shortest route to death should they ever touch me. They know me by sight.

“London? Yay or nay to seeing the end of this reign of terror and letting someone else deal with it? It’s our shout as to how this goes. My insult on my family to pass off.” Alexi addresses me and I blanch at what he’s asking. Shocked to be singled out in this room of psychos, but I get it. It’s a show of leadership. Some other head wants to take care of his problem to settle a debt and he won’t lose face by admitting his family have tied his hands. It’s insanely clever. We pretend to relinquish something we want to do to let Santagato off with what he owes. Tying it all up nicely.

He wants my permission to give Santagato the go ahead. He wants the men in this room to acknowledge my importance in the decision to make her someone else’s problem. Even though she affected a lot of them, somehow me being a wife gives him trumps on her being his problem. He is the only one with a genuine reason to sentence her to death, according to their code. It’s almost laughable and so juvenile. His hands are cuffed, so he is handing her off to someone who now has a reason to do it instead. It’s Mafia politics at their finest.

A mistress is worthless, a wife is law.

I hesitate, aware of everyone looking my way, his words filtering through my head at a hundred miles an hour and I remember the one thing he asked me to promise.

“I need you to be my girl, the one who keeps her shit together and shows them how strong a queen she is.”

It’s running through my mind as the force of eyes eating into me, dig and pressure me into an almost hysterical level of anxiety, but I breathe slowly and do my best to maintain my poise and stillness. I have honed this act for a lifetime and my acting ability does not fail me now.

I can do this. I can pull this off and not show any weakness. I have learned from the best at how to be outwardly cold, and now I need to show my mentor I can be worthy to stand by his side in this part of his world. I may only have to do this once and forever be sheltered and safe from any future threats. This is symbolic. He wants me to take my place and show his peers I’m not to be crossed. That I’m as ruthless as he is, and they should respect me. He is crowning me, just like he said he would. I doubt he will ever put me in this position again for the rest of my life after this. Once will be enough. I know what I have to do.

I take a slow, steady and deliberate inhale to bring my voice to a calm level, and I look him straight in the eye, using him as a source of grounding and locking a solid, steadfast expression on my face.

As long as he is with me, I shouldn’t be afraid.

“Let him kill the bitch, I’m bored already and want to go get some lunch. I’m starving.” My voice is husky and strong, and it doesn’t even sound like it comes from me for a moment. Such is the alien nature of that cold tone and commanding voice I omit. Genuine boredom in the haughty, emotionless delivery. It startles me, it’s so convincing, but Alexi smiles sadistically, amused by my deliverance, looking proud, and finally straightens up completely. He also got my hint that I don’t want to stick around for this and see more than I have to. I drew a line for him, and that subtle nod tells me he understood.

“Guess we’re done here. She’s all yours, Santagato. Do what you want with her and enjoy the rest of your day. I have lunch plans with my wife.” Curt and polite, so not like someone sentencing a person to death, and I lift my chin and toss back my hair hoping to look as equally unbothered.

The fear in the woman’s eyes cuts me to the core, but I force myself not to look away, aware I’m on show, and these men are sizing me up for my worth by Alexi’s side. They see their cold and cruel leader picking himself a mate; I need to show I haven’t softened him or give them a reason to doubt who he still is. Love hasn’t changed the fact he’s a badass and worthy of his title, and they need to see that.

This is a reaffirmation that Alexi is still who he always was and my appearance in his life and kingdom only makes him stay strong to the evil he can be. They all rely on his calculating mind and emotionless decisions to keep the balance in this city. If I showed myself as something that ruined that, they would make sure I was eliminated. Alexi is important, more so than I ever factored before.

“Here, here.” A lone voice from an elderly man is accompanied by a table thump, then another, and another, and soon all the men are thumping agreement to my command, and her fate is sealed. The room changing in atmosphere and noise levels as whispers turn to chatter and riotous energy surrounds us. Like a mob awaiting a hanging, they are all getting excited at what they get to do to this lowly woman in their midst.

It’s disgusting, and I don’t doubt there will be many who stay to witness her demise. That’s who these people are. I never really had a say. Her fate had only one ending.

Alexi walks back around until he stands behind me, keeping space between my back and his position, just a gentle reminder my love is still in there, aware of getting too close to me in this way. I sit stiffly, aware of his presence and feel instantly calmer knowing he is close again even if it’s behind me and making me antsy.

“Let this be the end of it. Her family name dies with her, and from here on in, any of her relatives show up in this state, we end it on arrival. Agreed?” Alexi throws out the question to the room and gets a chorus of a unanimous yes. No hesitations, no chatter, almost a jolly roar of agreement as they poise awaiting their bloody show. Worked up on entertaining violence coming their way. I shudder inwardly.

He taps my shoulder, indicating I should get up, and I do so as gracefully as I can. Quickly because every cell and nerve ending is itching to run the hell out of here, and I avoid looking at their prisoner once more. Santagato’s eyes follow me as I do so, and he nods right in my direction. Catching me unawares, standing as we get ready to depart.

“Mrs Carrero.” It’s a friendly nod and smile and it’s again followed by a chorus from the men surrounding us. All standing and showing their respect with nods and murmured goodbyes as we leave. Showing respect for his wife and then repeat it to him. It’s overwhelming to suddenly be treated as something of worth among the men who treated me as an object to be used only months ago.

“We’re leaving.” Alexi takes my hand and pulls me out of the seating area, men moving to let us out and Mico re-joins us as we reach the door. Bringing back our circle of security to flank us, and I instantly relax in this haven of black Carrero suits who are a sign that we're going, and this is done. I try to push that bitch out of my head even though a tiny hint of remorse is swirling in my brain, I remind myself she deserves it. My life or hers. It’s that simple.

I don’t turn and look back at the pitiful woman, pushing her out of my head and conscience once and for all and vow never to think of her again. Filing her with Rick and anyone else in my past whoever hurt me. They are not important anymore.

She is getting what she deserves, and I don’t doubt Santagato will exact revenge for killing his mistress before he delivers the fatal blow. She took something from him too, and it seems like he was just looking for the excuse to punish her for it. I wouldn’t want to fall into his possession to be tortured and murdered. I know how these men can be and I will, thankfully, never be on the receiving end again.