𝗔𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗼 ♡ＦＲＯＺ＄Ｎ

Ｈｉ＄

The room was dark and cold, the air thick with the smell of blood and fear. Marcus Johnson was bound to a chair, his face bruised and bloodied from Dominic Santiago's relentless interrogation. His breaths came in ragged gasps, each one more painful than the last.

Dominic paced back and forth, his eyes burning with rage and impatience. He finally stopped in front of Marcus, leaning down to meet his eyes.

"You thought you could play me, didn't you?" Dominic hissed, his voice a dangerous whisper. "You thought you could break our deal and get away with it."

Marcus's head hung low, a trickle of blood running from the corner of his mouth. "I didn't have a choice," he muttered, his voice barely audible. "You left me no choice."

Dominic's eyes flashed with anger. "You had a choice, Marcus. You always have a choice. You chose to betray me, and now you're going to pay the price."

He picked up a metal rod from a nearby table, its end glowing red-hot from the fire burning in a corner of the room. Marcus's eyes widened with fear as Dominic approached him, the heat of the rod palpable even from a distance.

"Please," Marcus begged, his voice trembling. "I did everything you asked. I just...I couldn't keep going. My daughter, she—"

"Your daughter is dead because of your weakness," Dominic snapped, pressing the hot rod against Marcus's arm. The smell of burning flesh filled the room, and Marcus screamed in agony.

Dominic removed the rod, glaring down at Marcus with cold eyes. "This is what happens when you cross me, Marcus. You lose everything. Your family, your life, your dignity."

Marcus's body shook with sobs, the pain overwhelming. He had made a deal with Dominic to keep his family safe, to protect them from the horrors of the drug world. But the deal had gone sour, and now he was paying the ultimate price.

"You're going to tell me everything," Dominic demanded, his voice icy. "Every little detail about what you know, about who you've been talking to. And if you lie to me, even once, you'll wish you were dead."

Marcus lifted his head, meeting Dominic's gaze with a mixture of defiance and despair. "I don't know anything else," he whispered. "I swear, I told you everything."

Dominic's expression darkened. He motioned to Miguel, who had been standing silently in the corner. Miguel stepped forward, a cruel smile playing on his lips.

"Take him back to his cell," Dominic ordered. "Let him think about his choices. We'll continue this conversation later."

Miguel grabbed Marcus roughly, dragging him out of the room. As they disappeared down the hallway, Dominic turned back to the table, his mind racing with thoughts of revenge and control. Marcus had betrayed him, and now he would make sure that betrayal cost him dearly.

But as he stared into the flickering flames, Dominic couldn't shake the feeling that things were slipping out of his grasp. Malia was still out there, a wild card in his carefully constructed game. And as long as she was alive, his empire was at risk.