Unforgivable Secrets | One Mistake Away Series Bk 1 [Mob Romance]

Chapter 29 - Smug and Proud

Mason's POV:

As soon as the gun shots had abruptly went off, I sunk my teeth into the hand covering my mouth. I barely heard the yelp, hoping to yell before Harper's feed was cut.

Ricci's irritated laugh made me realize I'd been too late. She hadn't heard me yell. She didn't know we were still alive or that Ricci's bullets had hit the wall and not us. Clenching my jaw, I glared at our captor.

"I don't see how O'Sullivan thinking we're dead helps you." I watched Ricci carefully, wondering when the next blow would send a crippling pain through my body.

"If she cares about you two as much as I think she does, then she will grow vengeful. She will make mistakes and I will be there when she does. I will catch her mistakes and I will make her regret ever being born." He stared at me, his words more aggressive then maybe he intended them to be.

"She's smarter than you give her credit for. She won't make a mistake." Smitty spat blood out, slowly rolling onto his back.

"Everyone makes mistakes. And I will be there when she does." He spoke, all ready looking off into the distance as if he were planning her demise as we spoke.

Coughing, I couldn't tell if Smitty was being genuine or trying to pull Ricci out of his vengeful daze. The next words out of his mouth were a question that we both were wondering about. "Now what?"

Ricci looked us both over carefully. I had no idea what to expect. This was foreign territory to me.

"Bring the coals in." He barked an order, not moving his gaze from Smitty. "I can only imagine that you are the reason for Vitali not begging for his life. There will be a punishment for your rebellion."

Smitty's brows casually bobbed up and down, like he expected it.

How could you expect something like that though? I surely hadn't. I would have thought Ricci would have expected us to say something brave or maybe a little stupid.

Apparently I was wrong.

"It was my idea. Leave him alone." My knees brushed the hard floor as I scooted closer to Smitty in a half attempt at helping him out.

"I highly doubt that." Ricci gave me half a glance. "I have plans for you too, Vitali. Your time will come."

Swallowing hard, I gritted my jaw together. I had no idea what that meant, nor did I want to find out.

"For now though, I will make Connor Smitty wish he would have begged for his life. You have not felt pain yet. You will not know pain until every part of your being has been damaged in some way, shape, or form. You should have done what you were asked. Now I will destroy you before coughing you up as a broken mess for O'Sullivan to be distracted over." He condemned, nodding a man with a bucket of fiery coals over.

"You're not going to kill us?" My brows furrowed as my gaze followed the burning coals being spread out upon the ground. I couldn't imagine how hot they were or how they could sear the skin mercilessly.

"I don't kill everyone who gets in my way." Ricci rushed through saying, distracted by something else. "Get Smitty up."

"You just maim and torment them." I pushed my legs to work and stand up, judgment radiating from every word.

Ricci's eyes narrowed, but he remained quiet.

"You destroy people, families, for your own gain. Are you even happy?" I stepped closer to him, my chains dragging, and pain trickling through my body.