Page 103 of Reckless Desires

Alessio spits at me. “You fucking piece of shit!”

“That’s the difference between you and me, Alessio. I was set to take over this city from you and the Russians. Everything was set in place and going exactly how I needed to. Turns out Vidalia and the Russians have been working together from the start. So, if I didn’t get to Vidalia first, he would get to me too, and we would all be six feet under.” I look at Darius and Cameron and shrug before turning back to Alessio. “Let me help get Lily back to you, Alessio. Then, I’m gone for good.”

“Or I can keep you alive, locked up somewhere only I know. And I don’t care if your brothers tear me limb from limb. I’ll never tell them where you are,” he spits back.

“You can. But I am worth giving up your empire for?”

This only enrages him, but he takes a deep breath. “You get me back Lily and this city. Do that and go, far away. Out of Providence, out of Rhode Island, out of the country.”

Spitting into my hand, I then hold it out. “Deal.”

Chapter Sixty-Eight

Lily

My eyelids flutter open, the harsh fluorescent lights above stinging my eyes. Instinctively, I try to shield my face with my arm, but I’m unable to move. The space feels cold. Confusion floods my mind. The rhythmic thump of my heart echoes in my ears as I take in my surroundings: white walls, medical equipment, and the unmistakable scent of antiseptic. I realize I’m lying down with the nurse who took me, sitting on one side, and an unfamiliar person sitting on the other.

“So, this is Liliana Andretti,” the bald man covered in tattoos says with an evil smile. “I hear you’re a hot commodity around here.”

“Who the fuck are you?” I spit out, even though I feel dizzy and my body is still recovering.

A deep chuckle comes out of his mouth. “Such a feisty little thing.”

His presence sends chills down my spine, and I instinctively try to sit up, only to find my limbs restrained with sturdy straps. My gut tells me he is far more dangerous than Vidalia.

“What do you want from me?” Panic bubbles inside me, but I fight to keep it at bay.

His accent is thick, the words rolling off his tongue like a sinister melody. “My name is Viktor, and I’m here to settle a little debt.”

“A debt?” My heart races as I struggle against the bindings. “What do you mean? I don’t know you!”

Viktor chuckles, the sound low and menacing. “Ah, no, but your mother knows me very well. She’s quite fond of borrowing money. You see, she owes me a great deal—a debt that she has failed to repay.”

“What debt?” My stomach twists, the realization crashing over me like a cold wave.

Viktor leans closer, a predatory smile on his lips. “She has a few gambling debts that she needed paid off. She was keeping up with payments up until she wasn’t. Took you as collateral the first time and made half my money back. When I heard you made it back home, I thought I’d sell you off again and make back my other half. But with this wound, your price tag has dropped.”

“You should be taking this up directly with her. Not with me!”

“I wouldn’t get anywhere near what I got for you. Your mother is a good-looking woman, but at her age, no one would buy her,” he replies, his tone laced with amusement. “I could get your little sister. What’s her name? Serafina?”

I struggle to get free. “You’re a dead man walking!”

“I’m not a man who takes kindly to being crossed.” His finger trails down my cheek.

“Let me go!” I shout with rage. “You have no right to be taking girls off the streets, you sick monster!”

Viktor straightens, his expression hardening. “Rights? In my world, there are no rights, only power. And I have it.” He leans back against the wall of the ambulance, crossing his arms. “Your mother has a short window to make this right. Until then, you will stay with me. If she doesn’t, back to the cage you go.”

I feel tears prick at the corners of my eyes, but I refuse to let them fall. “So, Vidalia works for you?”

“Vidalia?” he echoes with a raised eyebrow, his lips curling into a smirk. “I paid him to capture you and turn me a profit from selling you.” He pauses, studying me intently. “Apparently, he wants you to himself but couldn’t get the funds to match the winning bidder. Apparently to another Costello rival. If I knew what kind of hot commodity you were going to be, I would’ve taken you sooner.”

I scream as I struggle to break free, but it’s no use.

“You’re strong, Liliana. I admire that. It makes this... arrangement more interesting.”

His gaze softens for just a moment. “Your mother’s choices have led her here, and now you will bear the consequences of her actions.”