Lorenzo pov
"Please," she sobbed, looking around the empty room. "I don't know anything about his business. He tells me he's just a clerk."
"I know you do, don't act dumb," I said, pulling the gun from my waistband. I didn't point it at her heart but I pointed it at her leg. "But Gabe needs to know that I'm not playing games. I don't care about his job, and I don't care about his bosses in the Syndicate."
"Lorenzo, wait—" Cemal started.
"Shut up, Cemal," I said, my eyes locked on Mary's. "Call him, Mary. Tell him to bring Mara to the pier in one hour. If he isn't there, I start with your knees and I won't stop until there's nothing left of you to go home to."
"You're a monster," she gasped, tears streaming down her face.
"I'm a man who wants his property back," I said. "Call him. Now."
"Why do you want to get me involved in this mess," her words came out shaking. She tried to reach for a pistol under the book tray.
"If I were you, I won't be that stupid", I said, kicking the book tray away from her making the pistol hidden in the book fall down. "Now get your phone and make the call."
I watched her fumble for her phone with shaking hands. This wasn't about anger but rather balance. He broke my trust; I'd break his world.
Mara pov
The darkness was heavy. It wasn't just the blindfold; it was the way the room felt. I sat on the cold concrete, my hands pulled behind my back until the rope bit into my skin. Every time I breathed, the cloth over my eyes smelled of damp dust. I sat as still as I could, listening. I wanted to hear a voice, even a mean one, just to know I wasn't alone in this black hole.
I kept seeing Lorenzo's face. I saw the way his body jerked when the bullet hit, It was my fault. If I had just shut that car door instead of acting like a brat, he wouldn't be bleeding. I rubbed my thumb against the silver bracelet on my wrist. The heavy metal pressed into my skin, and the word Mine felt like hot coal. I hated him for putting it on me, but right now, it was the only thing that I felt, which gave me comfort.
Then, I heard it. A door groaned somewhere above me. Thud. Drag. Thud. The footsteps were slow. One foot seemed to be heavier than the other, like someone was favoring a side. My heart started thumping so hard I thought it would burst out of my chest. I pulled at the ropes, skinning my wrists, but I couldn't get free. I felt a shadow fall over me.
The air changed, making the basement smell gone, replaced by the sharp, stinging scent of antiseptic and the warm smell of fresh blood. My heart stopped. I knew that smell.
"Lorenzo?" I whispered.
His fingers touched the back of my neck. They were shaking. I had never felt him shake before. He untied the knot, and the blindfold fell away. I blinked at the dim yellow light.
Lorenzo stood over me, looking like a man who had died and come back. His face was gray, and sweat was dripping down his neck. His jacket was open, and I could see the thick bandage on his shoulder. It was wet with bright, messy red blood.
"You're... you're really here," I breathed. My voice was shaking. "Lorenzo, the car door... I'm so sorry. Look what I did to you."
I expected him to be angry and call me a fool. But he just stood there, staring at me with those dark, empty eyes. A slow, creepy smile touched his lips.
"Don't be sorry, Mara," he said. His voice was a rough, dry growl. "Actually, I'm proud of you."
I stared at him. "Proud? I got you shot. Look at your shoulder!"
"You didn't trust me," he said. He leaned down, and I could see the pain in his eyes even if his face stayed still. "Everyone else is a suck-up. They do what I say because they want money or they're scared. But you? Used your brain instead of your heart," Tears sat in his eyes.
"But you're bleeding!" I cried. "Aren't you upset?"