WARNING- This chapter will contain violence. Read at your own risk! Don't forget to vote, share, and comment. Enjoy!

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          We sat in the limo that he came in and commenced towards our destination. Leo stared out the window at the oncoming storm while my eyes gazed at him. His face was turning to a mild red shade slowly as his legs shook rapidly due to anticipation.

          A dementing feeling crawled above my heart to see the man I love in such state. His thumb fiddled with his light scruff while his other hand was clenched tight above his knee. The man was in deep thought sitting in the complete other end of the vehicle, away from me, leaving me to sweat in anxiety alone by myself. His lids didn't blink once since we got in the vehicle and it had been quite a while.

          Breathing out a nervous breath, I crawled down the narrow illuminated aisle and leisurely took a seat next to him. Anger seeped from the tense man's shoulder, his body radiating heat that was encompassed in balls of raging fire. My heart bounced like a scared child who was going to meet its worst fear, yet Leo wasn't my worst fear, the ferocity that was leaking from his body at this moment was my fear.

          The bleakness of his body language unnerved me, yet I gained some flustered confidence and cozied up next to him, rubbing our shoulder together ever so slightly that he didn't even notice. Swallowing down the lump stuck in my throat, I raked my hand over his clenched fist, startling myself when the man flinched at my unexpected touch.

          "Sorry," he said, putting his arm around my shoulder and tugging me closer to his hard chest as he placed a soft kiss on my forehead. "Didn't mean to scare you."

          "It's okay," I laid my head on his chest and drew circles on his knee that was still shaking anxiously. His soft, yet erratic heartbeats drummed through my ear canal while he ricocheted back to the trance-like state in which I was left alone once again.

       "Leo," my hand sauntered over to his that was playing with his facial hair and pulled it into my lap, intertwining our fingers with my head still nuzzled into his chest. "You're too tense." I ripped my body away from his and grabbed his large hands, giving them a gentle squeeze. "Shake it, big guy," I laughed, shaking his hands back and forth. "Loosen yourself a little."

          He groaned and complied after a sigh with a smile on his face. "Thanks."

          Cupping his face into my hands, I reached up to his nose and placed a little peck on it. "You're welcome. Everything will be fine. Evelina is okay."

          "The thing is that she's not okay." His jaw twitched in hatred as his eyes that were usually a beautiful beach on a sunny day, now they were a dark and deadly hurricane ripping through the ocean, devastating everything in its way. "Love, you'll see a terrible side of me today and I'm scared that I'll push you away."

          "Leo," I chuckled and pinned our foreheads together while my hands tangle with his. "I'm not going anywhere." My eyes gazed at my thumb that caressed the back of his hand. "They kidnapped your sister. As her brother, you want revenge. I get it. Ashton would want revenge too, but I still don't have the courage to tell him what happened."

"He deserves to know, my love."

"I'll tell him after Astor's chapter is done."

          Leo clasped my hands tightly and gazed at me. "Will you always love me?"

          A smile creeped on my face and compelled me to kiss my man. "Till my last breath."

***

Finally arriving at our destination, we walked to the same vast warehouse behind the estate. Multiple men were gathered outside in black crisp suits conversing lightly with one another. Silent rage swirled in the air as it breezed past us, sending a cold chill up my spine. The murmur among those men ceased as their boss strolled in, forcing them all to nod at the man. One of them opened the door for us and we strode in.

Five men were stripped naked to their briefs, kneeling with their terrified faces staring at the marbled floor. Each man had a number drawn on his chest with black ink labeled from one to five, placing them all in chronological order. Mike was propped in a chair by the door we entered while Gus, Wren, and Arabelle stood by him, their chest heaving and fists clenched.

          Leo's constricted muscles protruded through his shirt when he yanked his suit jacket off in rage. Taking brass knuckles from Vince's hand, Leo slid the gold weapon onto his fingers and began ramming his fist into number one's face. Blood splattered everywhere, including Leo's raging face, but he didn't seem to flinch one bit. He continued pounding mercilessly like a beast until the man's body dropped like a slime. Number two and three peed themselves in fear just by witnessing this brutal torture of their ally while my heart tightened in my chest to see Leo's ruthless side.

          A huge punctured hole formed in that man's face when Leo finally stopped himself. Thick burgundy fluid dripped down his knuckles in steady rapid droplets, each drop shuddering the remaining unharmed men. Number one's body collapsed to the floor as the demon of unconsciousness took him away.

          Vince had a devilish grin on his face as he stood by a table on which multiple objects were settled, but I couldn't decipher what they were from the place I stood. Leo snatched an injection from Vince's hand and jabbed it in number one's chest, jerking the man awake with a screech that clawed my eardrums, forcing everyone to shudder. The tortured man shook violently with whatever poison Leo injected into him. Bloody chunks choked up his throat, melting his insides. This show of horror repulsed me beyond belief and Leo had four more to go. They must have done something terrible to Evelina for Leo to be this raging beast who only saw red.

          Two of Leo's men in the corner paced towards the man who was puking his inside out. On Leo's command, they held the man by his arms, steadying him as Leo sauntered over and gripped number one's head firmly, making him look up at the agitated brother of the girl he kidnapped. "You were the first one to touch my sister, so you'll be the first one to go."

          Pressing on the man's head, Leo twisted it quickly, breaking his neck with a loud snap that echoed and made me gasp. The stench of blood and gore narrowed my vision to see the man I love in a monster's form.

          "The amount of Astor's filthy men I had to rip apart to get to you five," Leo sighed as he dragged a chair across the marbled floor and situated it in front of the second man. "Number one over here was just a little trailer. You all are going to have it worse." Plopping down onto the chair, Leo tugged it closer to number two and grabbed his hair, yanking his sobbing head up. "You have a family, don't you?"

          Number two's eyes widened, ready to pop out of their sockets. "Please don't hurt them. I was just following orders. I'm sorry." He pleaded as a river of tears streamed down his face. "They have no clue as to what I do. They're innocent."

          "My sister was innocent too," Leo spat through his teeth and punched the man's jaw, the blood from his mouth spat out and hit the floor. "My sister was innocent too when you all decided to rape her."

          My heart lurched out of my chest when Leo's words registered into my mind, forcing hot tears to pour down my face. The shattering sounded loud throughout my body, forcing me to lean against the wall to support my legs that wanted to give out.

          "Easy there," Gus came to my side and held me up before I could fall. Tears pooled in my eyes as they faced the youngest brother in the family. His eyes glassy in sadness and his face red in rage. "It's okay, Sirena. They're getting what they deserve." Shoving my face into his chest, I let out a whimper, my tears soaking his white shirt as he wrapped his arms around my frame, comforting me gently.

          I thought I had it bad with getting raped by Astor, but the youngest Bonferroni sister was raped by these five monsters who had masked my mind into thinking that they were the victims here and that Leo was acting too ruthless, but not anymore. These men deserved it for taking a fourteen year old's innocence away and shredding it to nothing but emptiness.

          My mind couldn't begin to think of all that the poor girl went through. The horror of this incident must have tore her soul apart like it did to me. I felt disgusted, hated the idea of another man ever touching me again, loathed any man that attempted to even if it were in an innocent manner. I despised even looking at myself in the mirror, but I never let anyone see that. Hiding those emotions under a thin blanket, I decided to fight back.

Then Leo walked into my life and changed up everything. He didn't treat me like a broken girl, he pushed me to my limits with that cocky attitude of his and the way he trained me, never going easy. I found someone to make me happy, someone who made me realize that Astor is not the only man in the world and that punishing him isn't my only mission. I fell in love.

On the contrary, Evelina wasn't raped by one, but five men. Her young soul must have shattered, her heart torn apart, her mind broken, and her strength nothing but a word now. My heart couldn't jerk up the thought of what torture she must have gone through as those men took turns on her. Unconsciousness didn't make me feel a thing during the hideous act, but was she unconscious? Did she feel the pain that I never did?

"Bring them in!" Leo commanded as he landed a kick on number two's chest, throwing the disgusting man to the floor and wiped his bloody hands with a handkerchief. A woman was brought in with a young girl to her side. Fear was prominent in their eyes as steady tears raced down their cheeks while they looked at the scene before them.

"Daddy?" The young girl coughed out as her eyes rested on number two who was back up to his knees looking at his daughter in trepidation.

"Please don't hurt them. I beg you. I'll do anything." Number two pleaded again, bowing to Leo's feet and sobbing uncontrollably. "Please!"

Letting out a devilish laugh, Leo rolled back in his chair and turned to the young girl, motioning her to come hither with a finger. "Come here." The girl's mother held on tight to her daughter's shoulders, refusing to let her go. With a nod of Leo's head, men grabbed the woman and imprisoned her in their arms. The woman cried bloody murder and tried to kick the men that held her, but her feeble attempt was to no avail.

"Come here," Leo spoke to the little girl that was quaking in notable fear. She didn't move a muscle, instead kept staring at Leo. Noticing the girl's hesitation, he attempted again with a softer tone. "I promise I won't hurt you. I keep my promises. Just come here. Let's have a little chat."

With tiny, heavy steps, she walked to Leo who positioned her between his legs. "What's your name?" He asked sweetly.

          "Heaven," she whispered out timidly.

          "Beautiful name," Leo grabbed her little hands and held them in his palms together. "How old are you, Heaven?"

          "Fourteen."

          "What a coincidence!" He marveled and smiled wide. "My little sister is fourteen too. Her name is Evelina. You guys would be good friends. She'd come down here to meet you but she's hurting right now. Do you want to know why?"

          She nodded and wiped her dried out tears with the back of her hands as a glint of hope returns to her eyes. "Come here," Leo patted his thigh and seated the girl on it like a child. "First, tell me what kind of a man your father is?"

          "He's a good man," she retorted almost too immediately.

          "Heaven, you're lying. Tell me the truth. Is he really a good man? Does he treat you good? Do your parents treat you good?" She answered no with fat tears escaping her eyes. "Okay," Leo smiled up at Heaven and then looked at number two who anticipated Leo's next move. "What do you know about rape?"

          "It's," the terrified girl stuttered and swallowed hard before continuing. "It's bad. Very bad."

          "Yes, it is. What do you suppose we do with a man who raped a girl your age?" At that thought, the girl started sobbing again, her body quivering with each cry she let out. "Don't cry, heaven." Leo wiped her tears away softly, acting as her older brother. "Just tell me if someone raped you, what would you want to do to that person?"

          "Kill him," she cried out.

          "Good girl," Leo smiled and hoisted from the chair with the girl by his side. "Let me tell you something about your father here. You see," he pointed at number two, "your father raped my little sister. These four men took turns beating her to a pulp with belts and sticks then raping her. Do you still think we should kill them?"

          "Daddy?" The girl looked at her father in hopes of this information being wrong while I squeezed Gus' shirt tighter. I glanced up at him, silently asking him if this was all true. With a nod, he answered all my question as new set of tears broke through. Number two hung his head in shame and refused to answer his daughter. "Death would be too easy," Heaven surprised us all with her words as she nuzzled her little head in Leo abdomen and began crying her heart out.

"Thank you for your opinion, Heaven," Leo wiped her tears and turned her towards the filthy men. "Let's teach your father a lesson. Who wants to earn their freedom?" The men's ears perked at the offer as they all gazed up at the boss man. "Whoever is willing to rape this girl right here will get to walk out safely."

My jaw hit the floor, my eyes glaring at Leo in absolute bafflement. I couldn't believe my ears. How could he offer her up like that? I stepped forward in rage and in hurry to aid the little girl, but Gus' arms were tightly wrapped around me, holding my body in place. "Let me go," I hissed at the strong man and struggled in his detainment. "I will hurt you."

"Sirena, trust me. Brother knows what he's doing. He never does anything without planning ahead." Breaking our raging eye contact, he looked up at his older brother. "My brother is a monster. The most ruthless one you'll ever meet, but he isn't a disgusting one like them. So trust me and stay back here. You don't want to get caught in the crossfire."

"No," the girl cried. "No, please, no."

"She's innocent," number two pleaded. "She's a good girl. She hasn't done anything wrong in her life. Don't do this."

"And so was my sister," Leo spat through his teeth and grabbed Heaven by her wrist, pulling her closer to the other filthy men. "Which one of you is ready to do the deed and walk out like a king?"

Number five stumbled forward and looked at the little girl. "I'll do it."

"Are you sure?" Leo cocked his head to the side and clenched his fists.

"Yes! Yes, I am. I'll do anything to get out of here."

          "Well," Leo smiled viciously and positioned the girl in front of him waiting for number five to come and take his prey. The man stood up from his feet and eyed Heaven hungrily which only made me want to gag and cut his throat out. My nails dug into Gus' arm in rage I felt for Leo at this moment. I couldn't believe how he could just offer Heaven up like that.

          The entire room was quite as everyone waited for the man to plunge at the crying girl. Number five walked forward cautiously and put his hand ahead to grab the girl.

          "You've got some nerve," Leo spat and twisted the man's hand behind his back. "Raping my sister wasn't enough that you are ready to rape another fourteen year old for the freedom that you don't deserve. You have no remorse for your doings, you sick motherfucker."

          Forcing number five to the ground, Leo held out his arm while Mike stomped in fury and kicked the arm, breaking it and snapping it like a twig. The loud crack filled my ears with relief washing over me accompanied by his tortured screams. Mike clutched the man's sweaty and agonized face in his hands and dragged the man, throwing him back with the others.

          "Heaven, come here, sweetheart," Arabelle finally spoke and got on her knees as she feathered the horrified girl's face. "I'm Arabelle. We are going to teach those bad men a lesson. Why don't you go inside and settle down? Eat something and rest. I promise we won't hurt you, yeah?"

          "Okay," Heaven's lips quivered as she rubbed her tears away.

          "Good girl," Arabelle smiled then motioned to a woman standing in a corner. "Eleni, take her inside."

          The woman in all black leather outfit walked to them and placed her hands on Heaven's shoulder. "Yes, ma'am," her thick Italian accent was barely heard over the mother's uncontrollable sobs. With a bow, she walked out with Heaven and left Arabelle glaring at the mother.

          "Shut up," Arabelle shouted at the mother in rage and stomped towards her, motioning the men to leave her at the same time. "Why the fuck are you crying?"

          "My daughter," she sobbed. "You can't take her away from me."

          "I have found out a lot about you. I know you're an abusive mother along with a drug addiction." Arabelle slapped the woman, flinging her to the hard floor. She grabbed her face, digging her nails into the woman's cheek and drawing blood. "You don't deserve to be a mother. A shame on motherhood is what you are." Grasping the woman by her hair, she yanked and hauled her writhing body across the floor towards number two who watched in absolute dread.

          "Stop hurting her, please." Number two whined as Arabelle positioned the woman to her knees.

          "You both abuse your daughter and are unfit parents. You guys didn't seem to rebel much against the idea of your daughter getting raped either." Arabelle jerked the woman's head back and placed a knife to her throat. "Torturing the people you love hurts more than anything and you men did just that by beating and raping my sister. You will pay for his and your actions. Any last wishes, bitch?"

"Please don't d-"

The woman was abruptly cut short by a knife slicing through her throat. Gurgling and broken coughs were the last sounds she made before she dropped to the floor, a puddle of blood forming around her.

"Oops, my bad," Arabelle mocked and stabbed the dead woman's chest. "I got impatient so I ended it."

"No!" Number two screeched in pain as he plunged forward to the dead woman and cradled her body. "Maria, wake up, baby. Please!"

For a second I felt bad for this man, but he deserved this. The woman tortured her own daughter under influence. She did not appreciate the gift of motherhood and toyed with it. I wish I could say that my heart bled for these folks, but I couldn't. I felt nothing. Nothing, but relief clouded my mind. They deserved whatever they got, maybe even more.

"Get the leather," Arabelle commanded while slamming her heel into number two's chest, ramming his body against the other culprits. "You enjoyed whipping my sister and now I'm going to marvel at the image of you bastards bleeding when we whip you."

Wren and Gus joined the party and grabbed leather whips, slashing them against the naked bodies of the monsters beneath them. Mike and Arabelle didn't waste time and began lacerating those men with powerful and bloody blows. Each inflicter picked a man and tortured him. Red welts began swelling on their flesh with blood oozing out a few. Their painful cries echoed through the room like a never ending wave.

Leo took a step back from this act and tentatively watched the show his family, including Mike imposed on these men. His eyes accidentally meet mine in a burning gaze. The hurricane in them rested a bit as a weak smile emerged on his face upon seeing me before the storm rushed back and pulled his eyes away from mine.

"That's enough," Leo stopped them and strode up again, yanking number two by his hair and lugging the man near a door way in the back. "Vince, take him."

"My pleasure, boss," Vince grinned like a child who was about to get his favorite toy. He took over for Leo and heaved number two by his throat past the door. Leo sauntered back as the man's scream bellowed back into the large open warehouse. Curiosity made me wonder what Vince must be doing to him, but I also could care less.

Leo retrieved a packet of white substance and ordered Gus to hold number three in place while Mike did the same with Wren imprisoning number four. With fistfuls of the white grainy material, they began rubbing it forcefully onto the rapists' injuries. Their agonizing screeches made me realize that Mike and Leo were literally rubbing salt onto their wounds.

Seeing Arabelle walking towards him with the same salt in her hands, number five mounted from his knees, grabbing his broken arm and scurrying towards the exit which was right by me. This man was either very ignorant or very suicidal for running like that. The entire place was surrounded by Leo's men and this man thought that was a good idea. Dumbass!

Stretching my leg out, I tripped number five, forcing him to face plant by my side. Whipping out my gun from the waistband of my pants, I rested my knee on his bloody chest and pinned the muzzle to his sweaty and bleeding head. Loathe and disgust coursed through my mind while adrenaline rushed through my veins, shaking my hand that wielded the weapon. Although I hesitated, someone else didn't as a bullet lodged into his head, splashing the man's filthy crimson blood along with tiny chunks onto my face. More bullets pierced in him which only splattered more blood onto me.

          Slowly my head elevated up to notice Evelina standing with a gun pointed at the dead man, smoke flowing out of the muzzle and evaporating into the air. The cute little fireball that I met at Leo's birthday wasn't standing in front of me. A confident assassin stood with rage emitting out of her body. Faint purple blotches surrounded her eyes that leaked with fury and sadness, matching the hurt in Leo's eyes. Those same purple bruises were spread across her face and chest that was barely visible.

          "Hey, Arie," she flashed me a lazy smile and blew the smoke from her gun away. "You all decided to start the party without me?" Tucking the gun into the waistband of her pants, she stepped over the body and sauntered towards the other men who were writhing in agony. "Only two left now. One is mine."

          "As you wish," Mike stepped away from number four and punched the man one last time. Wren landed one too and walked to the table of tools with Mike. Leo didn't acknowledge his sister and kept rubbing salt vigorously into number three's lesions until he finally backed away, wiping his hands with another handkerchief.

          "Vince," she chirped up when she saw the man walking out with specks of blood all over him. "Can you bring them out here?"

          "Your command, principessa," Vince nodded and went back into the room he strolled out of.

          Men meandering near that door quickly began to scurry away to another corner of the warehouse. Some clutched their guns tight while others hid behind them. I didn't know what they were seeing, but it definitely wasn't anything good. Soft purrs bellowed through the silent room in surges while my spine straightened itself with chills sprinting down it. Did he have lions or something? I was wrong.

          Two large and bulky pigment variants of Bengal tigers walked in with strong chains around their necks held by Vince and three other men who kept them in place. Burgundy blood freshly dropped from one's mouth while the other held a severed forearm between his large canines. My breathing became shallow as sweat trickled down the back of my neck.

          "They can smell fear," Gus whispered into my ear and put his arm around my shoulders. "Relax! They won't hurt you. They only listen to the one and only, Leonardo Luciano Bonferroni, the lion, the king of the jungle. And the king is in love with you. He won't let anything happen to his queen now."

          "You guys have white tigers as pets?" I shake my head at the scene in front of me. Strings of nerves and chunks of flesh etched onto their whiskers and dripped down the white fur of their chins. Their pupils dilated upon seeing food everywhere. Hunger swirled deep within those bluish-gray orbs that were surrounded by a white snowstorm dancing around on the outskirts.

          Number four quaked violently in fear as Evelina neared and slapped him. Grabbing him by his hair, she lifted his eyes to meet her. "Remember me?" Crocodile tears rolled down the man's face and blended with blood, flowing rose shade down his chin. "You thought you'll break me and shove me down a dark tunnel, but I came out stronger and you wish you had killed me then." She slammed his head against the floor and looked up at her older brother for assistance. "Leo?"

          Leo only nodded and clasped his hand around the man's neck, pulling him towards the tigers that eyed their next prey hungrily. The man struggled and begged Leo to let go, but a brother can't let a man who ruined his sister get away. Leo snatched the detached forearm from the tiger's mouth and flung it away. "New prey, boys. Sniff him." Leo dangled number four in front of the tigers like a new toy.

          Evelina raked her hands over the two predators' head and positioned herself between them. "My babies here will take good care of you, but I'll give you a chance to run as fast as you can. Okay?"

          "Run!" Leo shouted at number four. The man saw the chance and bolted for the exit. For a man who had been freshly lacerated and salted, he sprinted faster than anything.

          "I've never seen this before. This is going to be a wild chase. Literally," Gus commented and laughed at the escaping man.

          Leo situated himself between the two tigers and grabbed them by their thick spiked collars, urging the men holding the strong chains to realesse and step back. The tigers purred, flashing their large bloodied sharp canines that were ready to delve into flesh. "Easy," Leo tugged on their collars and pulled those beasts back that were dying to break loose from his extremely strong hold.

          The nerves on Leo's neck bulged out as he waited for number four to exit the building. The massive impatient cats were leaping forward, but Leo held on tight to those powerful savages. A menacing smirk perked up on his lips as he lowered himself to their level. "Fetch!"

          Releasing his hold, the monsters jumped up and raced towards the exit, their ear-piercing roars shaking me to my core and digging my nails into Gus' flesh. "Sirena, stop. Gesù Cristo! Don't damage the merchandise that attracts girls."

          Ignoring his comment, I bounced behind him and watched the beasts blur past us, exiting the structure with a mighty roar. "You all, keep Hades and Satan in check. Make sure they don't get anyone else," Leo ordered his men, forcing them all to follow Vince outside in an orderly fashion.

          Leo strolled towards the only remaining victim and removed his shirt while number four's screams hit our ears. "You're the last man standing, so I'll give you a chance to fight." Leo picked up a sword and slid it towards number three. "Pick it up and fight me. If you get even one little cut on me, I'll let you walk out of here."

          Number three immediately wielded the sword and attempted to get to his feet despite the injuries he sustained. He struggled but eventually stumbled up to his feet and held the sword gripped between both his sweaty hands, taking a defensive stance against the threat before him.

          "This should be easy for you," Leo cracked his knuckles and continued. "I have no vest on and I'm completely unarmed, so you better draw my blood or I'll draw yours."

"Is he crazy?" I whispered out and looked at Gus who had a grin on his face.

"That peasant can't take down the king. Brother is the strongest out of everyone here. He got this." Gus pulled me closer sideways and squeezed my shoulders. "Relax, Sirena. You have yet to know the man. Just enjoy the show for now."

          I couldn't help my heart from racing frantically at Leo's stupid idea of being completely defenseless and shirtless for the man to see the cuts that he may inflict on the love of my life. Clasping my hands, I released a shaky breath and prayed for this all to be over.

Number three plunged forward with the sword cutting through the air, but Leo dodged at the right moment and turned to elbow the man in his face. The man stumbled back as he shook his head to clear his vision and regain some posture. He slashed it sideways through the tension in the room. Leo swiftly limboed the attack and placed his palms against the floor to lift his legs up and kick the man in his face, throwing the bastard to the ground.

          Number three winced and spat the blood that poured out his mouth. "Get up and fight me," Leo roared at the man and kicked him in his stomach. "Get the fuck up!"

          The man cried and hoisted his tired body to face Leo once again. Rage and distress twinkled in the man's sobbing eyes. He raised the sword up and sprinted towards Leo, letting out a screeching war cry. Leo twisted the man's hands and maneuvered the sword to the freshly lacerated torso, shoving the sword right through his chest until half the length peaked out with blood.

          Gasping loudly, I covered my mouth instantly to hide the dropping of my jaw to the floor. The man's eyes were wide open along with his mouth as his final tears wiggled down his bloody cheeks.

          "Nobody messes with my family and gets away with it." Leo yanked the sword out and launched the man to the floor. "Nobody." The man's last intake and release of breath sounded through the vast place, echoing my erratic heartbeats throughout my cells and veins.

          "They deserved it all." Gus stared at the dead man and spoke with a mist of tears lingering in his hazel brown eyes. "They punched Lina. Hit her, kicked her, whipped her mercilessly, raped her, and then left her to die in the that warehouse." His eyes traveled to me and wiped a lone tear from my cheek that I was unaware of. "Don't feel bad for them, Sirena. They deserved it. They messed with the wrong family." With that being said, he headed for the exit and removed his bloody shirt and discarded it to the floor as he walked into the mansion.

          Evelina strutted out right behind him with no remorse on her face and for some reason I followed her after she vanished into the mansion. I ran in and meandered around searching for her. Trailing light bloodied footsteps, I entered a hallway and then a room. Soft hyperventilating sounds feathered my ears as I set my foot into the large room. As I inched closer to a door, the erratic breaths got louder.

          "Evelina?" I called, twisting the door handle and going into the bathroom. She stood by the sink with her hands under the running water and her fingers trying to claw away the blood. "Evelina?"

          "I need to take this blood off," she cried and poured some more soap into her palms. "My hands are so dirty."

          "Okay." I waited for her to finish cleaning herself, but she kept repeating the process over and over again, unable to stop herself and the stream of tears. "Evelina," I said cautiously.

"I just need to get this off," she yelled. "Just a little more."

"You have been doing that for five minutes now." I shut the faucet and forced her to look at me by placing my hands on her shoulder and turning her towards me. "You need to stop."

"No!" She jerked my hands off and turned the faucet on again. "There's still so much blood here. I need to clean it."

"Evelina," I pulled her away from the sink and jerked her body. "Stop!" Turning the faucet off, I tugged her further away. "You're clean."

"Then why do I feel so dirty," she sobbed and crashed to the tiled floor. Her entire body shuddered in distress as a trail of tears dripped down her face. Salty mess blurred my vision, blinding me temporarily as my eyes shed them forcing me to the floor by her side.

Hauling her broken body to mine, I held her tight in a warm embrace where we both cried. "I'm so sorry for what happened to you," my voice shook with each word that I cried out, my heart breaking with each tear she shed into my chest. "I'm really sorry."

          "Don't be," she pulled away and wiped her tears. "You don't know what I'm going through."

          "You're right. I may not know what you're going through. You've bore more pain than I have." She cocked her head to the side and waited for me to elaborate. "I was raped on my birthday by Astor. He broke me internally and I thought I couldn't be the same again, but that wasn't true. Your brother made me feel again." Tears of my name pooled in her hazel eyes and shimmied down her cheeks. "I would be too scared to do what you did today. You're a very strong girl already, Evelina."

          "That's because she's a Bonferroni. We come from a long line of strong women." A British accent echoed in the bathroom and shot our eyes to the door. Arabelle leaned against the door frame with a smile on her face. "Isn't that right, little birdie."

          "Damn right," Evelina laughed and rose to her feet along with me, wiping her tears as Leo joined us in a navy blue tank top. "Welcome to the family and call me Lina. Evelina is too long."

          "Okay, Lina," I chuckled and walked behind her as she embraced Leo.

          "I'm tired," she spoke against his chest and urged him to pick her up and settle her on the bed.

          "Belle, stay with her while I see Arie out," Leo walked towards me and handed me a tissue while pulling me outside. "You have blood on your face. Wipe it." Nodding, I rubbed the sprinkles of blood away and walked out with Leo. "I'm sorry that you had to see that. I know that it horrified you."

          "Leo," I stopped in my tracks and positioned my body towards him. "The thing that horrified me more was what those men did to your little sister. They beat her up first and then raped her." Sighing deeply, I grabbed his hand and placed the tissue in his rough palm. "So what you did was justified. You tortured them and then killed each one. I get it. You don't have to explain yourself."

          "I didn't know how you'd react or what light you'd see me in after it all took place."

          "I see you in the same light as I did before." Cupping his face, I brushed my thumb over his lids and tiptoed up to lay a soft kiss on each one. "I've always seen you as a beast, but today I just got to see the more savage side of that beast who would do anything for his family. A beast who belongs to me. You're my beast."

          "And I'm guessing you're my beauty."

          We both laughed as I eyed the man intently and crossed my arms. "The big bad lion watches Disney movies?"

          "Belle forced me to watch it with her when we were younger and Lina forced me to watch the new realistic version with her." He explained and placed his hand on the small of my back, escorting me out of the narrow hallway. "They're both very scary when they don't get their way, so I had to comply."

          "Are all Bonferroni women scary?"

          "Yup! You never cross them."

          "Then your sisters must take after your mother," I commented and snickered to myself.

          "Yes, they do." He smiled wide as he thought back to an old memory and stopped to just relish it.

          "But Amelia seems nice and not too scary."

          "Well," Leo swallowed hard and continued walking me out, trying to change the subject. "That's a story for another time, love."

          Stepping out into the cool breeze in front of the mansion, I turned to my man and wrapped my arms around his neck. "When will I see you next?"

          "You and me are going to a birthday party of my dear friend. Hopefully, you'll like her. She's something."

          "When is this party?"

          "Two days."

          "I'll be seeing you after two days?" I dropped my hands in sadness and pouted like a child. "That's long."

          "My little baby," he chuckled and pulled me into his chest, planting a kiss on my head. "I have things to do. I promise to call to you every hour."

          "Fine," I mumbled against his chest and breathed in his spicy scent that put me at ease.

          "Love," he lifted my chin up and gazed into my brown orbs with his calm oceans. "Will you always love me?"

          "Is this going to be our thing now?" I laughed.

          "Just answer. Will you always love me?"

          "Till my last breath."

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Another long ass chapter. I'm really sorry. I hope I didn't lose you guys half way through and that this violence wasn't too gory.

Who's happy those fuckers are dead though?

What story does Leo have of Amelia that he'll share later? I really want to know what you think of that.

Who's birthday bash are they gonna go to? 😉

5-6 more chapters and the end of this book comes. Then I'll begin working on the sequel.

Much love♥️
~Reet