- 8 6 -

- R O M A N - A N G E L O -

"Any more theats?" I rounded the Russian as I poured acid over his wounds that Anton had so graciously caused.

This was day three of torturing these idiots. More time wasted and still no sign of my angel.

"He's going to kill you. Both of you." He snapped in his thick Russian accent as he glanced between me and Anton nervously when I clicked my tongue.

"Should have pulled your tongue out first." I muttered and walked over to the table, grabbing a dagger and held it up, examining it.

"Why do you use a dagger?" I asked as she spun the sharp blade between her fingers expertly.

"Because its pretty." She shrugged with a forced smile when I ran my hand over her shoulder and down her arm, grabbing her gently and pulling her towards me.

"And?" I raised a brow at her and watched her eyes swirl with various emotions before she lowered her head and looked at the chain hanging around my neck, tangling it with the blade in her hand.

"I don't like guns." She paused, twisting the chain with the tip of the blade, chewing on her lip nervously, "Had too many of them pointed at me."

I know, baby.

"Hm." I tucked a stray strand of her dark hair behind her ears and stroked her cheek with my thumb, so gentle as if she'd break if I were any rougher or harder.

"No more questions?" She asked, her wide, blue eyes peering up at me questioningly as I cupped her cheek.

"No more questions. You tell me when you want to." I murmured and saw her bite the inside of her cheek before she smiled faintly and nodded slowly, looking over my shoulder before bringing her gaze to the dagger on my neck and slid it all the way to my pulse as I lifted my head higher.

"All it takes is one little slash, right here." She pressed the knife to my pulse gently, her eyes connecting with mine as she looked up at me.

"And you'd be dead." She finished, slicing the air around my neck with the blade before sliding it down to my throat when I swallowed.

"Aren't you scared I might kill you?" She asked when the corners of my lips cured up in the slightest and my free hand grippd her waist, squeezing it once.

"If I was scared," I paused, now running my thumb over her cheek and accross her lips, "I wouldn't deserve you." I finished and she smiled.

"And do you deserve me now?" She asked with a sly smile, her eyebrow raised in question.

"No. No one does. Men like me don't deseve you, angel. But I'm a selfish man, and fuck if I ever let you go." I grunted, pullng her flush aganst me as the blade scratched against my neck slightly, leaving a cut when she gasped.

"I hurt you." She stated with wide, suprised eyes when I stopped her from fussing over me.

"You could kill me and I'd still crawl to you to beg for more." I whispered, lowering my mouth to hers as the blade fell out of her hands and onto the ground.

My hand immediately went up to touch the little scar on my neck the blade had left a few days ago and my chest constricted at the thought of losing her as I gripped the dagger tightly in my hands and made my way over to the shit excuse of an Italian.

No, she'll be fine. We have a whole life ahead of us.

"Shut his trap." I pointed to the now half-dissolved-in-acid Russian and my men complied as I stood infront of the curly haired Italian.

"Dimmi dov'è andato Ferruccio e penserò a lasciarti andare."(Tell me where Ferruccio went, and I'll think of letting you go.)I spoke fluently in the language when the man glanced at Anton warily who was now frowning, his arms crossed.

"Non saprà di cosa stiamo parlando, non conosce l'italiano."(He won't know what we're talking about, he doesn't know Italian.) I said and the man gulped as Anton's brow raised subtly at me but I gave him no mind and hoped he'd keep his mouth shut.

"Non so molto, a parte Ferruccio e il russo che lavorano insieme. Malev."(I don't know much, other than Ferruccio and the Russian working together.) He said and my face hardened.

"Igor Malev?" I questioned and he nodded slowly.

"What else?" I asked, now impatient.

"Ci hanno detto di procurargli la ragazza, la tua donna. Vivo."(They told us to get them the girl, your woman. Alive.) He stuttered and I nodded, running the blade across his cheek while he eyed it fearfully.

"Dove la tengono?"(Where are they keeping her?) I asked, waiting for an answer when he shook his head.

"Non lo so."(I don't know) He said and I slashed his right cheek, making him scream out in pain as I slashed the other one.

"Bugiardo."(Liar.)I growled and raised his chin with the knife and made him look at me.

"You know." I let go of him, circling the other Italian and Russian who cowered away and gulped in fear.

"All of you bastards know where she is." I took out my gun and pointed it the Italian bastard.

"You can either tell me where they kept her and die an easy death, or get ready for me to personally torture you until you curse life and beg for death. The choice is yours." I spoke in a low, posionous tone and saw how much my words had affected the bastards who grew as pale as ghosts and started talking all at once, begging to be freed.

"Give me a head start." I tossed Anton the dagger and he caught it, throwing his cigarette to the ground and stomping on it before walking over to them.

I watched as he moved about as if scanning his prey before attacking, their screams and wails echoing in the empty basement, but their cries drowned away by the world.

When Anton had enough, I took my turn, letting Gabriel break their knees and their fingers and various other bones before I shot them, enough to make it hurt like a bitch but not die just yet.

"Stop it, p-please, please, I beg you! I'll tell you everything!" One of the Russians shouted and I stopped my torture, sharing a knowing look with Anton and standing in front of him expectantly.

"Spit it out." I said though clenched teeth as my gun glinted in the dark, pointing to his head as he shuddered and coughed up blood.

"Milan." He coughed and I stepped back from his disgusting form.

"Milan, what?" I questioned, holding his head back by his hair as he struggled to breath.

"Ferruccio— Milan... house... Girl there... die soon." He spoke in between coughs and puffs of air as I let him go, the only sign of panic in me my racing heart.

I pointed my gun at his head and shot—once, twice,thrice— before blowing out a shaky breath.

"She's good as dead." The Italian laughed deliriously and I glared daggers at him as his shoulders shook and he started laughing even louder, Anton frowning.

"The Russian wants to keep her, but your father is a snake." He hissed at us as I neared him and grabbed the collar of his shirt.

"What is he gong to do? Fucking speak!" I roared, now loosing my cool as he laughed and I lunged at him, punching him with my right fist with the other held onto his collar.

"She's going to come back!" I roared as I continued to throw punches at his face until my fists were filled with his blood and his face was unrecognizable.

"She's a dead girl, don." He choked on his own blood as my fist pumelled his bloody and bruised face until I was pulled away by Gabriel and Enzo and I fought to get back at the man who was still laughing at my face.

"Shut his fucking mouth!" I bellowed and shoved the two away from me, making them stumble backwards as I took out my gun.

"She's going to meet the same fate as her whore mother." He laughed louder which was silenced with the loud sound of gunshots ringing in my ears.

The man slumpd onto the chair the moment I left him, blood pooling out of his chest and another bullet pierced through the back of his head.

"You Italians talk too much." Anton grumbled but I didn't hear him as the blood rushed in my veins.

Milan Estate.

Another murder.

Another girl missing.

Another woman missing.

A group of girls disappeared.

Milan Estate.

Body parts found dumped in the lake close to the forest.

No suspects.

No traces.

All existence of these victims wiped out along with the murdrers.

Milan Estate under close watch.

Milan Estate.

Another woman, Lilac Angelo, found dead, bullet to the head, husband and son in mourning.

Milan Estate known for its murederous reputation.

Milan Estate... Milan Esate... Milan Estate...

"The Milan Estate." I breathed hard, backing away as I faced Gabriel whose eyes were wide as saucers and Anton walked briskly over to me, shaking me by the shoulders.

No.

"What's at the Milan estate?" He questioned with fury, his eyes brimmng with rage as I looked at him.

No.

"What's at the fucking Milan Estate, Roman?" He shouted at me and I shoved him away furiously.

No.

"Kill the rest." I took off the leather gloves from my hands and threw them onto the table, running a hand over my face whch was splattered with blood before going back up as quick as I could go.

No.

"Enzo." I shouted and said man came running to me, face filled with worry

"Gather everyone, we're leaving for Milan in less than an hour." I barked orders here and there as Anton came upstairs and shot the first thing he saw next to me, shattering one of my mother's favourite vases.

Fucker.

"Stop right there and tell me what the fuck is going on." He spoke in a warning tone as he crossed the hall and stood directly in front of me.

"What on earth is at the Milan Estate?" He asked and my eyes briefly met Gabriel and Enzo's behind him when they pursed their lips and looked away from my scorching gaze.

"My mother—" I paused, "My mother's sister whom Ferruccio thought was my mother was killed there. Brutally." I said and he frowned.

"In the years that followed, several women went missing around the area, their bodies piled up near that estate, dumped in the lake close by the forest." I gritted out as my fists clenched shut.

"Signs of abuse all over them." I said and saw him swallow thickly as he looked away from my eyes and somewhere in the distance.

"Safe to say, whoever went there never came back. And if they did—" My throat clogged up and I cleared it, rubbing where my heart was as I felt a pain shoot through my chest.

"It would be in pieces." I finished.

"Heather is there." I looked at him, my jaw clenched when he nodded once and looked back at me with a strange desperation as he swallowed thickly.

"Then you'd better lead us the right way and get your girl, and my sister back." He spoke and for a moment, I stared at him as his eyes displayed various emotions, two of which I recognized immediately— love, and fear, Both for his sister.

Like me, he'd do anything for her, that much I knew. He accepted me for her, and that was saying something.

Not waiting for anything further, I walked into my room and headed straight for the shower, not bothering to take off my bloody clothes as I stepped under the cold water.

When I saw the blood flowing down with the water a frustrated, angry lump lodged itself at the back of my throat as I put my hand on the wall for support, my head dizzy.

I coughed, trying to get it out and punched the glass shower wall, making it shatter as I shouted into the emty space, sliding down the wall and put my head in my hands.

"Roman." I heard her voice in my ears and grunted, my head throbbing with pain.

"Rome." I heard her again and hummed slowly, my eyes opening and closing.

"Rome, stay with me, I need you." She whispered in my ears and I raised my head, watching those bright blue eyes look back at me.

"Rome, please, I need you. Save me, I'm scared." She whimpered and I wrapped my arms around her trembling frame, pulling her into me as I kissed her forehead, holdng her as if she'd break.

"Angel." I gasped for air as the water falling on our heads threatened to drown us, breathing in her scent as she wrapped herself around me.

"Help me, Rome, I need you." She whispered and my eyes shot open, looking around frantically and I shuddderd when I didn't feel her warmth next to me.

I looked around the bathroom, up at the running shower, at the shattered glass from the shower wall and then my bruised knuckles.

"Roman." There was an urgent knock at the door and I recognized Enzo's voice.

"We have the location and everyone's ready, we're leaving as soon as we can." He said and I put my hand against the wall to support myself and get up from the floor, rubbng my chest subconsiously as if that wold help the pain go away.

I took off the dirty and wet clothes stuck to my body and cleaned myself up in record time, drying up quickly and when I looked in the mirror at the bloodshot eyes looking back at me, my jaw clenched as I imagined my angel's face.

"I'm coming, baby. And I'm going to kill tht fucker before anyone can touch even a hair on your head." I vowed to myself and to her and quickly got dressed, changing the bandage on my arm where I'd been shot before going downstairs.

"Don." My men bowed their heads in respect as I put my arms throught my black blazer after putting on the bulletproof vest as I made my way down the stairs.

As soon as I reached the end, I saw all of my men gathered up in the main hall, along with all of Heather's family and their men.

The Russians and Italians were wary of each other, but they'd have to put their diffrences aside for my girl and their queen.

My eyes met both her bothers' who nodded once to show they had my support and when my eyes met her father's, a deep breath left my lips as I stared into his identical blue eyes, the tension thick.

He nodded once in respect and acceptance and I relaxed visibly as Gabriel handed me my gun and I tucked it into the holster on my waist and tucked another one and a dagger in case.

"We'll be heading to my—" I paused, the word'father'about to leave my lips when I stopped short.

"To Ferrucccio's Milan Estate." I cleared my throat and heard light whisperng between my men and some of the Russians, their tense postures indicating they knew just what shit and horrors took place there.

"We'll be working as one, whether you're Russian or Italian, I don't give a fuck, so put aside your differences or deal with a bullet to your heads. Is that understood?" I spoke loud and clear.

"Yes Don!" They all shouted in unison and I hummed in satisfaction, looking over at everyone as they all obeyed my orders.

"Do not hesitate to kill anyone but Igor Malev and Ferruccio Angelo. The Russian is mine to kill." I growled and saw Ivan staring intensely at me from the corner of the room, standing with that boy Zephyr nd Nikolai.

"As for Ferruccio, I want nothing to do with him. His fate—" I looked at the brothers and the Elias father.

"—is in the hands of the Elias family, and their daughter. Do whatever you want with him, he is no longer part of our family." I gritted out and the men nodded in espect and understanding.

"Other than me, you are only to follow the order of the Elias family, and no one else." I said pointedly.

"All of your focus should be on saving my girl, and her only. Make sure no harm comes to her, protect her with your life if you must, because she is going to be your queen, and my wife." I looked at the Elias family as I said this and thought I saw the father's and uncles lips curving up into small smirks when I said that.

"Anyone hurts her, they're dead." I said in a final tone and heard them speak together in approval before Enzo came foward.

"Everyone has been briefed on the structure of the Milan Estate, go to your respective teams and be ready to leave in ten." He clapped his hands and everyone scattered, gettng ready and climbing into the cars to leave for the airport.

"The rest of the details will be shared in the air since the flight will take nearly an hour and a half." Gabriel added and nodded towards me as I walked down towards the Elias family and straight for the previous Russian Mob Boss.

"Zavid." I spoke, my voice devoid of any emotion but my eyes speaking plenty, and he saw that.

"Roman." He regarded me coldly before putting his hand out and I took it, shaking it firmly before he pulled me into a hug, surprising everyone.

"I trust you to keep my daughter safe." He said in a low voice and I hummed.

"With my life." I told him when we pulled away and saw the sadness linger in his eyes as he patted my shoulder with a warmth I longed for a man like him— a father— to look at me with.

"I hope the next time we meet is at the wedding," He paused as I mulled over his words and smiled weakly, "Son." He added and walked over to his sons while I stayed frozen in place until her uncles, Mikhail and Karl came to me.

We reached the airport in record time and got onto our respective planes, Anton, Alexander and Ivan along with Zephyr and Nikolai with Gabriel, Enzo and I in one while the others came separately.

"He is not to be taken lightly. The Milan Estate is one the best guarded and deadliest ones he owns." Gabriel said and everyone looked at me expectanly.

"I lived there for two years before my mother was killed there." I started, looking out the winodw and at the cloudy sky that was a light grey, indictaing rain was near before speaking again.

"The trafficking went on even then— Men, women, girls, boys, anyone and everyone they could get their dirty hands on." I clenched my fists shut.

"I used to hear people—women—screaming at night, and had the guts to question my father who only gave me a good thrashing to shut me up for the time being, leaving me with an 'all in due time'." I sneered and swallowed thickly, shaking my head as the screams rang in my ears all over again just as they did when I was younger.

"That place is a deathtrap, and Ferruccio knows it." I looked at Anton and Alex who exchanged worried glances before Alex walked over to the table infront of us on whch the Estate's plans lay.

"So we enter here, and here?" He pointed to the South and East gates and I nodded.

"The West and North gates were open so they have the most security. The East and South ones are directly in front of a forest so its naturally protected by that, and a lake at the South, so they don't have as much much security up there." I sad, pointing at the maps.

"The guest wing is this one, and the family wing is this—" I put my finger right above the place my bedroom used to be.

"If I'm correct and know Ferruccio well— which I do— he's keeping her in this room." I pointed to a room I both loved and hated when Ivan frowned.

"Why that room?" He asked as he peered at the map and I sighed heavily.

"It was my mother's room." I said and they all quieted down, not asking anymore questions as the plane made its way to its destination.

We had decided to gather at a safehouse I had in Milan, one which my father was not aware of.

"Us being seen together will cause trouble. Everyone in Milan knows who we are by our faces alone, the name can do wonders." Enzo put his hands inside his pockets and thought hard.

"Ferruccio's men will be everywhere, and he's expecting us, that much I am sure of." I said with conviction.

"How so?" Anton leaned forward with his arms crossed when the corner of my lips curled up slightly in a sneer.

"He knows I wouldn't take long to figure out where they were. Those men Viktor captured were pussies, not exactly the type of men he usually has." I ran a hand over my jaw in thought.

"They were too easy to deal with, gave up the location and information we wanted because that's whathewants. Heneverhas men like those. He has a plan up his sleeve, and it's a trap." I leaned back in my seat as the brothers grew alert.

"A trap? We're heading into a fucking trap?" Nikolai said from a side and I twisted the engagement ring on my fnger as I stared Anton down.

"Yes, we're heading into a fucking trap, because the only way to set a trap—"

"Is to step into it." Anton finished with realization and a smirk crept on his lips and I copied the action, looking out once again.

"This is porbably going to get us—you—killed." Alex looked at me as if I were crazy and I shrugged.

"Anything for the girl I love. And I mean anything." I said with full confidence, sitting up straighter when the airport came into view and Alex groaned along with Ivan who rubbed a hand over his face, looking distressed.

"You better not fuck this up then, Aneglo." He snapped at me and I glared at him.

"Better watch your back, Malev, we don't want to accidentally kill the wrong brother, now do we?" I snarled at him and he was stepped towards me but Anton slapped a hand over his chest, staring me down and stopping Ivan instantly.

"She's going to fuck us up." He looked at me pointedly as he put on the bulletproof vest and I let out a humourless chuckle.

"That's my girl." I smirked and all the Elias' glared simultaneously at me, making my smirk widen as I stood up and made my way to the exit and took a deep breath.

"This is incase things go south." Anton repeated and I nodded once, turning to look at him fully when he held out his hand to me.

You have no idea of what's going to happen.

"We've got your back, Angelo." He said and I watched him and Alex and all their family look at me the same way he was— as one of them.

It it filled me with pride and confidence like nothing else.

"And we've got yours." I shook his hand firmly and he let out a small smile when Enzo cheered.

"Dream team, let's go fuck up those bitches!" He cheered and earned a slap on the back of his head from Gabriel.

"Dream team? Seriously?" Ivan snorted and Zephyr chuckled.

"Ow, man, not cool." He scowled as we made our way down the jet's steps and into the cars that would take us to my safehouse.

I'm coming for you, angel.