Page 26 of Bloody Savage God
Despite the police’s objections, we quickly had a funeral home take custody of my father’s body. When you know and pay the right people, it’s easier than one might think to avoid a whole barrage of rules and regulations in place to uncover the circumstances of a murder.
“Should I have someone pick you up?” Uncle Mario asks, and something about that doesn’t sit right with me, though I take a second to figure out what it is.
“No, I’ll bring Eric as my guard. We’ll see you there tomorrow.”
When I hang up, Eric looks at me expectantly. “What was that about?”
“Uncle Mario reminding me about the funeral.” The venom in my voice doesn’t escape Eric’s notice.
“How thoughtful of him.”
I know my cousin is trying to push my buttons to get me to spill what is bothering me, but I just give him an annoyed look.
“I suppose it’s time for that chat now.”
We sit down at the small kitchen table. “Uncle Mario suggested he could send someone to pick me up tomorrow.”
Eric nods. “Not unreasonable.”
“No, maybe not, but he’s staying at my house right now.”
Unsurprised, Eric lifts his right brow. “Making himself at home?”
Sighing, I nod. “I’m guessing that is what you wanted to talk about earlier?”
“That Mario is going to make a power play? Yeah, pretty much.”
It’s not overly surprising, though the insult still finds its target. “I’m my father’s heir. Do you think he’ll find support among the soldiers? Even though I’ve been running Bruno Properties for years now?”
“He’ll get support,” Eric says, not even hesitating. “The question is from how many.”
A headache that I’ve kept at bay until now is reverberating through my skull. “Fuck.”
It’s not that I didn’t know this was a strong possibility. Uncle Mario hasn’t been subtle with the way he positioned himself, but I wasn’t ready to deal with it yet. Hadn’t expected to have to deal with it so soon.
“I know I need to deal with it, but let’s first bury my father.”And deal with his killer.
Eric’s eyes flit to the bookcase that is hiding the entry to my dungeon, obviously following my unspoken thought. He knows I need this. He’d probably do it himself if I didn’t have the better claim to Mikhail Tsepov’s pain.
“Then let’s get on with it.”
I shake my head. “Sorry cuz, but this first round is for me alone.”
Getting up, I head into my bedroom to change. Black tights and a long-sleeved black shirt. I have gloves downstairs.
Ignoring Eric, who has stretched out on the couch, his eyes closed, I head down to the dungeon.
Finally.
Chapter Ten
Mikhail
Myminddriftsinand out of sleep a few times before I register the pain. My wrists are definitely bound, but I can’t quite get my eyes to open just yet. I also can’t hold back the groan that escapes my lips, which actually annoys me more than being bound.
I try to take in the other information my body senses. It smells slightly musky, as if we’re in a building that doesn’t get used much. But it’s not an overwhelming scent, and there are none of the chemical or metallic smells that an old factory might contain.
There are no sounds or anything else to give me even the slightest hint of where the fuck I’ve been taken. Frustrated, I give up on the effort. Instead, I try to focus on the last thing I remember, but my head pounds and I quickly lose consciousness again.
