Page 37 of Venomous King
All of my energy is gone, and parts of my body are on fire that I didn’t even know could feel pain the way they are right now. Every single breath I inhale causes more pain, as if my body is revolting, and trying desperately to escape its current existence. Yet, the harsh laugh I can’t prevent exits my lips. “Diego, beg? You are insane.Never.”
A fist tightens on the hair at my nape, pulling on my strands, and ripping a scream from within me. “He will beg, and do you know why?” She pauses, and when I don’t respond, she yanksharder until I feel my strands ripped from my scalp. “Because you and that child are his weakness. I’ve been waiting years to bring Diego to his knees, to show him that I am the right woman to stand at his side and be his queen, and you have just given me the weapon to do that with.”
This woman is utterly insane. She honestly believes that she will be able to bring Diego Cabano to his knees by kidnapping us. The opposite will happen, she will fuel his rage and madness with her actions. He will destroy the whole world to get us back, and she will die a painful death at his hands. She’s already dead, she just doesn’t know it yet.
“Daughter...”
“She’s alive, the weak little thing. I can’t believe that is Diego’s child. No matter, I will give him great and powerful sons to rule our empire, and she will soon be forgotten, as will you.” I hear her steps moving away, her heels clicking on the ground, and with them goes any chance of the pain ceasing. Her words fill me with fiery rage, how fucking dare she call my daughter weak? She’s the strongest person I know. She was born a fighter, and this unhinged psychopath wants to remove her from Diego’s line of succession. I will fucking rip her apart once I get my hands on her. Her screams will fill my ears as she drowns in her own blood.
“You... will... die. I... promise you...” The words are nothing but a whisper, one I am not even sure she hears, but I feel them strengthen my resolve, and fortify my spirit, with nothing but blinding hate. A Stratford never forgets, and we always pay our debts.
The door slams, and instantly the sound of the cracking of the whip vibrates through the air, before the sharp sting lashes my calf. “You must forgive my sister, she forgets herself. Her desire for that asshole blinds her. I don’t care if she ends up with Diego or not, I want him dead.” A hand slides along my heated flesh,caressing and probing all the areas I can feel aflame, before slipping between my asscheeks and stilling. “I think it would hurt him more to know I have tarnished what is his. Maybe I’ll keep you alive and force you to have my children, Stratford bitch.”
DIEGO! KAI! Where are you? Please don’t leave me, don’t leave us in this hell! Please save our daughter from these monsters!
Chapter twenty-four
Diego
“Fear cuts deeper than swords.”
George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones
I’m almost out of ammo, and these fuckers don’t seem to be waning. Who the fuck are they, and why are they attacking us? They came out of nowhere, while I was leaving the warehouse outside of town that I have been using for Cartel business. Their sheer numbers suggested that this was a planned attack, and not just some random opportunity to take me and my men out.
I knew it was too good to be true, that we could broker peace with the other families, as my father was adamant that we should. He wants a world where Julia lives peacefully and isn’t targeted as a means of retribution, but I know the truth. No one will truly give up power and share it. Someone always feels like they deserve more of the pie, and we are the fucking bakery, so of course, they will keep coming for us, despite assurances of the opposite. As much as I want Julia and Issy to be safe, I know peace agreements won’t be the way to ensure that, only violence and force can make others bend to our will.
“Diego, your father is sending reinforcements, but they won’t be here quickly enough before we’re out of bullets.” Vega slides next to me, as I crouch behind one of the vehicles we are using for cover. Blood seeps from a wound in one of his arms, and his breathing is harsh, sharp pants. Fuck, how many men are no longer breathing because I was foolish, and thought I could continue living in the little town without consequences?
“How many of our men are still standing?” I grunt as I peek up and return fire, taking down one of the assholes that was trying to approach our left flank.
“Not many, we should have had more here, but they caught us unprepared.” I can hear the disapproval in his tone, and I get it; I’m fucking furious someone has dared to have the audacity to attack me. To attack the Cabanos is a death wish, and I have no intention of not cutting the head off this spiteful snake immediately. Blood will run through the streets of various cities when I am done.
“Send two of our men back inside the warehouse, and have them gather whatever weapons are still left. We will not die here like fucking lambs to the slaughter!” I don’t wait for his agreement, jumping up and firing until my gun clicks empty, and I have killed a few more men, before diving for cover. I’m closer now to the attackers, and my hope is I can capture one of them still alive, so I can get an answer on who is brazenly attacking me.
“Sal serpiente, muere como un hombre. (Come out, snake, die like a man.)“ A loud, gruff voice yells over the chaos. A smirk crosses my lips at this idiot’s taunting. Does he really think that will work? That I’m such a deranged asshole that mere words would drive me over the edge? It’s time to remind my enemies why exactly they should fear me.
Retrieving Issy has made me complacent and weak. I’ve allowed my guard to drop, and become docile, instead of ruling with an iron fist. My enemies should have never believed that they could murder me. That will never happen again. As much as I want a life with Issy and Julia, we can’t have some white picket fence dream. I’m the head of a cartel, and she’s my queen. Fear, death, and destruction are what should enter the minds of anyone who even dares to utter my name. My father was wrong; peace and security can only come with bloodshed.
I slide forward, feeling for the last clip I have strapped on my body, and reloading my weapon. I can’t die here. To do so would guarantee that Issy and Julia follow me into death. There is no way another cartel will leave them alive. No, they will wipe all that I love from the face of the earth.
Just as I am about to rush the group of men before me, the sound of rapid gunfire erupts from behind them, pinning the assholes attacking me on two fronts. Have my father’s men arrived to reinforce us? I jump up and fire, taking down men atwill, as I move forward into the fray. I see Vega out of the corner of my eye, fighting hand-to-hand with one of our attackers.
“Jefe (boss)! It looks like another family has come to save us. These are not your father’s men!“ Julio runs past me, firing his gun and getting lost in the fight. Not my father’s men? What family would come to assist us? We have no agreements of aid with anyone.
A bullet flies past my head, as I’m busy contemplating who would offer assistance from within the cartel families, and I have to bring myself back to the here and now. I have to focus, I have to survive this so I can get back to my family. To Issy and Julia, and I guess even that fucker, Kai. No way am I allowing him to be the only one left in my girls’ lives, because thepretty boywould gloat.Fuck him.I’m going to survive, for the sheer pleasure of ruining all his days for the rest of his life, or at least for as long as I continue allowing him to breathe.
The sound of gunfire begins to ease, but the screams of pain, and requests for mercy, are only beginning. The men that were attacking us are now severely outnumbered, and are dying before my eyes. I shoot one in the thigh as he tries to run away, and he falls to the ground, clutching the wound, as his screams of pain bring a shiver of delight to my body. There will be so many more screams before I am done. I’m going to make an example out of this asshole, and send him in pieces back to whoever his master is. “Miguel, make sure this one survives, we need answers on who these fuckers were.”
I know my command will be instantly obeyed, and my men are fully aware of the cost of displeasing me; some of the superstitious among them genuinely believe that I’m the devil’s son, and a mystical serpent who will chase them into the afterlife. My father tells me I shouldn’t fan those thoughts, that it will only make me a further target, but the fear is an aphrodisiac to me, and I crave it, almost as much as I do Issy’s sweet pussy.
“Si, jefe (yes, boss).“ He drags the man by the hair a few feet, and punches him repeatedly until he falls unconscious to the ground, then wraps his belt around his leg to stem the blood flow. Well, I guess that’s one way to prevent him from slinking away.
“Diego Cabano in the flesh. It seems like you were in need of some saving,” a loud, boisterous voice rings out, and catches my attention. I force myself to hide my reaction to the body that the voice belongs to;Vito Amato.What was one of the Italian mafia dons from Illinois doing here in Oregon, and coming to my rescue?
I take him in as he stands there, brandishing a machine gun like a psychopath. His large, broad, and stocky frame is covered with a blood-splattered, three-piece, light brown Brioni suit. He came to a gunfight dressed like he was going to some executive office; these Italians and their need to be showoffs. Most of the time, I can’t even take these fuckers seriously, but right now, I owe my life and that of my remaining men to him, so I hold my tongue about his choices in wardrobe. His salt and pepper hair is slicked back, and his ruddy olive-toned skin shows the efforts of his exertion, and years of drinking. Dark brown eyes meet mine, and I don’t see any malice in their depths, just calculation.
“What are you doing here, Amato? You’re far from your territory.” I’m painfully aware of how his men outnumber my remaining soldiers. With one wrong move, they could kill us all. Have I just traded death at one enemy’s hands for another?