Serena POV

I stared in silence at Massimo for a few minutes. His eyes bore right back at me as they scanned me for a reaction.

But I was blank.

My emotions were gone.

My body was numb.

He just proposed to work together to take down the Spanish mafia.

"Say something," His voice is gruff and demanding as his eyes darken, irritated from the long span of silence.

My mouth stays closed as I move my eyes to the wall.

The dark walls seem to calm me as I look over the smooth texture.

"So let me get this straight," I finally say before looking over at him. He nods his head for me to continue, happy the silence was filled. "You tricked me into marriage to help you take down Ricardo's empire?"

"That was not the plan originally," He starts but I stare hard at him.

"No your original plan was to use me as a tool to lure them out into the open. Then you decided you want to protect me, which I think is bullshit, and had me sign a falsified document to protect me under your mafia. But now that you know I am portador de la Muerte you want me to help you take them down," I finish and his dark eyes glare at me. "How close am I?"

He clenches his jaw as he watches me closely.

"That is correct," He says forcefully. I could hear the seething anger in his voice that I'm not just giving him a straight answer.

Looks like that falsified niceness over the past weeks is gone, just as I thought.

"And what makes you think I will help you do this?"

"You know as well as I do that he doesn't deserve life," He says with a harsh voice that would have sent chills up my spine. "The horrible things he has done need to face retribution. It is time he pays for his sins. I know how much you want to kill Ricardo with your bare hands."

"I do not want to kill him," I interrupt with a shake of my head. "Yes, I want to see him suffer but I do not wish death upon him. You want to see him dead for what he did with your mother."

He was silent for a moment as I look over at him.

"You know nothing," He spits after tensing slightly.

"The way I see it, there are two opponents in this room right now who both believe they have the upper hand with knowledge. Neither knows what the other does since they are strangers. So we could sit here for hours to compare dick sizes or we could get to the point and move on with our lives."

Silence.

That seemed to be his response whenever he had to try and get a grip on his emotions.

"Are you going to help or not?" He says with a huff of air.

"Let me clarify before I agree to anything. You want me to release the bringer of death on Ricardo and become the person he once made me be. But I will not," I say, his face going red with anger. "If you want him dead then you have to find a new plan because I will not take another life and be the person I once was."

The room was quiet as his chest rose in anger. His breaths slowly became calmer as he ran a hand through his hair.

"If you need, send me back to him to take your revenge," I say with no hesitation knowing that was the next plan if I didn't help.

"No," He says with a shake of his head. "I will not send you back there to be killed."

"Tomas will not let that happen..."

"Tomas is not the boss of what happens," He snaps. "Ricardo is. He will torture you for running until you wish he would just kill you. He won't stop until he breaks you over and over again. Only at that point will he decide if he thinks you're worth keeping alive."

I already knew all of this would happen when I stopped running. I know how sick and sadistic Ricardo can be.

I trained myself for years to find a place in the back of my mind that numbed out feelings and emotions. It wasn't hard since I did something similar after he broke me down and forced me to take lives. I numbed my emotions and allowed myself to complete the job.

When he gets me in his paws again, he will want me to beg for him to stop, but I will not give him the satisfaction. I will stare back as he cuts into my flesh and beats me until I am black and blue.

Massimo's eyes go soft as he scans my face.

"You know what he will do to you and yet you are telling me to take you back."

"I know how revenge can eat at your heart until it feels like you are no longer alive," I say and his eyes go hard again to hide emotion. "You want to avenge the death of your parents that were caused by his hands."

"You don't know me," He says and I shake my head.

"I'm not trying to say I know you. Let me finish," I say and he closes his mouth. "I will help you. But I will not take another life."

A knock fills the room. Massimo stares at me for a few more minutes before getting up and answering the door.

There were whispers in Italian as I sat on the edge of the bed.

I knew about the death of his parents the moment it happened. It happened a year before I left.

They were spotted after years of hiding.

Ricardo personally went to where they were hiding and killed both of them with no mercy. We all wondered why he went instead of sending a team but figured it was a personal grudge between the mafia families.

So I understood why Massimo wanted him dead.

But I refuse to turn back into the person I once was.

"Come," Massimo says. I look over my shoulder to see him holding the door. Nobody was standing behind it now. "We have a meeting."

* * *

I sat at the round table in the conference room looking around as faces looked back at me.

Some familiar, some not.

Massimo was at the head beside me and Spencer was on the other side of him across from me.

Beside Spencer, is Joyce who keeps her head down to avoid eye contact. Farther down I spot Chester and roughly 6 men that were new to me.

The room was full of random chatter as they waited for Massimo to speak. I listened in to some of the conversations but lost interest.

I looked over at Joyce and finally caught her eye. I gave her a small reassuring smile and her eyes immediately brightened.

"We need a plan of attack," Massimo says finally and everyone quiets down. "The last two plans are not going to work."

I scoff at his wording and lean back in my chair.

"What do you mean? Did he not agree to help us?" Someone asks and I look down at the table.

"Who are you talking about?" Another asks.

"Massimo was in contact with portador de la muerte to help us. I overheard him talking to Spencer."

My body tenses at the name and my eyes burn into the table.

"Why would he go against his own mafia? It is known he does hits for the Spanish but he hasn't been seen in years. Everyone thinks he is dead."

"Who knows."

I feel eyes on me and look up to see everyone looking at me.

"I'm guessing that girl next to you is the daughter of Ricardo. Why don't we go back to the original plan? Let's use her as a bargaining tool to lure him out," Someone says and my eyes snap up to them with a deadly look. His face goes white before quickly looking away.

"I am not that sick bastard's daughter," I spit out.

"We are not handing her over to them!" Joyce yells down the table.

"So now you are buddy-buddy with her because you lived together having your slumber parties?" Someone says with a scoff.

"We are not giving her to them," Chester grits through his teeth.

"We should stick with the original plan. Say we found her and are willing to meet but he has to come alone," Another useless excuse of a human says.

"Silence!" Massimo yells and the room fills with tension. His hands grip the table until they turn white. "We are not handing her to them. She is under the protection of this mafia as she is my wife."

Now the room was silent as all eyes moved between the two of us as I gave him a death glare.

My grip on the table was getting tighter with anger.

"I do not need your protection nor do I want the title of your wife," I spit glaring at him. It has been a long time since I have felt anger this strong.

"Well too bad because you are not going to be handed over to them," He casts a dark look over at me as we stare each other down.

Spencer clears his throat loudly. Both of our stares shoot at him as he eyes us with a bored expression.

"You can continue your lover's quarrel later. What did the bringer of death say?"

Massimo releases the table from his tight grip and looks over at his men.

"I have spoken with portador de la Muerte and she has accepted to help us," Massimo says while Spencer leans forward.

"She?" He asks with a shocked expression.

Massimo nods looking at him before his eyes slowly move to me.

"Isn't that right, Serena?" He asks me with a deep voice.

All heads turn to me with shocked expressions.

"No fucking way," Someone whispers.

"It is her, I knew it was a chick..."

"Why would he train his daughter to be an assassin?"

"I am not his daughter nor am I an assassin... not anymore."

"But you will help us?" Spencer asks and my eyes move over to him.

"I will help you get to him but I will not kill anyone, you are on your own for that."

"So we're screwed!" Someone complains while leaning back in their chair.

"Why not?" Joyce asks with her caring voice.

"I will not be the person he made me into," I say and look back up at her. "Trust me I want him dead just as much as Massimo. So, I will help you but we are going to need help."

I look at Massimo with a knowing look.

"No fucking way," He says in a gruff voice.

"He will help us," I say and he shakes his head in anger. "He wants Ricardo dead just as much as you do. She was his mother too."

"What are you talking about?" Spencer asks but I keep my eyes on Massimo.

His eyes stay on me as he thinks it over.

"Are you sure he will work with us?" He asks warily.

"I know it," I say as he gives me a small nod.

"What is happening?" Spencer asks with confusion on his face.

"He needs to call his brother," I say and look over the room. "Ricardo's son, Tomas."