Mafia Lord's Mute Sweetheart

Chapter 68: Chapter 68 Who paid you?

They talked for another hour, gossiping and laughing and sharing stories. Annie told her about a terrible date she had gone on, where the man had spent the entire evening talking about his ex-girlfriend and crying.

"He cried in the middle of the restaurant. The waiter came over to ask if he was okay. I wanted to die."

Daisy laughed. She typed. That is so awkward. What did you do?

"I paid for my food and left. I told him I had to feed my cat. I don’t even have a cat, but he believed me. Or maybe he didn’t care. He was too busy crying."

Daisy laughed harder. She typed. You are terrible.

"I know."

They talked for another hour, gossiping and laughing and sharing stories.

❀┈┈┈┈❀

Warning: This scene contains intense interrogation, threats and brief violence. Reader discretion is advised.

Meanwhile, in a dimly lit warehouse on the outskirts of the city, the air was thick with the smell of rust and blood.

Alessio stood in the center of the room. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, revealing forearms corded with muscle and veins that stood out against his tan skin. His dark hair was slightly disheveled, a few strands falling across his forehead. His green eyes were cold and deadly like a predator who had finally cornered its prey.

In front of him, tied to a metal chair, was a man. He was middle-aged, with a paunch and thinning hair, his face pale and slick with sweat. His hands were bound behind his back, his ankles tied to the legs of the chair. His shirt was torn, stained with blood and dirt. His eyes were wide, darting around the room like a trapped animal.

The man begged, his voice trembling, cracking with fear. "Please, please, let me go. I do not know anything. I was not involved. I swear. I was just a messenger."

Alessio said nothing.

He walked slowly around the chair, his footsteps echoing in the silence. His green eyes were fixed on the man’s face, studying him like a scientist studying a specimen.

"Let me go," the man repeated. "I have a family. A wife and children. Please. I did not mean any harm."

Alessio stopped behind the chair. He leaned down, his breath warm against the man’s ear.

"Your family," he said, his voice low and cold. "Your wife. Your children. They will not be harmed. But you... you will not leave this room until you tell me what I want to know."

The man whimpered.

Alessio straightened up. He walked to the table against the wall, where an array of tools was laid out. Knives. Pliers. A small hammer. A blowtorch. He picked up a knife, running his thumb along the blade, testing its sharpness.

The man’s eyes widened. "No. No, please. I do not know anything. I was just paid to send an audio message. That is all. I did not know what was in it."

Alessio turned to face him. The knife glinted in the dim light.

"Who paid you?"

The man shook his head frantically. "I do not know. I never saw his face. He called me. Told me to send the audio file. Told me where to send it. I never met him in person."

Alessio’s jaw clenched. His grip on the knife tightened. "Liar."

"No! I am telling the truth. I swear. I am not lying. Please. Please believe me."

Alessio walked back to the man. He grabbed his hand and placed it flat on the armrest of the chair.

"Let me ask you again," Alessio said, his voice dangerously calm. "Who paid you?"

The man shook his head frantically. "I do not know. I told you. I do not know."

Alessio pressed the knife against the man’s finger. Just a light pressure. Just enough to make him feel the sharp edge.

"I am going to count to three," Alessio said. "If you do not give me a name by the time I reach three, I will start cutting."

"Please—"

"One."

"I cannot—"

"Two."

"I do not know his name! I swear! He called me from a private number. I never saw his face. I never—"

"Three."

Alessio pressed down.

The man screamed.

The knife sliced through skin, through muscle, through tendon. Blood spurted across the armrest, dripping onto the concrete floor. The man’s finger, or what was left of it, hung at a grotesque angle.

"Ahhh! Please! Stop! I will tell you anything! Anything!"

Alessio pulled the knife away. He looked at the man’s face, his expression unchanged.

"His number," Alessio said. "Give me his number."

The man gasped, his chest heaving. "I do not have it. He called me from a private number. I never saved it. It was blocked. I could not see it."

"Then why was his location traced to your phone?"

The man’s eyes widened. "What? No. That is impossible. I never—"

Alessio grabbed his wrist and pulled his hand toward the knife.

The man cried out, his voice desperate. "Wait! Wait! I do not know! I swear! I do not know! He just said it was a job. A simple job. Send an audio file. Get paid. That is all. He said not to ask questions. He said it was for my family’s safety. He said—"

The man broke down. Sobs racked his body. Tears streamed down his cheeks, mixing with the sweat and blood on his face.

"Please. I have a family. A wife and two children. They do not know what I do. They think I work in an office. Please. Do not kill me. I will tell you everything I know. I will. Just please do not hurt me again."

Alessio released his hand. He stepped back, looking down at the man with cold, calculating eyes.

"Who contacted you?"

The man sniffled, his voice shaking. "I... I do not know. He never gave me a name. He just called. Told me to send the audio message. Told me who to send it to. He paid me in cash. Dropped it off in an envelope. I never saw his face."

"Where did he tell you to send the audio message?"

The man hesitated.

Alessio raised the knife.

The man’s words spilled out in a rush. "To your phone. He told me to send it to your phone. A voice recording. He said you would know what it was. He said it would make you come."

Alessio’s eyes narrowed. The recording of his sister’s voice. The one that had been used to lure him into a trap that had almost killed him.

"Did you listen to the recording?"

The man shook his head frantically. "No. No, I swear. I did not. He told me not to. He said it was dangerous. He said if I listened, I would die."

Alessio stared at him for a long moment. "Who gave you the audio file?"

The man’s voice was weak. "I do not know. It was sent to me through a secure app. The message self-destructed after I played it. I never saw the source. I just sent it to you."

Alessio’s jaw tightened.

Recording trap and ambush. All of it had been orchestrated by someone who knew exactly how to manipulate him.

"Take him to the safe house," Alessio said to his men. "Keep him there. Feed him. Give him water but do not let him leave."

The men nodded. They untied the man from the chair and dragged him out of the room.

Alessio stood alone in the warehouse, deep in thought.