He Took My Ear,I Took His Empire

nna

laring screen of the burner phone a sin

looded with messages from Enz

tograms, and celebrating the successf

scrolled up through the

soldier named L

antial bonus for faking that rival c

nd my chest, making each brea

ired extensive grafts of living tissue and cartilage t

octors to take whatever they

g me for actually sacrificing my own fle

made my blood r

sadistic loyalty lottery among his inn

pieces of paper to decide what to take

s had proposed eyes,

was a picture of a

ting belong

tten down

tly as I raised it t

uched the ridged, mutilated scar t

ing up in agony

sing my hands, and swearing his eternal protecti

my ear for a

f hot wire twisted th

into a ball on t

ing pain pier

ood beginning to pool at my feet,

ng a small dog gasped

voice full of panic as

, attempting to guide me toward the ho

ragging my feet ac

rds in black suits steppe

, forming a human barri

d down at my bleeding

is off-limits to you," he stated c

lled at them, saying

rd igno

cket and pulled out a

onto the groun

clinic," he sneered, "w

ine pulled up to the

ne voice cut throu

the car, talking loud

ment, my love," she cooed, blo

gner diamonds and a pr

he bruised, terrified girl I

immediately dropped t

deeply at

shed out of the glass do

addressed Carmela,

steps, her expensive h

ast me without a si

small puddle of my

t cramp tore t

, a rattling cough

ood splattered

to narrow into

g light, I looked

was parked at the cor

just enough for me to see his cold

er in the van and dump her at the butcher's," he ordered the other men. Rough hands seized my arms, dragging my

metal floorboard, and

o loved Enzo Falcone died in that van. What remained