Lesedi was one tough nut to crack I'd give him that. Vittore pulled away from hime once again, sighing tiredly and wiping his bloody knuckles with a white handkerchief. The only thing he wanted to know was where Sante was but I think Vittore was enjoying hurting him too much. mostly after he'd seen the print on my cheek that was slowly fading and I'd fucking stuttered.

Looking back, I could only cringe.

Alexa and I waited for Vittore to arrive and when the door swung open, the man in question walked in and Maddox suddenly appeared from the other room. He glanced at Lesedi and then the rest of us. Vittore meandered around the room to the right hand man of the Viper's clan, his eyes catching mine and then falling to my cheek.

He changed direction.

Like before, he cradled my face and turned it to the side and his whole body tensed in anger, the kind of anger that makes all rational thought besides your objective crumble.

"What happened?" he asked and I knew then and there, I couldn't tell him Lesedi had his hand up my skirt. The poor man would die before he got tortured.

"I... I uh... n-nothing?"

What in fuck's name was that?

Well after that things got messy but like I said, Lesedi refused to talk. Alexa had gotten bored and was watching tv but Maddox stuck around, watching the whole thing.

"Let me try something," I said eagerly, moving closer to Lesedi with a glint in my eye. I honestly want to hit him for hitting me and how inappropriate he was to "Katie". She was barely 17 for God's sake. When I was close, Lesedi glared up at me through his swollen eye and I was sure there was fear in his gaze. I liked that.

Vittore's arm slipped around my waist and he pulled me back. "No."

"No? Why no?" I asked, not really moving from the position we where in. I looked up at him and cocked a brow.

"I'm not sure you'll hold yourself back from killing him," Vittore said to me and he wasn't wrong honestly. I moved closer to him and blinked innocently.

"I won't. I swear," I said innocently, even blinking my eyes.

Vittore closed in, his mouth getting closer to my ear. "Nice try."

I huffed when he pulled away and motioned for Maddox to follow him. I pretended to go along too but once they were further ahead, I went back to Lesedi, closing the door but leaving a crack to hear if any of them came back.

I walked over to Lesedi until we were eye to eye.

"Andre Gates."

Lesedi's eyes widened at the name and after a while, he chuckled. A sad, broken, painful chuckle but all the while full of amusement.

"What would a little assassin want with a man of power like that?" he asked, his South African accent thicker with the amount of pain he was in.

"He owes me something and I'd really like to collect it. What do you know about him?" I pressed. He seemed willing to talk anyway.

If I knew anything useful, I wouldn't tell you," he rambled, spitting blood out of his mouth and to the floor. "But I like you so I'll tell you this. He's a dangerous man, one who'd give up anything, even his own family to get what he wants."

"Oh I know that. I just want to know how I can find him," I said, standing up straight and crossing my arms.

"You'd need his help," he said motioning to the door with his head. "And his trust. Something I'm sure you possess neither of," Lesedi chuckled. "You'd never be able to even get in the same-"

The window behind us cracked, shuttering to pieces as Lesedi jerked in his chair. When I looked at him, there was a bullet hole in the middle of his head, blood had spluttered on my clothes and on the items behind the now dead man.

I dropped to the ground as another bullet cracked the glass and went into the room, army crawling to the door. Vittore was already there and pulled me up and out of the room. I turned in time to see someone in the room across, packing up their sniper.

"The room across!" I shouted, going for the door.

"Tesoro wait!" Vittore snapped behind me but I was already running out the door to find the person who'd cost me answers.

Anger coursed through my veins but I didn't let it consume me, weaving through the halls, occasionally bumping into people. When I reached the room, the door was cracked open but I saw the shadow of someone turning the corner. I went after them.

Finally, i had my target in sight. All I could see was a shaved head of brown hair and a tattoo at the back of the neck. Disregarding it, I continued my chase. The man in question glanced back, his chiseled jaw clenching when he saw me in pursuit. He went into a random room and I followed, a naked couple on the bed screaming as the assassin dressed in black started throwing objects at me.

I dodged most of them, but a flower pot grazed my arm, throwing me off a bit, giving him enough time to jump out the open window.

I followed him, the drop to a balcony on the level below, landing and trying to roll but my back his the railing. A blow landed on my gut and I groaned but grabbed the foot when it came back, pulling the foot so the assassin fell to the ground. I straddled him and wrapped my arm around his neck, squeezing.

I hissed as a sharp pain laced through my arm, seeing the assassin had stabbed my hand. I pulled back, being sure to kick him in the head and stood up. I faced him and he raised his arms, his face in a sneer. Pity. He was actually kinda cute.

He sent a fist to my face which I dodged and we started exchanging blows. He was a good fighter really, he got a lot of punches in, one that landed on my cheek that Lesedi hit. I managed to push the assassin on the ground and finally made out the tattoo at the back of his neck put he grabbed my ankle and pulled me down.

I hit my head on the edge of one of the tables and everything went dark for a split second. My breathing was the loudest noise around me as I winced and rolled to my back, my whole body in pain. I felt someone climb onto my lap and hands wrapped around my throat, tightening and blocking my air.

My head was fuzzy and the air I was losing now did not help. I raised my arms and poked the assassin in the eyes and he screamed. Pulling on the last of the adrenaline in my body, I pushed him off me and pulled myself to my feet using the edge of the table that was sure to bring my demise.

I kicked the assassin in the gut as he attempted to pull himself up and he stumbled backward, falling over the rail and to the ground hundreds of feet below. I pulled myself to the edge to see his dead body being dragged off the grass by a team dressed in black.

After that, my legs gave out and I lay on the floor, completely spent.

"Tesoro?!"

"Vittore?" I mumbled out confused as my body was lifted off the ground. "No no I'm good."

"Bene?! Non riuscivo a trovarti e dannazione ero preoccupato..." the Italian mumbled but it was like he was underwater.

"Speak English," I mumbled out, remembering something. I attempted to get out of Vittore's grip but he wasn't having it, holding me closer to his warm body.

"Raven.... Vittore I saw a raven... a tattoo... at the back of the neck," I whispered out, keeping my eyes closed because of the pounding in my skull. I heard Vittore curse in Italian under his breath but I was slowly losing consciousness.

"No, tesoro stay awake. You can't go to sleep," a deep voice rumbled, I couldn't recognize who it was though.

"I'm tired," I said back to it, hoping they would understand.

"You have a head injury its best you stay awake," the voice replied. I hummed but I was so hurt. I just needed to sleep.

"I'm going to sleep. I'm sorry," I told whoever was talking.

"No don't slee-"

I was gone before they could finish.