Page 169 of Taming Seraphine
Bile rises to the back of my throat. I would wash the bitterness away with a cup of coffee, but that would mean drinking the special blend.
“Why would you even create something so sick?” I ask.
Anton’s lips lift into an icy grin. “I taught you better than to ask such asinine questions.”
“Indulge me,” I say through clenched teeth.
“Everything I have is because of Frederic Capello. Did you know he was my first regular client?” He takes another sip of coffee. “Assassination is a word-of-mouth business, and he spread the news of my services. I owed that man everything.”
“That’s why you corrupted an innocent young girl?”
“Don’t be sexist,” Anton drawls.
“What?” I hiss.
“You were even younger than Seraphine was when I brought you under my wing.” He gestures at me with the mug. “Same with Miko.”
My nostrils flare. “But I didn’t train him to kill.”
“Nope, but you took advantage of his skills as a hacker.”
I swallow down a response. Anton might think he’s making a point, but mine and Miko’s situations were different. We both knew what we were stepping into the moment we left home with hitmen. Seraphine was imprisoned in a basement, sexually assaulted, tortured, and trained like a dog. Anton wants me to lose focus arguing, but I won’t take the bait.
“Where is Samson Capello?” I ask.
He raises a shoulder. “No idea. Somewhere in hiding.”
“And Gabriel Capello? Were you involved in farming an innocent young man for his liver?”
Anton’s features harden. “Who told you that?”
“Answer my question.”
“Gabriel looks good enough to me. He stays with his mother in that little estate close to Alderney State University.”
“Evangeline?”
“That’s the one,” he says with a nod. “They told Seraphine her mother was dead and Gabriel was a hostage.”
“Why?”
His brows rise. “You should know. That little wildcat is impossible to control.”
A tense silence stretches out, punctuated only by the ticking of the clock. If Seraphine’s mother survived the gang rape and strangling and isn’t living as a prisoner, then what is she doing to help her daughter?
“Does Evangeline know what happened to Seraphine?”
He shrugs.
My jaw tightens. “If you knew I had her, why did it take you so long to act?”
Anton sets down his mug. “Samson isn’t fit to manage all the Capello empire. He’s too erratic and never commanded the same respect as his father and brother. I sat back, wondering if you were going to take Samson out and bring the Montesano family back into power. Instead, you’re running around town with Seraphine killing low level grunts.”
“Samson is next on our list.”
He laughs, the wound carrying no mirth.
My gut tightens. “Are you working with him?” I ask.