Escaping The Mafia King

"Speak." Varys sat behind his desk as he watched the man fidget in front of him.

Whatever the news was, it wasn't good. His fingers curled into fists. Would he have to kill Hope?

"It's about her past, her ex." The man ended with a gulp.

Varys closed his eyes as the thought of that monster getting to be with his Hope for even a moment. "Go on," he said with a growl.

"I discovered some hidden hospital records. Well, not even hospital. Her doctor. I managed to loosen his lips." He chuckled.

"I don't care what you had to do to get the information. All I care about is the results. Now, stop stringing me along, and talk."

"She's had some serious altercations with that piece of shit when he's drunk. Broken nose, concussions, fractured orbital bone."

"He hit her?" Varys growled the question out. That pig of a man was going to pay.

That was HIS Hope. His, no one else was allowed to touch her, let alone hurt her. Then again, if that was the case, it was unlikely she betrayed him intentionally.

"Sir?" the squeak of his man grabbed Varys' attention again.

"What?" he snapped.

"You're about to break that bottle, I would hate to have to clean up that."

the bottle. The whiteness of his knuckles stood out against the wine bottle. The bottle he'd bought for her in hopes of apologizing and patching things up. "Thanks," he grunted as

the

finished," his man called from

I've got a woman

her door with three thuds before he unlocked it and jerked it open. Hope looked up from the bed, in much the same position he'd left her before. "What do you want?" she demanded as she dared to glare at

were you doing with that

long story I don't want to get into, Varys. It's over between

Varys said it softly but

rage radiated off of her in waves that threatened to consume him. "You think I liked

him because you never left him, Hope. You stayed and just let him use you like a punching bag." The words were

she stared at him.

did. He'd lost many a gossiping

to take advantage of it. But if you had trusted me, if you had let me know you were okay, I'd never have ended up in that

eyes as the fight drained out of him. "I'm sorry, Hope. I didn't know until that night, and once I found out all I could think about was protecting you. I'm sorry I

closed it as she too sighed and the tenseness in her faded away. "How did we end up here,

he ever think about having to kill her? Even if it killed him, he'd keep her safe. "We're both idiots?" he suggested with a soft

but smile back. "Do I really have to be locked

to run away from me,

I tried to let Vincent know I was safe. I just left the

out. "I can't let any other man around you. No one that calls your name in