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."

down at where he throttled the neck of the bottle. The whiteness of his knuckles stood out against the wine bottle. The bottle he'd bought for her

the bottle tight to his chest and strode out of the room. There

I wasn't finished," his man called from

later. I've got a woman

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

you doing with that

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

but his entire

rage radiated off of her in waves that threatened to consume him. "You think I liked what happened? Oh, yes, please, Ethan hit me again! I

because you never left him, Hope. You stayed and just let him use you like a punching bag." The words were tar in his mouth. He hated them, and he hated

snorted and shook her head as she stared at

out for talking to him the way she did. He'd lost many a gossiping maid that way. "You're the god-damn

one that broke my heart, Varys. Ethan just happened to be there 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

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 broke your heart, but

it as she too sighed and the tenseness

about having to kill her? Even if it killed

couldn't help but smile back. "Do I really

to run away from me,

was safe. I just left the

Varys pointed out. "I can't let any other man around you.