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."

glanced 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 in hopes of apologizing and patching

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

wasn't finished," his man

over the rest later. I've got a woman

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

the hell were you doing with

I don't

him beat you." Varys said it softly but his entire body was tensed like a giant

that?" she sneered. The rage radiated off of her in waves that threatened to consume him. "You think I liked what happened? Oh, yes,

him, Hope. You stayed and just let him use you like a punching bag." The words were tar in his mouth. He

and shook her head as she stared at him. "You're an idiot

was. Anyone else would have had their tongue pulled out for talking to him the way she did. He'd lost many a gossiping

stupid? You're the 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

and once I found

opened her mouth to retort and then closed it as she too sighed and the tenseness in her faded away. "How did we end

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

up at him then and smiled and he couldn't help but smile back. "Do I really have to be locked up like this?" she asked as she gestured to

run away from me,

safe. I

can't let any other man around you. No one