Page 124 of Kneeling to Candy

The man either has a death wish or is dumber than I originally thought. Pumping him full of lead is growing more appealing with each new word he spits out.

“No, I don’t. She’s mine. Not yours. Not the don’s. Nor that fucking ballsy bodyguard at her feet.”

Duffy has the nerve to look hurt, his lips puckering into a pout at my refusal. “But we’ve always shared Leslie.”

“Not anymore,” I declare, getting in his face. “Forget your time with her. Forget the feel of her. You don’t look at her. Don’t talk to her. You don’t dare breathe the same air in her presence. She belongs to me. Are we clear?”

My business partner turns an angry shade of red but doesn’t contest my claim. “Fine. Leslie is yours and yours alone. How are you going to take her without Bianchi or his guards stopping you?”

Unwilling to reveal my previous planned exit strategy, I say nothing. Alerting Duffy I may bail wouldn’t do any good for either of us. He’d cry and beg me to save his arse, too. Not happening. The gobshite is dead weight, and I’m tired of dragging him around.

“Don’t worry about how I’ll do it. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.”

“And the don and his guards?”

“A non-issue,” I say, waving him off like a fly as I continue past him down the stairs.

“I beg to fucking differ,” Duffy claps back. “Unless you plan on going in there guns blazing, there’s no way to take Leslie away from them without all hell breaking loose. You need a well-thought-out plan. Not this fly by the seat of your trousers bullshite.”

A well-thought-out plan would be best—if I had fucking time. Who knows if my path will cross with Leslie’s again after tonight? I didn’t act fast enough a few years ago, and it cost me precious time, time I could’ve spent exploring mine and Leslie’s kinks together. I won’t chance losing her again, all for having a solid plan.

There’s an escape route to the other side of the mountain with a chopper on standby. All I need to figure out is how to move Leslie from point A to point B without Bianchi’s security chasing after us.

Strategizing the extraction, I practically hum with pleasure as the details work themselves out in my head. I’ll wait until the end of the auction, when the bidders wait their turns to collect their winnings and file out. Things can get a little hectic, and many bidders hate waiting, opting to leave without caring who sees them. Given how arrogant Piero Bianchi seems, I’m guessing he’ll opt to head out with the throngs of others who want to beat the rush down the mountain. The chaos will create the perfect time—possibly the only time—to act.

Duffy continues to rattle off his complaints, anything to dissuade me from swiping the don’s business partner. His whiny voice grates my nerves. He won’t stop nagging until I cave and tell him my plan. And if he knows my true intentions are to disappear with Leslie, he’ll throw a mantrum and beg to come with us.

Having enough, I turn around to face him. “Here’s what’s going to happen.”

Eager to hear what he most likely assumes is my abduction plan, Duffy abruptly stops talking.

“You’re going to get on the stage and run the auction. That’s it.”

“But…” Duffy’s brows pull together. “What are you going to do about Leslie?”

“You said it yourself. I can’t pull this heist last-minute. There needs to be a cultivated plan in place first. A job for another day,” I lie, smoothly.

“Oh.” Duffy looks relieved, his shoulders relaxing. “Good. I’m glad you’ll wait. Well then, I’ll get this show on the road.”

“You do that,” I say, nodding for him to leave.

While Duffy teeters off to start the auction, I head for the pen to fetch some bait, grabbing four guards along the way.

Hunting season has begun.

CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

BUTCH

As soon as the vile fucker exits the room and the door is securely shut, Candy stumbles into her chair, clutching at her throat.

I rush to her side, falling to my knees and gathering her in my arms. “Breathe, Candy. Breathe.”

She sucks in a ragged lungful, coughing and shaking.

“Holy shit!” Candy wheezes. “It’s him. He’s here.”

“I know,” I say with an angry growl, still seeing red.

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