Page 72 of Under His Watch

I’d kill this man soon enough, and I gloated on the triumph of knowing he’d live in fear until the moment I ended his life.

Good riddance, motherfucker.

I wouldn’t have to worry about his being an obstacle in the way of making Tessa mine. And I wouldn’t need to stress about his being a player in this war against the Giovannis and bikers, either.

He’d be dead before nightfall.

The thought made me smile, and I couldn’t wait to share this news with Tessa.

Killing her rapists was one act of generosity.

Ending this fucker’s life would simply be one more example of how much she mattered to me—another demonstration of how far I’d stoop to show her that I would go to the ends of the earth to secure her happiness.

28

TESSA

“What the fuck do you want?” I shouted at Stefan when he didn’t answer me the first time.

The old man before us didn’t match what I imagined he’d look like. Short and aging, he was a worn-out man. Not tall and strong, appearing like a formidable foe. Romeo, Dante, and Franco spent so much time talking about Stefan and Reaper as being their enemies and waiting for the opportune moment to hit back at them without risking the Constella forces.

This shriveled up man didn’tlookscary. His scowl seemed petty and pinched, like an expression worthy of a toddler throwing a tantrum. But the gun in his hand looked all too real.

I hesitated to bring my gun out of my purse, but in that moment as he sneered at me and Nina, I was so glad that Romeo was the over-the-top protector that he was. Right now, I was relieved that he insisted that I never leave the house without this gun on me.

The guards and driver had to be incapacitated to not be defending us, but that was another worry for later. Nina—and her baby—were priorities. I had to keep my friend safe and also make sure I could survive to see Romeo again.

Maybe his protectiveness was rubbing off on me.

“I want to end the Constellas,” Stefan replied. His voice was gravelly and rough, raw from overuse and likely from a lifetime of smoking. “I will see the end to this vendetta against the Constellas if it’s the last thing I do.”

“Fuck you,” I drawled. “You’ll never end us.”

One of the Giovanni soldiers behind him grunted. “Oh. You consider yourself one of them already?”

Stefan grinned, nodding. “You’re nothing but a convenient piece of ass he picked up somewhere.”

Nina’s fingers curled around the back of my shirt.

“You’re just another whore,” the guard said. “You’re not a Constella.”

Their words were intended to cut me. To wound me and lower my guard. It didn’t work. Iknewthat I had worth. I was all too aware of how much I mattered to Romeo.

“Just get the fuck outta the way so we can have her,” Stefan snarled, leaning to the side to see Nina.

“I don’t think so.” I held my arm out, bent at the elbow, to barricade her behind me.

“You ain’t anyone to tell us how it’s gonna be.”

I tipped my chin up higher, riding on this high of defending my best friend. “You’re not getting near us. Not if you want to survive and finish out your pathetic lives.”

My heart raced, and I licked my lips before I swallowed. With my mouth this dry and my breaths whipping in so fast as I fought the panic rising to the surface, I tried to look into the SUV and see if the drivers were dead or just unconscious. They’d never leave the scene if they could. They’d remain with us, watching from outside the shop.

“We want her,” Stefan said. Then he shrugged one shoulder, laughing mirthlessly. “Ah, hell. You too. We’ll take both of you even though she’s the only Constella, breeding another motherfucker in her belly. If you’re Romeo’s whore of the week, we’ll take you too.”

“That’s not going to work.” I said it as a bluff, hoping he wouldn’t call me on it.

“It will, you dumb bitch. It will. If I can’t kill those fuckers, then I’ll hit them where it’ll hurt. I’ll take their women, and they’ll be so fucking mad they’ll slip up and walk into any trap I set.”

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