Page 68 of Becoming His Pet

Nora looked at him, her jaw tight and tears in her eyes. She’d made her decision. And it wasn’t the one that meant she’d be getting back in his car.

“You won’t hurt him, Bernie, right? If I go with you? You’ll leave him alone, and his brother’s family. I don’t want them hurt.” Nora’s voice went hard, while she negotiated with him.

Greg clenched his teeth.

“Dammit, Nora! No.”

“If you don’t shut up and let the lady talk you’re gonna find yourself without a tongue,” the shorter assailant snapped at him. Greg turned his aim on him. Three shots. He could take them all out in three quick shots before any of them got a shot off at him. But Nora was moving again. Taking steps toward the fat old man fucking everything up.

“I promise you, Elenora. No harm will come to his family.”

Nora paused. “Or him, Bernie. I don’t want him hurt,” she said forcefully.

Bernie sighed and shook his head. “Fine. If you’ll get in the back of the car, we can get going.”

Nora gave Greg one last look and disappeared into the back of the SUV. Rage burned through Greg’s chest. He lunged forward, but a shot rang out. Fire coursed through his left foot and he stumbled to the ground.

“Now, you forget all about Elenora and the Santinelli family, Mr. Turner,” Bernie sneered at him from behind the safety of his goons.

“You lied to her.” Greg’s gun was at his side, but with the blood pouring out of his foot, and the other two assholes still training their weapons on him, it may as well have been locked in the trunk.

“I told her what she needed to hear. Now. I will honor my promise to leave your family alone, and I’ll even let you live. But you can’t go running off after us. Boys, handle it. But be quick.” Bernie turned his back on the scene and climbed into the back seat with Nora.

Another shot rang out, then another. Pain followed.

Then nothing.

Chapter Twenty

Nora stood in the middleof the bedroom Bernie stashed her in when they arrived at his condo in Chicago. Something was wrong. Everything felt wrong.

She wiped her eyes again. Tears wouldn’t stop coming. Her throat was still hoarse from all the screaming she did in the SUV after Bernie climbed in beside her and his men began tearing into Greg.

The assholes hadn’t even made it a fair fight. The shot to his foot hadn’t been enough, they’d let one loose in his arm as well before they pounded on him with their fists and feet.

Nora had tried to get out, to get to him, but Bernie had held her back. His tone changed, his orders were harsh and laced with the promise of pain if she didn’t do what he said.

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