Page 21 of Declan

I swallow the lump in my throat, shoving the erratic, volatile feelings back down, so when I stop in front of him, I say stonily, “How about now? Do you still feel brave?”

He smiles at me and spits out, “Fucking right I do. Let me loose, and I'll take all fucking three of you.”

I can practically hear Antoinette rolling her eyes behind her mask, but she says nothing. Carolina snorts, her body language screaming boredom, so I turn to Antoinette and say, “We got time for you to have a go of it if you really want to.”

She perks right up, excitement shining from her eyes for a moment, but then she shakes her head and responds, “I don't think he’s a big enough challenge for me to bother getting my hands dirty.”

Bobby’s eyes bug out of his head, and he screeches in outrage, “I'll show you a fucking challenge, you stupid fucking bitch. I'll show you—"

I snap a hand out, cutting off his words with my fingers squeezing his mouth until he’s looking like a choked fish. “That's just about enough of that,” I say with menace in my tone. “Is that what you do? Go around insulting women?”

He glares up at me with his fish-like expression, but I see the glimmer of fear in his eyes as I continue, “I heard a little rumor you have a tendency to use those you deem weaker than you.”

I ease my grip on his face so he can respond. “Fuck you, man.”

I sigh, releasing his face and stepping back. I turn to Antoinette and ask, “He tell you anything important?”

“Oh, yes,” she replies cheerfully. “Turns out blowhard Bobby is a real piece of shit.”

“I didn't tell you shit, you little bitch.”

My hand flies out, my fist connecting with his nose before he realizes I've even moved. Blood sprays everywhere, and he screams in pain, and the most satisfying thrill runs up my spine.

Antoinette sounds crestfallen as she says, “I wanted to do that.”

“I have a feeling it won’t be the last time he needs a punch to the face, so you can take the next one.”

She smiles broadly, then turns her attention back to Bobby as she says, “Got anything else to add, you fucking moron?”

He thrashes in the chair, unable to grip his bleeding nose with his hands tied to the chair, which makes it even more satisfying.

“He's definitely blackmailing Issa,” Antoinette says matter-of-factly. “Not exactly sure what he has on her, but she’s most definitely marrying him under duress.”

He thrashes in this chair again as he screams, “I never fucking said any of that!”

Antoinette replies blandly, “It isn't what you said; it's what you didn't say. Anyone with a brain knows that.”

I chuckle softly, not being at all educated in the finer nuances of psychological warfare. But I like it. “And was he at all receptive to moving on?”

“We didn’t get to the whole negotiation part of the conversation yet,” Carolina replies. “But I don’t see him being smart about it. It’s probably best to eliminate him and call it a day.”

He stops moving, his eyes widening as understanding dawns on him. “Eliminate me? What does that mean?”

Carolina raises a brow at him quizzically as she says, “I said we should kill your dumbshit ass and then go about our business.”

Antoinette laughs quietly, and I smile behind my mask because it must be bad if Carolina is nonchalantly opting for murder.

I step close to Bobby, squatting down in front of him and giving him an assessing look over. “Do you want to die, Bobby?”

He clenches his jaw, obviously wanting to continue his posturing, but he shakes his head. So, I ask, “You gonna do what we tell you to do in order to save your own shitty life?”

He glares at me but nods. “Yes.”

I cock my head at him, a small part of me disappointed he’s seemingly going to listen to reason. “Do I need to explain to you what will happen if you later renege on our deal?”

He shakes his head, resignation obvious in his beady little eyes, but I’m not entirely convinced he’ll stick to the terms we put in place. He seems the type to say one thing and then do another. But that’s a problem for another day.

I extend a hand down, pulling out the knife I keep strapped to my calf and lifting it to eye level. “Let’s make a deal, then…”

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