Page 60 of Vendetta

“You’re safe now,” Dom says, affection evident in his voice. “I wish I’d known, baby girl. I’d have come for you myself.”

I reach out with my hand and grasp his tightly in mine. We may not be biological siblings, but I’ve seen him as my brother my whole life. “I know,” I say. How was he supposed to know if my own dad had no idea?

I look out the window again, take a deep breath and then turn my head to my cousin. When I do, he glances at me, smiling. “Watch out!” I yell, grabbing for the steering wheel and swerving sharply off the road to avoid two cars parked across the street. The car stops almost immediately in a shallow ditch just off the side of the road.

“Are you okay?” Dom asks.

I nod, checking myself over. “Who the hell is that?”

My eyes widen when I see two armed men dressed in all-black approach the car, and open the door. I even recognize one of them as our own man. Dom steps outside and dusts himself off casually, giving me a once over as they grab me and make me stand, binding my wrists and covering my head with a black bag.

“What took you guys so long?” I hear Dom ask. After a moment of silence, he says, “Never mind, let’s just go before someone sees us.”

“I didn’t want to have to hurt you, Leighton,” he says, his voice sounding honest. “I thought you’d be taken care of by now, and I wouldn’t have to.”

I sag deeper into the chair, chastising myself over and over again for fucking up so bad. I shot the love of my love for my blood, my family. To protect them. And yet here I am: handcuffed to a chair by my own cousin in some dingy storage room that smells like fish. I have no idea where we are.

This whole thing is one huge mess, and I’m right in the center of it. I shot Devon, and now I’m going to die at the hands of someone who shares the same last name as me. Fate and karma have banded together to make me their bitch. There’s no other explanation.

I laugh humorously at the thought, earning me an odd look from Dom, likeI’mthe crazy person here. He keeps trying to talk to me; it’s like he just enjoys the sound of his own voice. I don’t really care what he has to say because he is dead to me. If I get a chance to get out of here, I’ll make sure he pays for this.

We took him in as our own. I saw him as my brother.

The door opens and George walks in. I’m not surprised one bit. However when Stevie walks in, followed by that Devon’s sleazy friend, Danny, smirking at me, my mouth gapes open in shock.

“And the plot thickens,” I whisper under my breath, my eyes not leaving Danny’s bulging ones. What exactly is going on here?

“Surprised to see me?” Stevie taunts. I school my expression, and turn my eyes to Dom, who is watching me closely, a thoughtful look on his face. I thought my cousin was smarter than this. Allying yourself with traitors clearly isn’t the smartest move. I can sense a desperation about him that confuses me. I’m obviously just a pawn in this game, a weapon to use against my father.

“If you’re going to kill me can you get it over with? I’ve had enough of death threats with no delivery as of late,” I sneer at my cousin. I remember saying similar words to Devon, but I never thought he would actually go through with it. This time, I’m not so confident.

“I’d love to have a little fun with her,” Danny says, his leering eyes making me cringe. “What a waste.” He gives my body a once over.

“You’ll definitely have to kill me first before that happens,” I mutter, my pulse racing.

Danny’s hands clench into fists, but Stevie just laughs. “It’s a possibility,” he says.

Sick bastard. I turn to Dom, who is sending a dangerous look Stevie’s way. He apparently doesn’t appreciate Stevie’s comment. So death is okay, but rape is out. Good to know. I can feel someone watching me so I turn to see George staring at me. I narrow my eyes at him. I don’t drop his gaze, not backing down.

He swallows nervously before he opens his mouth. “Why didn’t Devon kill you?” he finally asks, a curious glint entering his eyes. Stevie grins cruelly, and is about to answer when his phone rings. He walks out, his loud obnoxious voice booming on the other side of the door.

“Can I have some water?” I ask my cousin, smacking together my parched lips. Dom gestures to Danny, who leaves the room and returns with an iced bottle of water. Dom takes it from Danny and opens the lid, handing it over to me. I reach out withmy free hand, licking my dry lips before taking a sip. I tilt my head back and swallow a mouthful before placing the bottle on the ground next to the chair leg.

“I’ll bring you something to eat in a little while,” he says, leaning back against his chair.

“I don’t want food. I want to go home. Alive,” I say pointedly. He can’t seriously be doing this.

“Your father screwed me and my father over. It’s time he gets what’s coming to him,” he says, staring out the window.

“My father took you in as his own son!Yourfather wouldn’t want this. He understands the basic concept of loyalty,” I tell him, and it’s the truth. My uncle, who is also my godfather, has always been kind to me, and when push came to the shove, he took one for the family. “Dom,” I say softly, my eyes pleading with his. He runs his hand through his dark hair, and then leans his head back against the wall.

“I’m sorry. There are a few things I want, and you’re in the way,” he says, pinning me with his gaze.

“What things?” I ask curiously, shifting on the chair.

“Revenge, power...” he trails off, then turns his evil stare on me. “I should be the boss, not your dad.” Revenge and power? The boss? Like that would ever go down well. I roll my eyes. Great, my cousin has morphed into a cliché villain. He stands up, and I start to panic.

“Where are you going?” I ask, unable to mask my worry.

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