Page 51 of Beautifully Deranged

The Turk swallows.

"And as for you..." His smile vanishes, replaced by something utterly merciless. "The war has begun."

I roll my shoulder, ignoring the sharp pain spreading down my arm. The bullet is lodged deep, but it’s not enough to stop me. I know why Roman promised the painting. We havea reputation to uphold—fearsome, yes, but reliable. Even in the underworld, a deal is a deal.

But this? This isn’t just a transaction anymore. Roman has turned it into something else entirely. A war. And I have no choice but to follow him into it. The Turks turn to leave. But Roman raises his gun and fires.

One. Two. Three.

They drop like flies, collapsing into the dirt, their bodies twitching as blood pools beneath them. They didn’t expect this. Honestly, neither did we. It seems Roman grows more bloodthirsty by the second. He makes sure to leave one alive, just to send the message.

He walks over to Anton. Our man lies sprawled on the ground, his pulse gone. Roman crouches, dipping two fingers into the blood coating Anton’s skin. He draws a cross on his forehead, a silent farewell.

"Sergei," he says, voice like gravel, "clean this up."

Sergei nods and signals to the others. Roman rises, strides toward the bar, and pours himself another vodka. He downs it in one swallow.

"You have seven days to find us someone else," he tells me. "If you don’t, Lola becomes our only option."

I grab him by the collar and slam him into the wall. His head cracks against the concrete, but the fucker just smirks. His hands stay limp at his sides, letting me have my moment.

"Look at yourself," he says, eyes gleaming. "A beast. All because I said her name."

"She. Is. Off. Limits," I grind out. "I don’t care what it costs. Who I have to kill. Who I have to burn to the ground. She stays out of this. Do you understand me?"

"Don’t let me drag her into this myself," he threatens.

"Don’t even think about it. Brother or not, I’ll put a bullet between your eyes," I spit.

"You’re thinking with your dick, not your head."

I don’t acknowledge the bullshit he just spewed. I turn and walk away, shrugging my blazer over my shoulder to hide the blood dripping down my arm.

Roman thinks I’m being irrational. That I’m thinking with my dick. He couldn’t be more wrong.

I’ve never been more clearheaded. I will unleash absolute havoc before I ever put her in danger.

That is my promise—to myself, and to her.

?Chapter Twenty four?

Lola

I sink deeper into my chair, trying to focus on the words in front of me. The book is good, or at least itshouldbe. But the sentences blur, and my mind drifts to the one thing I refuse to think about.

No. No thinking about him.

I press my lips together, gripping the book tighter. For once I wish my brain were wired normally. I wish I didn’t feel like my skin is two sizes too tight every time I hear his name in passing. I wish I didn’t—

A groan.

I freeze.

It’s faint, muffled through the walls, but I hear it.

No. I don’t care.

Then—louder this time. A crash. Something heavy hitting the ground.

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