Page 233 of Wild Card

“Getting tired of this, Rosa. Time I teach you a lesson on what happens to these boys when you insist on defying me.”

He turns back, his fist connecting with my face three times before I go limp.

She screams again, this time begging.

“Stop it! I’ll go home and stay there. Don’t kill him!”

Ricardo’s phone rings and he pulls it from his pocket, taking it without a word. When he disconnects, he speaks to the man still holding me.

“Take care of this mess. I don’t want to see this guy again on hisvacation.”

“We’re in, have access to his entire system. Do what you want, but we need him breathing,” Rand instructs.

I wait, motionless, as Ricardo climbs into an SUV. His lapdog shoves Rosa in before hopping into the driver’s seat and speeding away.

The guy at my back grunts.

When he cornered me in the club earlier, I sized him up. His bulk is meant to intimidate but he’s no match.

When he presses on my bad shoulder, pain radiates through my arm.

Fuck, Willow will flip if we have to rehab this shoulder again.

On the thought, I snap to my feet in a crouching position and haul him over my head, slamming him to the concrete.

He lands with a satisfying thud, but not nearly as satisfying as when I get my first punch. He grunts, one hand going to his nose, the other to his hip.

His piece is already in my waistband. Stupid fucker didn’t even notice being disarmed.

He scrambles to his feet, only to fall back when I roundhouse kick his legs out from under him.

Usually, I’d make him pay for the sucker punch earlier that has my cheek throbbing.

We need to get this shit over with.

His fight kicks in, but it’s useless when I get him in a sleeper hold and force him unconscious.

“Fuck, man, you didn’t even get on your feet.” Blade comes around the corner, grinning from ear to ear. “Nice to see civilian life hasn’t softened you.”

I release the man and stand, pain searing my ribcage.

Blade notices, his grin dying.

I wipe the blood from my face. “Tell me we got ears and eyes on Ricardo?”

“Rand’s on it. SUV’s headed out of town.”

I nod, flinching at the gash in my temple. “Shit, this is gonna leave a mark.”

“Lucky for you, the women find scars sexy. Heard that’s how you landed the princess in the first place.”

“Nah, I had her before that.”

“Not from what I heard.” He grabs an arm and we drag the asshole to our waiting van.

Blade gets out, gives me a once-over, and shakes his head. “You let him get you.”

“Had to play my part, Patch.”

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