Page 135 of Angelic Vengeance

“So you can throw me in the East River again?” I threw a mocking glance over my shoulder. “No, thanks.”

His jaw tensed. “It wasn’t like that.”

“It wasexactlylike that last night.”

“Look… I did have one of my soldiers follow you. And he did push you–”

I scoffed. Turning around, I pulled the front door open.

Zach’s palm slammed into the steel above my head, pushing it back shut. His other hand came up too, resting on my other side and caging me in. I tensed when he stepped closer, brushing my back as his body heat enveloped me.

He leaned down, his breath warming my neck. “But I never told him to. Which is why I tortured him for days before I put a bullet in his head.”

My heart thumped in my chest and liquid warmth pooled in my tummy. It was sick. He had to stop killing every guy that even looked at me wrong.

“Because he didn’t follow your orders.”

“Because he hurtmygirl.”

My eyes burned. I wanted to believe him.

“Like you give a shit about me,” I snarled.

When I tried to force my way out, he turned me around and locked his palms on my waist, pinning me against the door. He leaned down, still managing to hover over me, leaving only a few inches between us. Both of our chests expanded with each heavy breath. The bulge in his pants pressed into my lower stomach, and I felt my pulse drop like a weight between my legs.

“You can’t go back to your apartment.” I opened my mouth to argue, but he beat me to it. “Ruiz has it out for both of us. Tried to hire one of your assassin friends – Zane.”

So that’s how he found out.

“Didn’t know you and this guy were so close.” He brushed his nose against mine, his hands digging into my waist. “Wanna tell me about that?”

His voice was rougher than his touch – filled with possession and more than a hint of jealousy. It sent a shiver through me.

I dug my nails into his wrists, but to no avail. “You don’t get to act like the protective boyfriend anymore. We’reover.”

“You got any idea how scared I was when I couldn’t find you in the water? All I knew was,I wasn’t going back up without you.”

“So you could kill me yourself. Almost three years, was it? That you fantasized about slitting my throat and letting me bleed out–”

“Maria.”

“Maybe you’ll put a bullet in my head too when I step out of line–”

His hand wrapped around my throat, pulling me close, as he spoke through gritted teeth. “Don’t fucking talk about that.”

“Am I wrong?”

“Yes.Things have changed. I would cut my own hand off before you were ever in pain again. I’m sorry I didn’t trust you. But you didn’t exactly make it easy on me, baby. I mean, come on, the fucking folder? Don’t even get me started on México. I had a black eye for a month.”

I stifled a laugh when he pointed at his eye. Ihadhit him hard.

He turned the finger back at me, accusingly. “And you fucking abandoned me on that island.”

I didn’t abandon him –technically. Though, I kept that thought to myself.

“You had me thrown in a river, so we’re even.”

His hold on my throat tightened. “I jumped after you. Risked my own life.For you.”

---