Page 55 of Always Mine
Then I hear it. The rumble of the low, gravelly voice I would know anywhere. His tone is lethal, and his command slices through the air with the exacting precision of a surgeon slicing through flesh. Relief floods my body at the sound. He’s here.
Chapter thirty
Dead Man Walking
Marco
“Get.Your.Fucking.Hands.Off. Her.”
If he’s so much as harmed one hair on her head, I will rip every single strand of his from his skull one-by-one before ripping off his fingernails and toenails. Then finally I’ll cut off his dick. He doesn’t deserve to have the pleasure of it.
My eyes lock onto Sophia’s, and I see the turbulent swirl of emotions I feel mirrored back at me. Anger, panic, and utter relief. I grind my molars. Even if she didn’t dare show him, she was fucking scared. And no one fucking threatens her and gets away with it. As I walk over to where they stand, Arty turns to face me, which finally gives Sophia the opportunity to push past him. She does so calmly and confidently, refusing to give him the satisfaction of seeing her cower. I waste no time gently grabbing her by the wrist and putting her body behind mine, tenderly swiping my thumb on the inside of her wrist in silent reassurance.I’ve got you, baby. You’re safe now.
“Ah, Marco. We must stop meeting like this,” the cocky fucker mocks. “How are things?”
The red clouding my vision turns bloodier. “You shouldn’t fucking be here at all.”
“Ah, but it’s the ideal spot for privacy. Don’t you agree?”
Without taking my eyes off the soon-to-be dead man in front of me, I calmly give my next direction.
“Avery, can you please take Sophia and drop her off at her next destination.”
“Ms. Princi. I’ve got your coat. If you will please follow me,” Avery adds.
“Marco, just leave it. This was all a misunderstanding. Come with me now. Please,” Sophia begs.
Her pleas are laced with pure worry. And rightly so. This fucker just made his fucking bed, and I’m going to make sure he lies in it. I will not rest until I find a way to shine a light on every devious, destructive, and criminal act he’s committed in the dark. I would kill every motherfucker in my way and then scorch this entire building to ash if it meant keeping her safe.
“Sophia. Just go,” I bite out harsher than intended, but I don’t want her here for what I’m about to do next.
Softening my tone I add, “I promise we’ll talk later.”
A shaky sigh and the retreating sound of her heels clicking tell me she’s gone. Safe with Avery.
I waste no time. I launch myself forward without warning and grab Arty by the throat. Pinning him to the wall with one hand and using the other to secure his wrists, I push my knee right up into his groin. He gasps for air and tries to thrash with enough force to disarm me. He soon realizes it’s to his own detriment, as it pushes my knee further into his balls.
“Tell me, how does it feel to be pinned to a wall against your will? To be at the mercy of a monster who will stop at nothing to get what he wants? To be the prey?”
His face is turning a lovely shade of red, and I feel a calm washing over me. “I could kill you with my bare hands,” I say calmly. “And I wouldn’t think twice about it or lose one second of sleep over it. You know why? Because sick fuckers like you deserveunceremonious deaths.” I squeeze his throat a little tighter, the image of the woman I love pinned against this very wall burned into my brain like a bad memory.
“But as much as it would give me immense joy to eradicate you from this earth, there’s too much at stake. My love for Sophia outweighs my carnal urge to end you.”
I lean in closer so my breath is fanning his face. “Did you honestly think I’d let you get away with a stunt like this?” I drawl. “You underestimate me, Arty. You might think you have powerful people like Patrick Princi in your pocket. But you know what I have in my mine? Knowledge. Oh yes, I know about all your fucking sins. The people you’ve hurt. The girls you’ve intimidated. The strings you’re pulling in the background. And that knowledge is my power.”
I apply more pressure with my knee, causing him to double over in pain.
“One more wrong move and I’ll hand over everything I have and everything I know to the authorities. The only fucking reason I’m sparing you right now is because Sophia deserves more than to have her name up in lights for a scandal she didn’t fucking ask for.”
With one final squeeze to the neck, I let him go and stare at him, taking great pleasure in watching him wheezing and gasping for air.
“You’ll pay for this!” he shouts, his voice strained and thready. “You want to play dirty like the fucking criminal you are, you just got your wish.” Voice stronger, he adds with a snarl, “Watch your back, Marco. I’m coming for you, and I’m going to make sure it hits you right where it fucking hurts.”
A cruel smile curls his lips, and awareness slithers through me. He’ll stop at nothing to make good on his threat. The smartest thing I can do is be armed and ready.
Chapter thirty-one
Take Me To Him
