Page 2 of Tainted Obsession 1
“Let him go!” his friend shouts at me in Spanish.
It’s not my native language, but I made sure to learn it before traveling here from Italy.
I stay my hand just before my blade opens his throat, summoning all my willpower to prevent myself from killing the coward.
What kind of man kicks a bound and helpless woman—especially one as fragile as the willowy blonde who’s crumpled on the damp concrete?
Not a man at all.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” I seethe, pressing my blade just deep enough to draw a drop of ruby blood from my enemy’s throat.
No. Not my enemy, I remind myself.
These men work for Stefano Duarte, my new ally.
“Why did you call me to come here?” I narrow my eyes at the man who’s barely breathing beneath my blade. “And why the fuck did you think I would thank you for hurting her?”
“I told you,” the other man says quickly, his voice shaking slightly. “She’s George Crawford’s fiancée. The boss wants him eliminated. And we know that you’re in Mexico City to do business with him. We want in on your new operation.” He licks his lips and hurries on. “We’ll help you get on good terms with Duarte, and you can count on us to establish your business in Mexico.”
The one in my murderous grip swallows hard but lifts his chin in a show of bravado. “Crawford will come for her, and you can help us kill him. Then, we’ll all earn Duarte’s favor. We’ll all be rich. That’s why you came here from Naples, isn’t it?”
The woman stirs on a low moan, a wordless protest to the threat against her fiancé.
I bare my teeth at him as rage rises in my chest, threatening to take hold and drive me to reckless violence.
“She’s innocent?” I growl the question, and my blade presses deeper into his flesh.
“She’s in love with that motherfucker,” the other man protests. “Why should we give a shit about her?”
“I asked you a question,” I hiss. “Is she innocent?”
“Aren’t you listening? We’ll all be richer than gods. She’s nothing, no one. I’m not going to let some bitch stop me from getting paid.”
He kicks her again, taking out his frustration with me on her fragile form. She goes as still as a broken doll, and blood wells from a cut on her forehead.
A red haze descends over my mind, obliterating rational thought entirely. If I were able to think rationally, I’d remember my mission here in Mexico City. I’d think twice about crossingStefano Duarte, the powerful drug lord who commands these abusive bastards.
But I’ve never been a cautious man, and my instinct for vicious, efficient violence has kept me alive in situations far more dangerous than this one.
I’mthe danger in this dank basement; the two young men who share the cramped space are little more than boys.
But they’re old enough to kidnap and brutalize an innocent woman.
They’ll die for that.
I don’t give a fuck that George Crawford is a dirty agent and that Duarte wants his head for helping a rival cartel. I don’t care that I need an alliance with Duarte to further my own ambitions.
All that matters is punishing these motherfuckers, eliminating them so they’ll never hurt an innocent woman again.
My world is steeped in blood and sin, but I never victimize civilians. I don’t allow it back home in Naples, and I won’t stand by and watch it happen here in Mexico, no matter how badly I need Duarte’s friendship.
With one clean swipe of my blade, I open the pinned man’s throat. I drop him like trash, not bothering to watch the light leave his eyes.
The gory choking sound of his final moments fades to a familiar, macabre beat in the background of my murderous fury. Despite the volatile emotion that’s taken hold of me, my movements are controlled and precise as I turn to face my surviving enemy. His mouth opens to beg for his miserable life, but my knife has already left my fingers. It embeds itself deep in his chest, hitting the target of his heart with perfect precision.
He drops to his knees, gaping at me in shock. His pathetic attempts to draw his final breaths would be almost comical if it weren’t for the severity of his crime. The bastard deserved to die in agony, but I ended the fight before it could truly begin.
I have enough rationality remaining to know that I can’t risk drawing the attention of the authorities with their screams. That instinct for survival has kept me alive this long, and I don’t intend to end up in prison in Mexico.
