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“This is where your boyfriend killed my brother!” he barks.
Frantically I back away from him, but he charges at me.
“What, aren’t you going to claim you didn’t know what your little boyfriends are capable of? You didn’t know they murdered my brother?” He doesn’t stop until I’m backed up against a pole, which pretty much makes me wish I could scrub off all my skin. I know what the girls do on these things.
“They’re not my boyfriends.”
He barks out a laugh, throwing his head back. “Sure. That’s what’s important now. Correcting me.”
“I’m just saying,” I huff while he laughs harder. I don’t like the sound of it. It has a sharp edge, like he’s barely holding on. “They aren’t. You’re wrong about that. So who knows what else you’ve gotten wrong,” I add.
His laughter cuts off, like someone flipped a switch, which might be the most chilling part of all. The suddenness. “I was wrong when I didn’t kill you then and there in that garden. What do you think about that, Blondie?”
My body freezes in horror when he shoves a hand into the mass of hair pinned at the nape of my neck, then moves it around until strands hang in front of my face in a tangled mess.
His hand takes hold of my throat, pressing the back of my head against the pole. “I can’t wait for what’s going to happen next.”
It would only make sense for him to brush his teeth, since the stench of whiskey and sauerkraut isn’t much better than the stench of this club.
“And what exactly is going to happen next?”
“The Winter brothers are going to walk into my trap, and I get to finally end them once and for all.”
“You’re wasting your time,” I whisper, my heart thumping, my nerves ready to shred. This can’t go on for long. What happens if he decides to up the ante?
“Oh? And why is that?”
“Because they have no reason to come for me.” I have to force a laugh I don’t really feel and swallow back nausea threatening to take my knees out from under me. I let him see every ounce of my fear and doubt. This really might not end well.
“You think?” His fingers press into my flesh, threatening to cut off my air. Somehow it’s his touch against my skin that bothers me more.
“I know,” I insist when his grip tightens. “I’m sure Adrian would thank you for getting rid of me.”
“Somehow I doubt that.” I don’t have to wonder what he’s thinking when his gaze crawls down the length of my body and makes my skin crawl along with it. “You didn’t see what I saw tonight.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“It means he looked like he was ready to rip Matteo’s head off when he touched you.” His gaze bounces up to meet mine, one eyebrow lifting. “What? You didn’t know? Does that come as a surprise to you?”
It sort of does, actually. “He wanted to rip his head off because he hates Matteo, not because he likes me.”
“He was worried about somebody else getting a piece of this pussy,” he informs me, snickering at the way I wince as he presses his body aggressively onto mine. And I thought I was the one who had a way with words.
Maybe I shouldn’t jabber to the guy with his hand around my neck, but I can’t help it. He’s so sure of himself, isn’t he? “You’re so good at reading people’s minds,” I murmur. “It’s a shame you have to resort to selling women’s bodies for a living.”
“Shut your fucking mouth,” he barks into my face, choking me with the stench of whatever he drank earlier. It actually smells like he took a bath in it. “You are in no position to mouth off to me, Blondie. You got it?”
“I’m trembling with fear. Can’t you tell?” For his benefit, I shake, even making my teeth chatter. “Really, all you’re doing is giving me more material for the next book I write. I’ll mention you in the dedication.”
He gives me a confused look before his lips curl in a smile, and I know I’m truly in trouble. “How about you mention this in the dedication?”
Two things happen almost at the same time.
He takes his hand from my throat, and with relief I am finally able to pull in a full breath.
Then there’s a rush of pain as he pulls that hand back to slap me across the face with it.
Everything around me explodes in agony, white hot and searing. “And that’s what happens to bitches who don’t know how to show respect,” he informs me while my tongue moves over my teeth, checking to make sure they’re all still in place.
