"I wasn't—"
"Shut up."
I grabbed his collar hard.
"Kholod!" Noelle cried out. "Don't—"
I ignored her. Her protests only stoked my rage higher.
I jerked hard, sending Lorenzo crashing to the floor.
He hit the marble with a sickening thud.
Since he was still gripping Noelle, she got dragged down too, crying out in pain.
"Noelle!" Lorenzo struggled to help her up.
I stomped on his outstretched hand.
The sound of breaking bone cut sharp through the air.
"Ahhhhh!"
Lorenzo's scream shattered the hall's silence.
"Kholod!" Noelle tried to get up. "Stop! You'll kill him!"
"So what?" I pulled brass knuckles from my pocket, sliding them onto my right hand with deliberate slowness. "Killing him would make my day."
"No!" She lunged forward, trying to grab my arm.
I shoved her back with my free hand.
She fell backward, eyes full of terror.
Perfect. Let her be afraid. Let her see what betrayal costs.
I bent down, grabbed Lorenzo's collar, and hauled him up from the floor.
"Kholod... please..." His face twisted with pain. "I... I just wanted to save her..."
"Save her?" I laughed coldly. "What the fuck gives you the right to save her?"
"Because she's miserable!" he shouted. "This is all because of you!"
Before he finished speaking, my fist connected with his face. The metal edges of the brass knuckles tore through flesh from his right eyebrow to his left jaw.
Blood sprayed out, staining his white shirt and splashing across my hand.
"Ahhhhh!"
His screams grew more desperate.
"Kholod!" Noelle begged through tears. "Stop hitting him!"
I wasn't listening.
Another punch.
