“Now, you know I can’t do that, Leslie. And whoIam is irrelevant.” I let her head fall forward, and I straightened, pulling at the lever until the chains were taut and she balanced on the tips of her toes. “You tried to hurt someone I care about. You betrayed your colleagues’ trust. And for what, Leslie? How much was the bounty? Tell me, what is Evangelina’s life worth to you?”
Leslie’s eyes shifted wildly upon hearing Eva’s name. Her body tensed against the restraints. “Fuck her!”
Ah, just when I was feeling the tiniest sliver of empathy.
Oh, well.
“Hit a sore spot, have I?”
“You’re willing to torture and kill me? Forher?”
“Yes.”
She didn’t want to know the depraved things I was willing to do for Evangelina.
The woman swallowed hard, a cynical laugh sputtering past her lips as she spat the blood falling in a steady stream down her face.
She was brave; I’d give her that. Or stupid.
They always got stupid when faced with their own mortality.
“I had seniority. But of course, she fucked her way to the top.”
“Is that so?” I said, folding my arms across my chest. “Let me guess; she was promoted to detective over you?”
Leslie hissed in pain, face contorting when a thick tendril of hair caught on her wound. “You men are all the same. Pretty face, tight ass, and nothing else matters. What? You’re fucking her too?”
I pressed the side of my blade to her chin, lifting her face. “She’s goddamn perfect, isn’t she?”
Leslie looked deeply into my eyes and recoiled. Had she seen what awaited?
Fresh tears slid down her cheeks.
“Please, I’m sorry. I’ll do whatever you want. Anything.” She puffed out her chest, bare tits jostling suggestively. But I couldn’t be any less interested.
“There isonething,” I said, bringing my face closer.
“Please, anything,” she begged between heavy pants.
My lips neared her ear, and I whispered, “Die.”
I plunged my knife into her side and twisted. She fought not to scream, pain leaving her body by way of grunts and rolling moans.
“I’ll need you to deliver a message for me.” Another gush of blood poured at my feet as the blade moved in and out of her a second time. “I’m sending Dmitry Belov a gift. Your head in a box.” She gurgled her words, trails of red running down her body. “What was that, Leslie?”
“W-why?”
I tilted her chin.
“Easy. Touch or threaten what’s mine, and you die.” She tipped her head back and belted out a blood-curdling scream. Her vocal cords were the obvious next choice.
The life drained from her body, and Leslie slumped forward, blood running down the grates by her feet.
CHAPTERTHIRTY-FOUR
DEREK
Gravel crunched under the tires of Kai’s SUV as he rolled into the parking lot. I saw Evangelina’s silhouette behind his darkened windshield, cell phone to her ear. We made eye contact from behind the glass, and a smile stretched across her pretty face. I’d left early that morning while she was still asleep to deal with Leslie, and it had taken everything to drag me away. Naked as the day she was born and curled against my side.
