Not a fucking chance.
I wait for him to turn to grab the rolled-up contract from his suit, pushing the gun high, before swinging with my left. I connect with one good punch, hearing the crunch of my brother’s nose. I recoil internally. That’s like his third broken nose of his lifetime.
He falls immediately and I wrestle the Glock from his small hands. There’s a snap, wrist bone cracking under the pressure before he howls, and the gun is in my possession.
Cradling his nose, rolling on to his side, I disarm the gun, popping the bullet out before it can discharge. Tsking, I shove itinto my waistband. “Well, this is just sad.” Leaning over him, I pat his cheek, slapping him into the hardwood floor.
I don’t have a lot of time. We’re lucky we haven’t been caught yet.
“Senior’s heir, disarmed by thekiddie, huh?” I kick his side, smiling at his exhale of pain. “Here’s how this is going to go,” I mimic. “You’re going to stay the fuck away from my fiancée, and you’re going to stay away from my family.” Kneeling low, I continue, “You better hope Ace is in a forgiving mood. Otherwise, she might look for more retribution for you fucking with her little sister. Again.”
“You broke the agreement,” he wheezes, shuffling on the floor. “I can kill you on sight.”
He jerks, pulling a blade as Collins shouts, yanking on my shoulders.
His blade connects, dragging along my forearm, cutting deep as wicked agony ignites along my nerves.Jesus, fuck, I’m tired of being injured.Growling, I react, slamming my fist into his face as he passes out.
“I should fucking kill him,” I grumble, blood dropping to the wood.
“Shit,” Collins curses. Her face remains calm but her fingers twitch as she inspects my arm. “Shit.”
“Yeah, got that,” I quip. Blood is flowing too quickly—he hit something important. This is not good.
“Noshit,” she stresses. “He hit an artery.” I feel my shoulder and chest start to throb, a pain like pounding thunder spreading outward. Blinking, I clear the blackness starting to creep it. “Are you wearing a belt?”
Nodding, I can barely say the words before she’s yanking it off, wrapping it around my elbow. With a sudden ruthlessness, she tugs the belt tight and my fingers go numb.
At my confused look, she exhales. “Tourniquet. You have an hour at most before this is a problem. We have to get back to the mansion and have Simon patch you up.”
“Can’t you?”
“Technically,” she admits, grabbing the knife from Roman and his cell phone before shoving them into her clutch.Quick thinking.I can have Briar break into it and see what kind of information is on that thing and if it can help Ace.
He was a moron to come here without guards. But the pressure—from Maeve, the Games, maybe even Senior—is driving Bruno mad. It’s causing too many close calls. He’s sloppy and that makes him a bigger threat than before.
“Then, why don’t you?”
“Simon has more experience,” she evades, wrapping my jacket around my arm to hide the wound. “He should do it so as not to cause any permanent damage.”
“It’s Simon,” I retort, as we exit the museum. “He makes everything worse.” Glancing to the courtyard, I jerk my head. “Besides, what about this? You’re presenting.”
“And you’re injured.” She pulls the keys from my pocket, helping me on the sidewalk to the car, ignoring the valet. “This is more important. Forever and a day, right? I can’t have forever if you’re dead.”
Things are escalating, and she’s right to rush me off. But I can’t help marveling, again, that she’s choosing me.
Maybe she loves me too.
34
HAYES
Simon is the kind of man you wouldn’t think would last long in a criminal organization.
He’s nervous, flighty, and timid. Not the best in a high crisis situation, he’s usually freezing instead of reacting. With a lean frame, long nose, and pale blond hair, he’s nerdy, and unassuming.
Somehow, he’s been the longest clan doctor in the last decade.
He yanks on the stitches, having spent the last hour repairing the cut artery. Without Collins’ crisis experience, I would’ve died from blood loss.
