The man keeps his gun trained on me with his uninjured hand, the rest of the men doing the same, but none of them fire.
They have no orders to, I have not threatenedherlife, which means the boss has not given the word and the rest of them are nothing but peasants waiting for permission.
I fucking love that.
“You’re insane,” she snaps.
“Maybe,” I say. “But I taught him a lesson. And everyone here.”
I turn slowly, letting my gaze sweep the men around us.
“Spread the word,” I roar. “Octavia Bellanti is mine, and whoever dares lay a finger on her will find this looks like child’s play compared to what I will do to them.”
The bleeding man snorts, but his eyes lock onto mine, feral and furious.
I smirk.
Octavia scoffs. “That was not even the hand he touched me with, you psychotic beast…”
That has my full attention.
I barely register the “What the actual fuck, Octavia?” before the next shot cracks through the air, and his gun clatters to the ground.
He grits his teeth and hisses through the pain.
“Motherfucker,” he breathes.
Octavia’s blade snaps up, aimed straight at my throat. “Markev, you are fucking asking for it.”
As she says it, the pain in my thigh makes itself known, pulsing where she drove her blades into me earlier.
I look back at the men.
“Spread the word,” I repeat. “No one touches what’s mine.”
“I’m not yours, you lunatic,” she snaps.
I grin. “You can deny it all you want. It doesn’t change the truth.” I motion towards my car, already stepping aside. “We’re done here.”
Her eyes turn lethal. “I am not going anywhere with you.”
“You are.”
“I’m not leaving Adriano,” she cuts in, glancing back at the man. “He needs a doctor.”
I step forward, blocking her line of sight to him, because why is she even looking at him? It is already hard enough not to kill this Adreno without her making it worse.
“I don’t give a shit what he needs,” I say evenly. “And that is none of your responsibility. He is a big boy. He can take care of himself.”
Her jaw tightens.
“Let’s go,” I say again. “Don’t make me shoot him in the head this time.”
She steps aside so she can see the man and murmurs something low to him that I don’t catch. My fingers twitch.
Then she steps closer to me.
I finally breath.
