“But you can’t kill him!”
I lower my mouth to January’s ear. “What do I get if I help you? Will you blow me in front of your bodyguard while everyone else watches?”
She squirms and I tighten my grip around her.
Morelli clucks his tongue. “Doc, stop teasing her. Basher, get the plastic under Cooper before the carpet becomes even more fucked. Adriano, kill this idiot.”
“What about me?” I ask Morelli. “Why can’t I kill Cooper?”
“Because I’m not staying up all night, watching you flay this moron. I need some fucking sleep.”
“Killjoy.”
January lets out an ear-splitting scream. Adri looks murderous. If there’s one thing he hates more than women crying, it’s women shrieking. I clap a hand over her mouth. “Sorry about that.”
Adriano shakes his head and turns to Morelli. “Make Basher do it.”
“Fuck off,” Basher says at once. “You fucking do it.”
Morelli holds up a hand. “Why Bobby?”
Adriano jerks his head at January. Morelli looks from her to Basher, who’s too slow to get the look of righteous horror off his face.
Morelli inclines his head. “Bobby, kill the bodyguard.”
All the color rushes from Basher’s face. He glances at January. “Can she go in the other room?”
“No.” Morelli reaches into his waistband and hands him his Walther PPS. “Now.”
“But—”
His nostrils flare. “Think of your mother. Your sisters. This is everything. Ten years of planning.Don’tfail us.”
Basher’s face hardens. He’s a cute kid. A nice guy. But that’s not all he is and no one struggles with that more than him. He gives January one last look and then his shoulders slump. “Fine.”
She struggles against me as Bobby approaches Cooper, her ass rubbing against my jeans. I press into her, and she bites me. Hard.
“Ow,” I say, shaking my palm. “Little bitch!”
“You’re evil,” January spits. “Evil, horrible men!”
I press my hand back over her mouth. “You think we mind being evil, Tesorina? You think we care?”
Morelli pulls a handkerchief from his jacket. “You don’t know what you’re talking about, Miss Whitehall. You’ve been sheltered your whole life. Told what’s right and wrong. Your morals are like your pussy. Completely untested. You’ve never had to make a choice. Doc, take your hand away.”
The moment I do, January screams and Morelli shoves the cloth between her lips. She gives a noise of muffled outrage, and he slaps her again.
“Remember what I said, Miss Whitehall. Behave yourself and live or disobey and die.” He turns to Basher. “Kill him.”
Basher presses the gun to Cooper’s head. The plastic contains the spray and the body jerks twice before going still.
January slumps in my arms. I’m pretty sure she’s passed out.
“So that’s done,” I say. “Can we eat? I’m fucking starving.”
Morelli sweeps a hand through his model-perfect hair. “Not yet. Set up a camera and put a chair into the middle of the room. Time to show Parker what we’ve done.”
Chapter Four
