“We really didn’t want to do this, Iman, but you leave us no choice,” I hear Easton’s voice, but I don’t see him.
“I’m sorry, Easton…Jude. I’ll make it happen, I swear, man,” Iman cries out.
“See, I wanna trust you. I do,” Easton says, and inches from behind the chair and leans on the desk in the corner. He shifts a little and pulls a gun from his waistband. Easton looks at it, then crosses his wrists in front of him. “But you’re making it real hard right now. How am I supposed to believe you’ll keep your word?”
“I swear. I’ll give you whatever you want.”
Easton cocks his weapon, and I yelp, immediately covering my mouth when he peers through the opening, making eye contact with me. I don’t stick around to see what happens. Taking off in a half sprint, I rush through the hall, bumping my hip on the glass jewelry case but ignore the pain shooting through me on the way out.
My lungs burn from fear, panic, and a mix of anticipation the closer I get to the door. I think I’m in the clear, the bile that’s pooled in my throat slowly starting to make its way back down.
Stupid. Stupid. Stupid, I think to myself and turn the knob and open the door.
My heart plummets to the pit of my stomach when the door slams shut, stopping me from escaping. His breath is hot on the back of my neck, his cologne etching itself in my mind. My pulse quickens, and I swear I can feel the blood as it rushes through my veins.
I heard once that your life flashes before your eyes right as you’re about to die. I never understood that concept or believed the ideology, but it’s true. My graduation, prom, and the kids I’ll never get to have, play on a loop in my head.
He sweeps my hair to the side, his finger dragging along my skin in the process. I squeeze my eyes shut, silently mouthing a prayer while I wait for the inevitable.
He’s going to kill me.
“What are you doing here, amore?” Easton asks while caging me in with his front pressed to my back.
Chapter Two
Easton
Her skin erupts with goosebumps as the question leaves my mouth. I’m not sure if it’s from my touch, my voice, or the sheer panic she’s feeling, but regardless, it does something to me.
“Are you going to answer?” I ask, waiting for a reply to my first question. I’m hoping she’ll respond the way every woman does to me. Submissive. Respectful. But the instance from this morning tells me I’m a fool to think that.
She releases a shaky breath and faces me slowly, keeping her eyes pointed to the ground. “I was coming to apologize for my behavior this morning, but I can see you’re busy, so I’ll come back another time,” she says, her words slightly jumbled.
She heads for the door again and tries to open it, but my palm is still planted on it firmly. She tries over and over and I chuckle at her attempts. “You know I can’t let you do that, but I admire the fight in you.”
Her head falls, and her hand slips from the handle. A sad sigh leaves her lips and she shifts in my direction, but this time, her eyes catch mine. “Please don’t kill me,” she begs.
“Kill you?” I scoff, and she nods, her gray eyes growing glassy. “I’m not the one who turns to murder first thing. Jude, on the other hand…” I trail off and point over my shoulder. Just like clockwork, I can hear the weight of his steps when he exits the back room.
“Fucking hell, Easton. How many times have I told you it isn’t a good idea to bring pussy here? It never ends well. They get attached, then come back at the most inconvenient times—like now,” he booms behind me.
My brother doesn’t take well to curveballs—the unexpected. It throws him off his game, boils his blood, makes him uncomfortable. A combination that doesn’t end well for those involved.
“For once, this isn’t one of my conquests.” I shrug, pulling the girl further into the store. “She works down the street.” I tilt my head to observe her further. “She’s a sassy little thing.” I smirk. “Chewed my ass for parking in her spot this morning. But she’s come to apologize for said ass-chewing. How sweet is that?” I smile, showing all of my teeth.
“Please,” she starts again. “I didn’t see anything. I won’t tell a soul.”
Jude scoffs with a fake smile. “Then you wouldn’t know to keep your mouth shut, now would you?” He pauses but continues when she remains silent. “Lovely. So, what’s the next move, E? Kill her and have to explain to Dad why we needed to call our friends at the crematory? Or let her go and risk her flapping her fucking tongue?”
I weigh my options carefully. This can go one of many ways, but I want the best outcome. I trace my eyes over her again. She’s scared, and she should be. I don’t know how long she lurked behind the door, but she definitely witnessed things no one should have. Her long brown hair falls in soft waves around her face, doing its best to shield her features, but I still see the terror shining in her eyes.
I squeeze her small biceps in my hand and tug her closer to me. The smell of her shampoo infiltrates my nose and sends a pleasant tingle down my spine, but I will it away. “We aren’t going to kill her, Jude.”
“We can’t afford a fuck-up, and you know it.” When I look at him, his dark eyes level with mine. Jude pulls his knife from its sheath on the waist of his pants.
I hold up my hand with my spine zipped straight. “I’ll handle it.”
He shakes his head slowly then glances between the girl and me. “Dad won’t like this,” he warns.
