“Damn it!” Ryan shouts.
The grip on my arms becomes so tight that my fingers start to tingle. The man’s breath on my ear makes me shiver as he says, “Guess we won’t get a chance to see how much you like my cock.”
“Big brother!” Ryan calls.
Tucker walks through the back door looking angrier than I’ve ever seen him. Even angrier than he looked when he saw Ryan for the first time.
“Didn’t learn your lesson the last time you fucked with my girl, Antonio?” Tucker growls, a snarl on his face.
“Oh, she’s your girl now? She’s not really your type, Tuck.”
I’m on the ground as Tucker bashes Antonio’s head into the door of the walk-in. It dents, and I can’t stop staring at it as I scramble to crawl under the sink.
Another cost I can’t afford.
The door to the oven opens, and Tucker shoves Antonio’s face inside. He cries out in pain, his hands flailing as he attempts to get away, but Tucker’s stronger. And angrier.
His attempt to free himself from the heat does little, and I cover my eyes when the smell of burning flesh fills the back.
“Fucking hell, Tucker!” Antonio screams.
Literally screams. I’ve never heard a man with as deep of a voice as Antonio scream like that, and I worry it’ll haunt me.
Pulling him from the oven, Tucker throws him to the ground hard enough that I hear the crack of his skull as it bounces on the tile floor.
And cracks the ceramic tile.
My heart sinks. Another thing to fix.
Antonio has horrible red and black marks on his face from the baking racks, and I can’t help but think it’s merciful he’s unconscious right now. That has to be painful.
Then Tucker walks into the lobby, pushing the swinging door so hard that the top hinge breaks.
Sighing, I just want to cry. And another broken object.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing, Ryan?” Tucker shouts.
“If you’d just called Father—”
He’s cut off, and I hear a groan, followed by a loud smacking sound. Getting up, I walk to my broken door and look into the lobby. A dent sits in the drywall at head-height, and Ryan holds his bleeding nose.
What am I up to now? Five things that need to be fixed? Or four?
All the Daredevils move to the lobby with Ryan and the other four of his men, forming a circle around them. I glance back atAntonio still on the ground, and I have an immediate fear he’ll wake up and finish what he started out of retaliation.
The blood pooling around his head doesn’t mean he won’t pop up and grab me. I’ve seen horror movies. The bad guy is never truly dead.
Oh my God. Is he dead? Or dying?
Arguing gets my attention, and I turn just in time to see Capone holding a gun aimed at one of the men. But I don’t see the other three. It’s just Ryan and this guy.
I stand on my tiptoes to see over the counter through the window, but I can’t see the ground. Sneaking out, I stay along the wall, doing everything I can to stay invisible. But as I get just past the counter, I gasp as I take in the sight.
Two men lie on the ground, their eyes open with blood beneath them. Long red slashes mar their necks, and it’s the first time I’ve ever seen someone with their throats slashed. The third sits on the ground with blood on his temple.
I knew Tucker would save me, and I knew it would get violent. I didn’t think there would be death, though. But I probably should have. Ryan and his father started this war when they killed Joanna.
“Don’t fucking touch him,” the remaining suit says and lunges toward Tucker.
