“Please… No, no, no.” I kick out, trying to slow him down, but he’s stronger.The knife bites into my ribs, nicking my skin in warning.
“Try that again and I’ll start carving you up now,” he hisses in my ear. My heartbeat is deafening as he pulls me into the alley. It’s dark, secluded; perfect for what he wants.
He shoves me hard against the wall, my head hitting the cold, dirty brick.I’m going to die, and there’s no escape. His hands are feeling me up; greedy, bruising. “What luck, huh? Found myself a prize.”
I tremble uncontrollably, tears streaking down my face. “Please don’t do this,” I beg.
He grinds his hard length against my stomach. I’m going to die. Desperation fuels me. I slam my knee up into his crotch with every ounce of strength I have.
Leo yelps, but instead of retreating, he smirks. “Oh, you’ve got some fight in you.”
The slap comes fast. My head snaps back against the wall. Stars explode in my vision, pain blooming along my jaw. Leo grips my chin, forcing my head up.“I like them feisty.” Out of nowhere I hear apop. A wet splatter hits my face.Leo’s fingers slip from my jaw. He wobbles, eyes blank—blood spilling from a hole in the side of his skull.
Then he drops, the impact echoing, a sickening thud of dead weight hitting the pavement. There’s no sound except my heavy breathing. I’m gulping in air, yet I still can’t get enough. My breath heaves in my chest, and my gaze snaps up to the shooter. Cyan, dark pinstripe suit, cold eyes, gun still raised. His expression? Pure, merciless rage.
The words I spat earlier return with stunning clarity:Cyan MacBrady will kill you for touching me.
Twenty
“They call it justice when it’s sanctioned. Vengeance when it’s personal. I call it necessary.”–Cyan MacBrady.
Hearing from Johnny that Aria wasn’t working overtime, as she claimed, I figured she was being defiant again, riding the bus just to push back at me. I should’ve shut her rebellion down immediately, but the weak part of me won. She wanted space, and I wanted to give it to her. That weakness almost got her killed. What would’ve happened if I hadn’t gotten here in time? My woman, pinned down, helpless, enduring something unspeakable. Just like Ma. The sight of the bastard lying face down, his brains spilling across the pavement, does nothing to cool my rage. If anything, it burns hotter, searing through my veins like molten steel. My hand trembles around the gun. I close my eyes for a beat. It’s a mistake. The memories hit like a hammer–Ma being dragged away, terrified. Her choking sounds. Then her vacant eyes stare up at me from a pool of blood. In an instant, the image shifts.
It’s Aria. Her eyes were vacant. Her body broken. A roar detonates inside me. I step closer to the dead fucker who laid hands on what’s mine and fire again… and again… and again. Each shot punches into his skull with brutal finality, but it still isn’t enough. The images keep flooding my mind like a disease I’ll never escape. His hands were on her. His mouth was near hers. He didn’t even hear me coming. One clean shot to the skull. Perfect execution. Still not enough. The thought of Aria suffering Ma’s fate… of losing her the way I lost my mother… something inside me snaps. I fire until the chamber clicks empty.Click. Click. Click.Still not enough. I kick the bastard. Then I stomp. Bones crunch beneath my boot.
Red splatters across my shoes, staining the leg of my suit, but I don’t give a fuck. I wish I could drag him back from Hades just to kill him all over again. I see the slap replaying—the sharp crack of his palm against her face. My gut twists violently. I grind my boot into his hand, crushing the fingers that dared touch her skin. His other hand, the one reaching under her skirt, gets the same treatment. I almost lost her.
“C…Cyan…Capo.” Johnny’s shouts cut through the thick, blinding haze of my rage. Slowly, I lift my head, tearing my gaze from the corpse to my brothers standing a few feet away.
Collin points to the ground, deadpan. “Just so you know… he’s dead.”
Johnny’s finger jerks toward the wall. “C.”
Aria. She’s crumpled against the bricks; arms wrapped so tightly around herself she’s folding in on her own body. Trembling. Shaking. Her hands are fists pressed against her ribs, like she’s trying to hold herself together by sheer will. A sharp ache lances through my chest.
“Clean this up,” I order.
Collin grins, already drawing his knife. “With pleasure.”
Johnny gives him a pointed look, shaking his head before turning back to me. “C. You need to get her out of here.” I don’t move.
My control is shot to hell, fraying at every edge. I breathe in deeply, trying to gain control over the madness, the horror, and the unbearable what-ifs. Aria looks up, and our eyes lock. Crimson dots freckle her cheeks, her throat, her hair—speckles of the life I just ended. She’s the unintended canvas of my violent masterpiece.What the fuck is she doing in this part of town?This is the opposite direction from her aunt’s house. Was she leaving me, planning to take her light with her? The thought claws at the dark and ugly inside me. My grip on the gun tightens.
Her gaze shifts to the body at my feet. The reality hits her in waves. “Cyan–you… killed him…” Aria repeats, the words unraveling into a frantic loop. “You killed him… you killed him…”
Her voice is small and broken. Clinging to words as if they’re the last solid thing left in her world. I reach for her. She shrieks and recoils, pressing herself flat against the wall like she’s trying to disappear into it. Her wild eyes cut to Johnny. Then she moves, fast, choosing him, not me. She barrels into Johnny’s arms. He hesitates at first glance my way as my Dove clings to him like he’s the only steady thing in the alley. Jealousy flares hot and bright in my gut. But I choke it down. She needs to get out of this death-soaked alley before she breaks apart.
My voice comes out cold, razor-sharp. “Take Aria to the car.”
Johnny nods and guides her away. Aria clings to him, seeking comfort that should be mine. She ran away from me tonight. I’ll make damn sure she never runs again. A fresh wave of fury burns under my skin. I bury it deep. Lock it down and watch until she disappears from sight.
Collin exhales a long, amused breath. “Did you really have to blow his brains out right in front of her?”
I whip my head toward him, rage still screaming through my blood. “Since when you give a fuck about how I handle shit?”
Collin shrugs, watching me with that unnerving glint in his eyes—the one that says he’s two seconds from enjoying something he shouldn’t. “Just making an observation, C. You stabbed a man the first time you met the girl. Now you’ve gone and annihilated some loser right in front of her.”
My fists clench until my knuckles crack. “What the fuck was I supposed to do? Ask him nicely to stop?” I can’t even force the words sexual assault out of my throat.
