Page 93 of Vendetta

Based on the texts, they’d be expecting Lorenzo, and no one stopped me on the way up the driveway. Oliver’s Audi was parked off to the side, backed into its spot, so I did the same right next to it.

The deserted courtyard was eerily quiet, only disturbed by the far-off chirping of birds. I was in too far to go back now. Walking into enemy territory without a plan was a fucking bad idea, but it’d been working for me so far.

Okay, maybe not, but I was still alive, wasn’t I?

I crept up the steps and tried the front door. It was unlocked. I glanced around, but there was no one in sight. If they expected company, that might be normal. I nudged it open with my toe, drawing the gun at my hip. It swung open on silent hinges. Easing my way inside, I found the entrance hall empty. I worked my way further down the corridor, my shoes silent on the opulent mosaic floor.

My heart thrummed wildly in my chest, and the rush of blood muted every sound but the hiss of my own stilted breath. This was such a bad idea. The adrenaline that fueled my badassery from earlier had long run out, but I was committed. I inched around the column framing the door.

An armored alpha meandered lazily down the hall. I could wait and see if he left or… I had a better idea. I took a breath and slipped around the corner, moving as quickly as I could while keeping my footsteps silent until the barrel of my gun nudged up against the back of his neck.

Dodge that bitch.

He went stiff, feeling the cold kiss of metal against his bare skin. Kevlar only worked if it was between you and a bullet.

“You don’t have to die today,” I said quietly. “Take me to Francisco.”

He grunted and started to turn, but I pressed the gun harder against his skin. “Alphas are hard to kill, but not that hard. Move.”

By now, the stench of death from the decapitated head in my other hand would’ve reached him.

He cleared his throat uncomfortably, but started walking. It wasn’t long before he stopped in front of a door. “He’s going to kill you for this.”

“You think so? Open the door and let’s find out.” I nudged him with the gun again, reminding him who was in charge.

He turned the knob, pulled the door open, and stepped inside. I squeezed the trigger. The nameless alpha dropped like a sack, landing on an expensive rug, spraying a fine, red mist in front of him. Unfortunate.

The man I assumed to be Francisco looked up from what he was reading. His shocked expression turned to fury as I swung the door closed and walked up to his desk, dropping Lorenzo’s head on it.

“You wanted to see us?” I trained the gun on his increasingly pale face.

He straightened the lapels on his dark suit and leaned back in his chair, putting a little more distance between his head and the gun. Not enough to matter, but if it made him feel better.

“Rosa, I presume. I suppose I can see the appeal now.” His eyes raked over my red tank top and down my jeans.

“Eyes up here.” I tipped my chin up.

When his gaze snapped to mine, I noticed how similar it was to Nico’s, and it stole my breath for a second. Forest green and intense.

I blinked. That moment was all it took.

A rumble of pounding feet shook the room right before the door behind me exploded in a spray of splinters, and armed guards burst in. Francisco moved faster than someone with that much gray in his hair had any right to. He was on me before I had a chance to get off a single shot. He twisted my arm behind my back, and I dropped the gun with a thud.

“Everything is fine, boys. You can go, take Roberto, and close the door. We’d like some privacy,” he said to the scowling guards.

I should have shot him as soon as I walked in. Why did I think it was a good idea to try to talk to him? Rookie mistake. And here I’d been doing so well.

A confused look swam across the face of the guard inside the door. With his free hand, he motioned them back impatiently, and they scurried to obey, dragging the body and the broken door shut behind them.

“Now that we’re alone. If you wanted a word with me, you didn’t have to kill Roberto to get it. That was a very dramatic entrance, though. I am duly impressed.” He yanked on the arm pinned behind my back until my wrist and shoulder ached, and wrapped his other forearm around my neck. “Now that you’re here, we really should talk. I assume by the decapitated head on my desk, you objected to the proposed bond with Lorenzo’s pack. I can work with that. How about I bond you to me, and we will start our own pack, just the two of us? That’s how it’s always been for me, and how I prefer it, anyway.”

“Fuck that,” I said, lurching away from his grip. His alpha strength was too much for me to overpower, though. There was no way I was going to brute-force this.

“Ah, ah… none of that.” He wrenched my arm harder, and I gasped in pain. “If you’re going to be my omega, I do not permit swearing. You’ll learn soon enough.”

“I will never be your omega,” I gritted through the discomfort.

His eyes crawled over my skin. The moment they landed on the fresh bite, he went perfectly still. His grip tightened, and his words shook. “I suppose my stupid son did this. And yet—” He took a deep inhale, his nose tracing up my neck. “You didn’t complete the bond.” His grip on me eased, and I shuddered, sickened by his actions. “Good, that will make this easier.”