Page 104 of Lust and Honor

Roberto raises his glass. “We’ve got the stamina for it. Two in one night won’t be a problem.”

He gestures to one of the guards, who moves toward Maria. The thought of what they’re planning for her makes my blood boil. I lunge at him with everything I’ve got.

My body slams into the guard’s massive chest, and we both crash off the platform, smashing into the liquor table. Glass shatters, liquid splashes, the crowd goes wild.

Hands grab me from behind, but I twist, swing, and land a punch before I’m thrown to the ground. A shard of glass slices across my thigh.

Maria’s screams pierce through the chaos, they’re dragging her away.

I try to get up, but Leonardo’s arm locks tight around my waist, hauling me back.

As he yanks me up, I snatch a jagged piece of glass, clenching it in my fist, praying no one sees.

Roberto steps up, his eyes gleaming with perverse delight.

“Appetizer first,” he purrs, “then the main course.”

He slips out the same way they dragged Maria off.

As Leonardo hauls me through the narrow corridors, a barrage of gunfire erupts behind us, shattering the silence. He freezes for a split second, then drops me and yanks his gun from the shoulder holster.

My heart pounds so violently it feels ready to burst, and I can’t stop the wild grin spreading across my face. Like some deranged creature, I flash a smile and blurt out, not caring about the consequences:

“He’s here, Leonardo. Maxim’s here, to finish what he started. This time, he’ll take your fucking head instead of your useless balls, you motherfucker.”

He lunges at me in a rage, hand swinging back to strike, but before he can, I drive the sharp glass shard into his neck. His eyes widen, terror and disbelief flashing across his face as I drag it across his throat, slicing through flesh and bone.

His filthy blood bursts from his throat, splattering across my face, hot and sticky. He tries to lift his gun, but I grab his weakening arm, forcing it down as his strength drains away. For a few seconds, he gurgles and chokes, then collapses to his knees.

Blinded by fury, I shove him down, straddle his chest, and stab him again and again. I want to send his rotten soul straight to hell. Somewhere down the hall, someone’s shouting my name—it’s Maxim, his voice echoing like it’s rising from the depths of the ocean.

But I don’t stop. I just keep striking. Then hands clamp down on my shoulders. I spin around like a wounded tiger, the shard raised high to defend myself—

And freeze.

Maxim’s standing there, eyes wide, taking in the blood, the carnage, me. He’s wearing a bulletproof vest over a black T-shirt, his jaw rough with days of stubble. Black-clad men rush past us down the corridor, but Maxim and I are locked on each other. A single thought echoes through me. He came. He finally came.

The adrenaline crashes, and the shard slips from my trembling fingers. Maxim drops to his knees beside me, takes my hand, and his eyes dart to the slice across my palm. Then they rise to my face, my blood-soaked, trembling face.

“Are you hurt?”

I shake my head slowly, staring at the mangled corpse beside us.

“I killed your father, Maxim.”

His strong arms wrap around me, pulling me tight against his chest. The warmth of him, the solid weight of his body, it shatters whatever’s left of my control.

Tears spill as the words break out of me. “I took a man’s life, Maxim.”

He presses me tight to his chest, his voice a low murmur against my ear. “He wasn’t a man, he was an animal. An animal I should’ve killed before he ever touched you.”

He rises to his feet, steady and firm. “We’re getting out of here now, Ava. We’re going home.”

“Maria,” I breathe out. “We have to save Maria.”

“You’re my first priority right now.”

I shake my head, thrashing in his arms. “I’m not leaving without her!”