Page 298 of Vicious Temptation

“I’m sorry.”

Elena’s eyes shine with tears, but the hatred in them never wavers.

“So I decided to return the favor.”

“That’s what all of this was?” I ask. “You used Helios, sent me after Remi, and put her entire family in danger because of what Kai did to your mother decades ago?”

Elena looks at me, her grin back in place. “This could’ve gone so many ways. I thought having one of my operatives infiltrate his daughter’s life would be satisfying enough.” Her gaze shifts to Remi. “Then you two fell in love.”

Understanding hits me.

“You knew what would happen when she found out.”

“I hoped.” Elena gives a slight shrug. “Watching Kai Cain’s daughter fall in love with the man sent to betray her was far better than anything I could’ve planned.”

“Jesus,” Matteo mutters. “You wanted to destroy her to punish him.”

“No.” Elena looks directly at Remi. “She did that all by herself.”

Remi’s mouth parts, but no words come.

“How sure are we that vest is real?” Matteo asks, keeping his weapon aimed at Elena.

“Please.” Elena presses the gun beneath my chin. “You’re welcome to test that theory.”

Kai raises his weapon again. “This is between you and me. Let everyone else walk out of here.”

Elena tilts her head, staring at him. “You still don’t understand.”

The gun leaves my chin and swings toward Amalia.

Seventy-Three

thiago

The shot goes off.

Amalia jerks backward as blood blooms across her shirt. For a fraction of a second, Remi doesn’t move as her mother crumples toward the concrete.

“Mamá!” Her scream tears through the room as she runs toward her, but Kai gets there first, catching Amalia’s before her head hits the floor.

“No! Look at me.” He presses both hands against the wound, red seeping between his fingers. “Stay with me, vicious.”

Matteo drops beside them and reaches for Amalia, while Remi stares down at her mother, then turns toward Elena. The horror disappears from her face, replaced by pure rage, and I know exactly what’s coming.

“Remi, don’t!”

She lunges.

Elena fires again, but Remi is already moving. The shot misses and Remi slams into Elena, both women hitting the concrete hard, sending Elena’s gun skidding away.

I wrench against the cuffs until the chair tips beneath me. “Remi!”

It crashes onto its side with me still attached to it. By the time I lift my head, Remi is on top of Elena.

Her fist strikes Elena’s face once, then again before Elena catches her wrist. They struggle across the floor as Elena reaches for the gun lying several feet away, and Remi fights to keep her from getting to it.

“Thiago, hold still.” Matteo’s voice comes from behind me.