A second later, he pushes her away, stalking into the house, leavi
ng his date staring after him. Sergio saunters over to his sister with a smirk on his face.
“Didn’t I tell you, sister? The asshole only wanted you until another woman caught his attention,” he reminds her. I shouldn’t hear it, but he’s not hiding his distaste for Lance, and I wonder what would make him feel that way.
“Fuck you, brother,” Jezebel bites out through clenched teeth. She gulps down her champagne before dropping the flute on the grass at her feet and stalking into the house, no doubt in an attempt to find Lance.
“Good evening, beauty,” a deep voice comes from beside me, dragging my attention away from the scene that just unfolded. When I turn, I notice a man who could be my father’s age with his graying salt-and-pepper hair and a full, trimmed beard.
“Good evening.” I offer a smile, but the way he’s looking at me makes me shiver in disgust. I’ve never wanted the attention of men, except for one.
“She’s with me.” Sergio’s tone is bitterly cold, causing me to freeze as he wraps an arm around my waist. The older man’s expression is filled with shock at his words.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Ramos.” He offers a nod before hastily leaving us in the dimly lit garden. There’s a ding of a bell from somewhere in the house, and I notice moments later I’m alone with Sergio.
“I must apologize about the family drama. I thought Jez would behave, but it seems my sister loves to taunt me. Bringing one of her boy-toys to my dinner party is the one thing I requested she refrain from.”
“He seems okay. I mean . . .” I don’t know what else to say about Lance without giving away the fact that he’s the one man I’ll always love.
“I’ve seen men like him all my life. Some of them I’ve even been friends with. Dangerous, violent, they’re all killers who enjoy getting blood on their hands. The violence that runs through them is nothing short of barbaric.” The honest, gritted words from Sergio turn my blood cold. He’s right. I know he is. I wonder if Sergio really does know who Lance is, or if he’s angry at someone else. But his words are far too volatile, personal and it seems as if he does know Lance. That’s when I notice something seems off when I glance up at the dark eyes piercing me.
Lance is Indeed a killer, but that never stopped my feelings growing for him. I was always a sucker for his handsome, cocky smile, and when he kissed me, I knew my lips would never want to feel another man’s again.
“I grew up with men like that,” I tell Sergio honestly. “It may be barbaric, but it’s the only way they know how to survive. And I’d rather live with barbaric than suave liars.”
The corner of his mouth twitches, then he pulls me into his arms. My gaze flits over his shoulder as he holds me, and I see it before I hear it. The small red dot that comes from the second floor focuses on the man pressing his body against me, and I realize he must’ve noticed it too.
My body turns rigid, but Sergio doesn’t let go when I attempt to step back. His grip tightens, and I realize he’s saving himself. If the shooter pulls the trigger, not only will Sergio get shot, I will too.
He knows me.
My mind is screaming to run, to fight him off, but when the person in the window moves, I see him — Lance Vincent Knight. He won’t shoot, and Sergio knows it.
“Sergio, let me go.”
“Do you really think your sweet, begging voice will make me release you?” he hisses in my ear. “I’ve paid good money for you, sweetheart.”
“What?” My throat tightens with fear. The lump is rising, threatening to choke me as anxiety rockets through me. “What are you talking about?”
The moment he opens his mouth to speak, gunshots ring through the house, and Lance walks out into the garden where we’re standing. Sergio moves quickly, tugging me in front of him with a gun I didn’t realize he had on him pressed against my neck.
“Let her go, Ramos.” Lance’s voice is deep, menacing, and if I didn’t know any better, I’d think he was both jealous and angry. He saunters closer, his eyes blazing at me, then at the man who’s holding me hostage.
“Do you think I spent millions on a beautiful virgin bride just to let her go?” Sergio’s incredulous yet venomous chuckle rumbles through my back.
“What?” both Lance and I utter at the same time.
“Arthur promised me a virgin, and he delivered. She’s mine, Knight, so I suggest you head back out to New Orleans and tell your boss I’m not happy with your little visit.”
“Why don’t you—?”
Lance’s words are cut short when Jezebel stalks up behind him, a gun in her hand, pointed at the back of his head. I’ve seen Lance and Seth training. I know he can take her down with a few swift moves, but his focus is on the gun at my neck.
He doesn’t move. The air is heavy with tension, and I realize at that moment, Lance is not worried about saving himself. He wants to ensure I’m alive.
“You want her?” Lance utters. The words are breaking the wall I’d built around my heart, and I feel like crying out. I want to beg him to shoot, not to care about me, but save himself.
“Lance, please, don’t do this!” My plea falls unbidden from my lips. I fought with him earlier thinking he didn’t want me. But it’s not true. I believed the worst, when all this time, he must’ve been searching high and low for me.