Page 84 of His Prize

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“Paolo’s here to kill you, Settimo.” I move my gaze to Paolo and squint. My mind fogs with confusion. “It’s a tragedy, of course, but who can blame the guy? You’ve been fucking his bride. It’s enough to make a man snap. But you,” he turns to Lorenzo and points the gun at him. “You, he killed in self-defense. You showed up for your brother and managed to give Paolo a beating. Right before he got his shot off and you bled to death on the floor. It’s a little bit of a stretch, considering it was two against one, but honestly, I just can’t fucking stand the idea of you living. Your younger brother is so much more pleasant than the both of you. I imagine he’ll be distraught and surely in no place to make any tough negotiations.”

“You’reframingme?” Paolo asks, his arms unraveling from Alex and bowing his chest. “You think anyone would believe that?”

“Anthony won’t.” Lorenzo nods in agreement. “You’ll have to kill him too. Here, give me a phone, I’ll call him for you.”

“Always a smartass,” Nikita says, shaking his head at Lorenzo. He pistol-whips Lorenzo, and I jerk forward as I watch my brother’s head whip to the side.

“Hey!” Ivan comes up to me and presses the barrel of his gun to my head. “Don’t fucking move.”

“You’re a coward, Nikita!” I yell. “Be a man and let everyone know you killed me yourself. You don’t need Paolo and Alex for this.”

Nikita laughs. “Would you stop trying to protect your whore? I’m not killing her.” He looks her way, a sinister grin taking over his face. “That would be far too wasteful.”

Nikita turns back to me. “I mean that, she’s too pretty to get rid of. Hell, she managed to get intoyourhead, so that’s enough to prove her worth. But regardless, I want you to die knowing I’m gonna be fucking your bitch every night until she isn’t so pretty anymore.”

“You son of a bitch.” My jaw drops and my anger takes a back seat to pain. Or shock. I don’t know what the fuck this is.

“You wouldn’t do something like that.” I give my head a shake and suck in a breath. “You’re not a rapist.”

“Giving me a lot of credit, don’t you think?” He laughs.

“No.” I grit my teeth and stare up at him through my lashes. “I know you better than you think. You’re a lot of things, but you’re not that.”

“Well, lucky for me, it doesn’t take much to get your girl to spread her legs.”

“You’re a disgusting pig,” Alex says. I move my gaze to her, and so does Nikita. “I would never be with someone like you.”

Nikita laughs again and gestures to me. “You’re with worse, you stupid girl! If you opened your fucking eyes, you’d see what a monsterthisman is.” He steps toward Alex and shakes his head. His voice drops. “Do you know what he would do to you if you actually married him? I’m doing you a favor.”

Her jaw drops and she presses herself against the pew to get away from him. “Afavor? Fucking me every night until I’m not pretty is afavorfor me?”

Nikita tilts his head and ponders for a moment. “All right, I was exaggerating a bit. Calm the fuck down.”

He speaks so lightheartedly, I question for a moment if he has more in common with Lorenzo than me.

Lorenzo sighs and leans his head back. It’s hard not to laugh at Nikita when he stiffens.

“Am I boring you?” Nikita asks, his venom spewing all over Lorenzo.

Lorenzo lifts his head and stares Nikita in the eyes. “I’m just wondering how long this is going to last before you get to your point.”

Nikita’s back is to me, but his glare is powerful enough I can feel it.

“You need me to speed things along for you? Settimo.” Lorenzo looks at me pointedly. “You’re a piece of shit and Nikita hates you. You were mean to his sister that one time, and now—”

Lorenzo doesn’t get out another word, and with the sound his jaw makes when Nikita’s gun slams against it, I’m not sure he ever will.

I lunge for Nikita and tackle him against the pew. He lands on Lorenzo, and I jerk him to the ground. Ivan’s gun fires, but I don’t turn toward the shot. I just pray it’s aimed at me.

I pull my fist back and land a blow to Nikita’s face, then another. He rolls me and manages to switch our positions and then delivers three consecutive blows to my face. I hear the crack when he punches my nose, and my mouth fills with blood.

“Ahh!” I yell and push him off me. I slam his head on the floor, and he rolls when I go to punch his face. My fist connects with hardwood, and I howl.

Three more shots fire off, and I whip my head that way to see Ivan with his gun pointed in the air. I survey the pew and see everyone still intact. Almost. Lorenzo is slumped to the side. His eyes are closed and blood dribbles down his chin, but he’s breathing. He wasn’t shot.

“Enough!” Nikita yells, climbing to his feet. He grabs his gun off the floor, and I hate myself for not thinking of it.

He wipes blood off his nose then walks to the stage and sits. He glares at me but says nothing.


Tags: Nicole Cypher Crime