Chapter 21
“Don’t you dare hurt him,” I growled.
“Wrong answer.” Joey dug the barrel deeper into Vincent’s temple. “Try again. Your life or his – what’s it gonna be?”
Blood roared in my ears. Five years with Thomas had taught me what a loveless marriage felt like. But these past weeks with Vincent… I’d rather die than watch someone take him from me too.
“Cheryl,” Vincent whispered. “It’s okay.”
“Tick tock,” Joey sang. “What’s your answer, Mrs. Moretti?”
“No.” My voice rang clear through the warehouse. “Kill me if you want, but don’t touch him.”
Joey’s eyebrows shot up. He lowered the gun from Vincent’s temple, his lips curling into an amused smile. “Well, well. The little wife’s got some fire in her after all.”
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“Cheryl, don’t-” Vincent’s words cut off as Joey pressed the barrel against my chest.
I lifted my chin, meeting Joey’s gaze. “Do it. Pull the trigger.”
A sharp crack echoed through the room. Pain exploded across my cheek as Thomas’s hand connected with my face. The force snapped my head to the side, copper flooding my mouth where my teeth cut into my cheek.
“You ungrateful bitch,” Thomas spat. “After everything my family did for you-”
The temperature in the room seemed to drop twenty degrees. I turned back to see Vincent’s eyes fixed on Thomas – not with rage, but with something colder, deadlier. The look of a predator sizing up its prey.
Thomas’s words died in his throat. He stumbled backward, nearly tripping over his own feet as he retreated from that icy
stare.
“Touch her again,” Vincent’s voice came out
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soft, barely above a whisper, “and I’ll peel the skin from your bones. Slowly.”
Thomas’s face went pale. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he backed away further, putting Joey between himself and Vincent.
Joey threw back his head and laughed. “Looks like your ex has more sense than courage, sweetheart. But I have to admit – that was impressive. Standing up to a gun like that? Maybe you do deserve the Viper after all.”
The cold metal of Joey’s gun pressed against my chest, right above my heart. The pressure increased as he leaned in closer, his breath hot against my ear.
“Your grandfather made the same defiant face, you know. Must run in the family.” Joey’s lips curved into a cruel smile. “But in the end, he begged. Wonder if you will
too?”
He tapped the gun against my sternum. “One clean shot, right here. Quick and
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Chapter 21
efficient.”
Vincent strained against his restraints, the chair creaking beneath him. Blood dripped from his split lip onto his white shirt. “I swear to God, Joey-”
“Shut up!” Joey whirled, pressing the gun harder against my chest. “You failed to protect him then, and you’ll fail to protect her now.” He turned back to me, eyes gleaming. “Ready to join your grandfather, sweetheart? Don’t worry, I’ll make it quick – just like I did for him.”
The metal dug deeper into my skin. Joey’s finger curled around the trigger, and time seemed to slow. I thought of Grandfather’s portrait. Of all the questions I never got to ask him.
“Any last words?” Joey’s voice dropped to a whisper. “Maybe a plea for mercy? That’s what your grandfather tried, in the end.”
I lifted my chin, meeting his gaze. “Go to hell.”
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The gun pressed harder, and Joey’s smile widened. “After you.”
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