5. Lafe #2
“I doubt you could manage it, Laugh. You're too strung out on your own product to do any damage.”
Smirking, I motioned for him to come closer.
Yes, I might sample my product but only on trips, never allowing myself to get lost in addiction.
I just needed enough to deal with these fuckwads.
Regardless, it worked in my favor. I was wired, and he was just wet behind the ears.
“Then it would be easy for you to take me, right? Go ahead and give it your best shot. I won’t even tattle on you.
” Most of the veteran soldiers and handlers knew who I was.
You fucked with me, one of Vicente’s prized enforcers, you lost your life.
Or at least your dick. Vicente was a fan of castration for the more serious offenses.
Furious to be called out, the kid swung, but I caught his fist. I squeezed, bending his hand back until he fell to his knees, gasping in pain. The adrenaline pumped through me as I glared at the rest of the handlers, not letting myself see what was in the center just yet.
I wasn’t ready, and I needed to be able to handle this mess first.
To prove my point, I deepened the angle until I heard a satisfying crack. There went the wrist. The kid howled to the ceiling.
“Fucker, that’s my brother!” Another slightly older guard rushed me.
He had muscle, and less stupidity cloaked him than the kid still at my feet.
I released his fist and kicked him away with a boot to the face before facing his brother.
It wasn’t enough to kill him, but if I hit the right spot, he would feel it for days.
If I weren’t trying to save Amorette, I’d dole out a better punishment for disrespecting me.
The tips of my ears burned as I ached to turn around and finish him. Maybe next time I was here.
This handler in front of me looked as if he wanted to fuck me up seven ways from Sunday, and he didn’t give two shits who I was.
I knew a thing or two about brothers. I might be the soft one, but Grey made sure each of us was able to take care of ourselves.
We had to be. Too many men would rather see us dead.
The man raised his arm to swing, but I ducked, then followed it up with an uppercut. His head jerked backward and spit flew from his lips while his teeth clicked together. It wasn’t enough to knock him out.
Stepping after him to finish him off, I pulled my own arm back to punch him in the tender spot beside the eye. The temples were my favorite place to strike. It knocked them out the quickest.
I didn’t have Grey’s strength or Parker’s speed, but I had this one trick up my sleeve.
Before I could touch him, guards closed around him and swung him out of my reach. Fucking cowards. The circle widened, the handlers giving me a decent berth.
No one else tried to approach me. They glared with unconcealed fury and hatred. That was fine. I didn’t mind the hate. I hated myself better than any of these punk asses ever could.
A sharp inhale brought my attention back to my whole reason for being here. There was no sign of a voice attached to that breath, but I knew without a doubt it was her.
I turned my head slowly, as if it pained me to do it—and it did, because I was afraid of the nightmares I’d have from whatever image I’d see. For all I knew, my little Killer could already be a bloody and twisted set of bones on the floor.
Randall faced me, with Amorette on her knees staring right at me.
The left side of her face was a mess of dark blue and purple, but nothing that wasn’t there ten minutes ago.
A cool burst of relief fell over me. Even the need for the next fix couldn’t take away from how good it was to look into her eyes while she still lived.
It didn’t matter they’d ripped the shirt off of her body.
In the time they’d taken her from my room, they hadn’t done any more damage. None visible, anyway.
Then I noticed his hand cupping the underside of her throat. To anyone else, it could have been a lover’s hold. Those who knew Randall, knew this was his favorite way to break a neck.
That wasn’t going to happen.
Not today. Not with her.
Maikel closed in on my right side, his pants harsh in my ear. Without removing my glare from Randall, I dared him to act. I reveled in the fear that entered his gaze. I despised almost everything about the Institution, but not my power over men like Randall and Maikel.
Randall knew if he went against me, Vicente’s enforcer, it would be the last mother fucking thing he’d ever do. It was a toss-up if I’d approve of throwing him in prison or deep in the ocean. Either worked for me.
“Maikel. I have my final report prepared for Vicente.” My voice rang loud and clear. “You will absolutely want to meet with me before I leave tonight, but I’m taking her with me.” I nodded to Amorette. Why was I using her name?
Names had power, familiarity. For someone I could just as easily bring back, I should call her Killer. It would make her death easier in the end.
“Of—of course! We can dine while we discuss it. Did you want to use the suite upstairs before it’s served?” His stutter sent a rush of power through me.
What was I doing? What was this girl doing to me?
Knowing it would backfire didn’t do a damned thing to change my course. Fuck, it was like I had no control over what was going on. This was a repeat of my biggest mistake, the one that cost the largest piece of my soul.
“I can have her bathed and ready to go by tonight. Randall can ensure she’s prepared.”
“No,“ I said softly. “He releases her now. She’ll be locked in my room until I leave.”
“Done.” Maikel wasted no time shooing Randall away from her like he was an errant child.
“I’ll take her to my rooms. Send Juliana with her kit. After I’ve seen to her, I’ll meet you in your private suite.” I moved forward to cup Amorette’s arm. I wasn’t rough, but I also wasn’t gentle.
These men could speculate all they wanted on why I was stealing her, but I wouldn’t fuel their interest. I wouldn’t paint a bigger target on her back because of me.
Randall growled as I helped her to her feet. As long as he stayed in the corner like a good pet, he could bark till nightfall. I didn’t give a fuck. As of now, he was no longer my problem.
Maikel walked alongside me, his hands clasped behind his back as he studied me. A few times he opened his mouth, but I shot him a look that said he needed to keep his fucking mouth shut.
While we walked the halls of his estate, there were ears. I was about to screw over everyone I cared about, and I didn’t need Maikel making it easy for Vicente to execute us all.
My uncle wasn’t the brightest, because his head would be first on the chopping block. Maikel might have inherited a lot of physical similarities as Vicente, but when it came to business, he was a selfish, greedy bonehead. No eye for strategy and definitely no pride.
“I’ll meet you in your private suite soon,” I repeated.
There was a moment of hesitation in his steps, then he bowed his head. "Of course, Lafe.” At the next hallway, he left us.
I breathed a little easier knowing soon he’d be begging for his life.