Fifty-One
Dominic
S eeing Bianca on her knees beneath the barrel of Vincent’s gun made me ill. If I didn’t have an audience, I would’ve emptied my guts onto the forest floor. Killing didn’t typically bother me, but this? It was eating my soul.
We’d fucked Vasiliev up. He was dripping blood all over the damn leaves. I hated it when they bled like this.
And Bianca.
She was a mess, all tears and blood. My beautiful wasp, trembling as she stared with love at a man I hated with my entire being.
“He’s not who you think he is,” I said softly, drawing her focus from him.
A tear slipped down her dirty cheek.
“He was taking you to my father. He made a deal with him. My father has his sister. He promised to release her if Fallon delivered you to him.”
Her bottom lip wobbled before she snapped her attention back on Fallon.
“Tell her,” I said coolly. “Tell her you’re a lying piece of shit who had no intentions of saving her.”
“I’m s-sorry,” Fallon choked out. “I made a mistake.”
“You-you lied to me?” The look on Bianca’s face put more splinters into my heart. She’d really believed he cared about her.
Fallon swallowed. “No. And yes. I-I wanted to save Natalia. He promised to let her go if I killed you.”
Bianca’s eyes widened.
“B-But then he changed the deal and wanted me to me bring you to him.” He hung his head, his next words nearly a whisper, “That’s why I told you to be with the kings.
To be with Dominic. I-I thought he loved you and would save you from his father.
Then I’d be able to save my sister. And then maybe—"
“Don’t even finish that fucking sentence,” Levin snarled, moving his gun from Bianca’s direction to Fallon’s. “This is your fault. Everything tonight is because you put your dick where it didn’t belong.”
“I love her,” Fallon ground out, his chest heaving. “But my sister is the only family I have left—”
“You have your piece of shit father,” Vincent countered.
Fallon glared up at him through his swollen eyelids.
“My father is dead to me.” He licked his lips and turned back to Bianca.
“I love you, Bianca Walker. I fucked up, but I had the best intentions. I swear I did. If Dominic wouldn’t have saved you, I would’ve come back for you.
You’re strong. You know you are. I know you are .
That’s why I had to make the choice I did.
Natalia isn’t like you. She’s tender and weak.
” A tear slid down his bloody cheek. “I’ll die for you.
And I’m OK with that because I got the chance to love you and feel what it was liked to be loved back by you. ”
A soft sob left Bianca’s lips as she quaked on her knees.
Fallon stared straight ahead, accepting his fate. “Seeley, just so you know, I have information about Stefan. I know who killed him.”
Of all the shit I thought he’d say, that was the one thing I didn’t expect. I’d prepared for some begging and bartering, but this? Vasiliev was a smart prick.
Levin’s eyes widened as he looked to me.
I knew it was taking everything he had to not pull the trigger.
I gave him a curt nod, and he moved behind Vasiliev and bent down.
Levin said something none of us could hear before pulling something from his pocket.
It was too dark for me to see what the hell he was doing, but a moment later, Levin backed up and kicked Fallon to the ground and dropped whatever he’d had in his hand.
Fallon tumbled forward, hitting the ground hard. Levin aimed his gun at Fallon and pulled the trigger twice.
The wail from Bianca in the darkness sent chills down my spine.
“Fallon! Fallon!” She crawled on her hands and knees in her blue homecoming dress, trying to get to him.
Vincent grabbed her and fought to keep her away from his body, but she twisted and screamed, clawing and hitting him. He let out a snarl as she got his face, sending blood down his cheek from her claws.
Vincent pinned her to the ground. “Behave, baby B. Please .”
“Fuck you,” she shrieked, bucking beneath him. “Fuck you all!”
I shoved Vincent away and snagged her, hauling her to her feet. She swung at me, teeth bared before spitting in my face. I wiped away her spit before I pushed her against a tree and held her there.
“Do you think I enjoy doing this?” I demanded. “Do you think this is where I want to be right now? Do you fucking think , I want this?”
“You killed him! You fucking killed him.” Her body went limp as it shook with sobs.
“He betrayed you, Bianca.”
“He was trying to save his sister.”
“He was going to leave you to an unimaginable hell,” I said softly.
“You would’ve saved me,” she choked out. “I know you would have. It didn’t need to be this way.”
“You’re right. It didn’t, but it is.” I wiped a tear from her cheek. “Why’d you run?”
“L-Levin s-said I didn’t mean anything to—”
“You really believed that shit?” Anger coursed through me. I thought we’d proven how much we cared. I wasn’t an expert on matters of the heart, but I thought we’d put up a good effort.
“Levin said you were cheating,” she whispered.
I swallowed. Shit. Why had he told her that? “I did have my cock sucked by some girl earlier who was forced into it by my father. She was murdered after she finished. I didn’t want it. She sure as hell didn’t. That is the level of hell Fallon was going to deliver you to. And you still love him?”
“What does it matter? You murdered him!” She got her strength back and fought against me again.
I slammed her back into the tree, trying to get her to focus. I leaned in as her teeth gnashed at me.
“I made you a promise, and I kept it.” I pressed my lips to hers, not expecting her to kiss me back and not surprised when she tried to bite me. “For what it’s worth, I loved you the moment you ran into me in the hallway on day one.”
I released her, and she fell to her knees, her arms wrapped around her body as it quivered with sobs.
“Levin, I made you a promise too. Take care of her. Get rid of the bodies.”
He gazed down at Bianca, his face expressionless.
I stepped away from her and held my arm out to Vincent, who was barely holding his shit together.
My body hummed with desperation and sadness as I sent up a silent prayer for Levin to make the move that I couldn't. If he pulled that trigger, the realization that Bianca would leave this world forever crashed over me, nearly taking me to my knees.
A world without her in it wouldn't be a world at all.
It would be a hell I wouldn't want to exist in.
The alternative for her was worse though if my father got her. So much worse. . .
I forced myself to be strong. “Come on. We need to find Ivanov and those other two pricks.”
Vincent jerked out of my hold and darted to Bianca, wrapping his arms around her.
“Vincent!” I shouted.
“I’m telling her goodbye,” he snapped back, his voice shaking. “So fuck off.”
I moved to Vasiliev’s body and grabbed the necklace around his neck and yanked it off to show to Ivanov.
I paused for a moment as the item Levin had dropped caught my eye.
I smiled before straightening up, surprised at Levin’s boldness, but not mad about it.
I hoped he’d called my bluff. I needed him to because I was too angry to withdraw.
Truth of the matter was, I wanted to teach Bianca a lesson, but I needed someone to draw the line for me.
And if he didn’t wind up pulling his punches with Bianca, then that would be a cross we’d all bear. Together. No one fucked with a king without learning a hard lesson. Even those we loved.
“Valentino, war waits for no man. Move it.” I gestured for him to hurry.
Vincent kissed Bianca. She didn’t bite him, but she didn’t kiss him back either. She was empty, accepting her fate.
“I love you,” Vincent said softly into the night before getting to his feet and backing away.
Bianca’s response was only to sob a little more. My heart went out to her. This shit was hard, and I hated it had come to this. I took Vincent's arm and led him away as Levin shifted to stand behind Bianca, his gun leveled on her head.
“Don’t look, Vin,” I said softly, my heart hammering so hard in my chest I was afraid it could be heard. Call my bluff, Levin. Call my bluff. Call my fucking bluff. “We never show weakness.”
Vincent didn’t turn around, nor did I, as a single shot rang out in the darkness. Instead, Vincent stumbled, and I caught him as his chest heaved and my heart shattered.
Fuck. Fuck. Please, Levin. Call my bluff.
The soft sound of a body hitting the ground sounded out in the quiet night.
“She’s dead,” Vincent choked out. “S-she’s gone. Baby B. Fuck. My baby B.”
The hardest part was over.
Now, we really went to war.