Chapter Twenty-Six
The meat tenderizer raised above his head, Lev cornered me. He cut off my way to the only door of the house. I moved sideways, trying to come up with a plan. “What about Sasha?”
“The cats will eat him, too.”
“He’s your uncle,” I said, appalled. Not that I wasn’t familiar with cruelty within the closest family.
“My family despises me for doing drugs. They keep locking me up in rehab facilities.”
“Because they care.”
He grinned. “You can stop talking. I won’t spare you. This is the deal of a lifetime.”
My gaze crossed the hooks dangling from the ceiling. They looked sturdy enough to carry a huge chunk of meat, even if I’d only seen them with rabbits. Lev wasn’t very tall, and he was lanky. The hooks might carry him. But how would I attach him to the hook?
I backed away toward the wall panel that operated the flap and the hooks, then climbed the step toward the elevated platform.
“You can’t run,” he said with a sneer.
“I don’t want to,” I said, with a hard smile, which caught him off guard.
He paused briefly, then raised the tenderizer over his head.
He wore a wide leather wristband on his raised arm.
This might work. When he stood right in front of the platform, I used my chance and jumped at him.
But the momentum and his lack of strength sent us toppling backward and slamming into the wall.
Despite his lankiness, he was stronger than me, but he was obviously not used to fighting.
I sank my teeth into his cheek as hard as I could, drawing blood but pulling back before I tore his flesh off.
He screeched and covered his cheek with his free hand.
I snatched at the hook. I could only move it about ten inches down by the tight wire rope.
Using his moment of agony, I gripped his arm with both hands and slid the leather wristband over the hook.
His eyes shot open, and he stared up at his hand still holding the meat tenderizer, now attached to the hook.
He lashed out at me, but I stumbled back before he could reach me and slammed my fingers down on the two buttons that Nestore had used to open the flap and move the hooks.
With a groan, the steel flap at the top slid open, and the hook began moving, dragging Lev backward with it.
Unfortunately for him, the opening near the ceiling meant he slammed into the wall.
The hook creaked, the engine roared, then it jerked Lev off his feet.
The angle at which his arm hit the edge of the opening twisted it, and a sickening crunch sounded.
Lev’s face filled with agony, but any sound was knocked out of him as the wire moved farther and dragged his body up and then through the opening.
I hurried toward the window to watch as he dropped down, still dangling from the hook by the leather wristband.
His arm was twisted at the elbow, his shoulder was luxated, and his wrist was bleeding from an open fracture.
His feet and knees slid over the ground as the machine dragged him through the enclosure.
He screamed and tried to get his footing—to no avail.
The cheetahs had abandoned their hunt and trotted after him, obviously unsure what to do with their unusual prey.
Cheetahs were too shy of humans. I wished he were in the tiger habitat.
I paused, stunned by my vengeful thoughts, but I realized I didn’t feel any pity for the man who had tried to kill me brutally so he could have a lifetime supply of drugs. And not just me, but also his uncle.
I chanced a look over my shoulder at Sasha’s still unmoving form.
Hopping off the platform, I moved to his side and got down on my haunches, then pressed my fingers to his throat.
I immediately found his pulse. After years of checking on Nestore in the same manner, I was an expert.
Blood trickled from a laceration at his hairline above his forehead, and a fat lump was forming.
That he was alive didn’t mean he’d stay alive. A head injury was no joke.
I reached for the walkie-talkie attached to the back of his belt.
I had never used one before, but I had watched the staff doing it on occasion.
I pressed a big button on the side that I’d seen others use before they spoke into the walkie-talkie.
“This is Amelia Romano. I’m in the cheetah house.
Sasha and I were attacked by his nephew. He needs reinforcements.”
The line crackled, then a distorted voice sounded. “Reinforcements are on the way. Get to safety.”
I glanced over my shoulder into the enclosure, where Lev was still being dragged around in a wide circle. He was crying. He wasn’t even trying to remove his wristband or get off the hook in another fashion. How could he give up this quickly?
His bad. His death wouldn’t be pleasant.
Sasha groaned.
“Hey,” I said quietly. “Don’t move. You have a head injury.”
Sasha’s eyes slid open, then widened. He grimaced, his eyes going cross for an instant before they focused on me once more. He tried to get his arm under himself to push up, but failed. “Don’t move!” I ordered. “You’ll make it worse.”
“I need to protect you.”
I let out a laugh. “It’s a little too late for that. I handled your nephew.” I pointed toward the enclosure, and Sasha followed my gaze. He sagged back. “That’s why he made you his wife.”
I pursed my lips but didn’t have time to dwell on the comment as the door to the enclosure slammed open and four armed guards stormed in. Rodolfo rushed to my side and pulled me to my feet.
“I’m safe,” I said, a little annoyed. “He’s inside the enclosure.”
Rodolfo still held my wrist as he scanned the enclosure. Lev was at the very end, but slowly the machine dragged him back toward the window.
“Let her go,” said a deep, familiar voice that warmed my belly. My eyes darted to the door, where Nestore towered in black clothes, a fur coat, and a bone crown.
Rodolfo released me when Nestore stalked into the room and cradled my face in his scarred palms. His expression was haunted. “I left you, and you almost died.”
“I’m alive.”
He shook his head with a growl. “I would have never forgiven myself.”
“I handled it.”
“But you shouldn’t have had to. I promised myself you’d be safe from violence.” He brushed his thumb across my lips, then showed me the blood.
“It’s not mine,” I said. “I bit his cheek to startle him.”
It was only then that I tasted the metallic tang of blood in my mouth.
Nestore bent down and kissed my forehead, then each of my cheeks, and lastly my lips.
“Never again will I allow someone to get this close to hurting you. Never.” His voice rang with viciousness as he stepped back and turned toward his men.
“Why did he get close to killing my wife?”
Rodolfo lowered his head. “She wanted to feed the wildcats with Sasha and his new helper. You know, his nephew.”
Nestore’s eyes slanted to Sasha, who stilled, resignation filling his gaze as if he knew this was his death sentence. “You vouched for him.”
“I thought he was clean… I’m sorry, sir.”
Nestore’s expression remained cold and pitiless. He moved toward the glass when Lev was dragged past it. “The cheetahs don’t know what to do with him. Maybe they need a little encouragement.”
“Aren’t you going to question him?” Rodolfo asked.
Nestore took a knife from his holder and threw it at the man. The blade impaled itself in his shoulder. Rodolfo cried out and gripped the handle, his skin becoming pale.
“Never doubt me again,” Nestore snarled, then held out his hand. “I need my knife back.”
Rodolfo curled his fingers around the handle, his face scrunching up with agony, and perspiration shining on his forehead.
He pulled the blade out, then sagged to his knees.
With a trembling hand, he held up the blood-covered knife.
Nestore took it from him, then held out his free hand for me.
I put mine into his, and he led me out toward a door in the fencing around the enclosure.
He unlocked it with a key dangling from a small key chain in his pocket. “Do you want to join me?”
I nodded. He gave me a slight smile and led me into the enclosure. The cheetahs raised their head and looked our way, but they didn’t come closer. They had lost interest in Lev.
Nestore made a slashing motion at the window, and the machine stopped. Lev looked our way, and his eyes grew wide when he spotted Nestore. He wound himself and then cried out in pain. Nestore shook his head as he led me toward the dangling Lev.
“You broke your arm and wrist in several places. This must be painful,” Nestore said matter-of-factly.
“Yes,” Lev gasped, his expression lighting up with hope as if he thought Nestore pitied him.
I almost rolled my eyes at him.
“The pain you’re feeling now is nothing compared to the agony I’ll inflict on you for attacking my wife.”
Lev blinked, then stilled like a scared mouse when Nestore stopped in front of him. Disgust and rage twisted Nestore’s regal features. “Pathetic. You really thought you could kill a Romano? The woman destined to be at my side?”
Lev didn’t say anything. His pants turned dark in the crotch area as he peed himself.
Nestore’s lips curled. “Let’s see if we can make the cheetahs take notice.”
Nestore bent forward and sliced his blade along Lev’s calf in several fast, slashing motions. Lev jerked and screamed. Nestore motioned toward the window, and the steel wire began moving again, dragging Lev behind. The gashes in his calf dripped blood on the ground.
The cheetahs sniffed the air, and finally, one of them began to trot after Lev.
I watched the elegant cat as it sniffed at Lev’s leg. He screamed and kicked out. The animal was too quick but obviously didn’t like resisting prey.
“I guess you’ll have to toss him into the tiger enclosure,” I said.
Nestore turned to me with a curious look.
I shrugged. “He tried to butcher me with a meat tenderizer.”