I'd never seen anything so gruesome. Even though I'd been around it, I'd never witnessed it firsthand.
I had to fight to keep myself from puking
Blood was everywhere.
The man's body was convulsing.
And then Sergio leaned down and whispered, "You're lucky I didn't cut out your heart, you bastard." He slowly rose to his feet as the man grabbed his hand and tried to scoot away.
Sergio let him make it as far as the door before he bent down and scooped up his discarded gun, firing one shot, directly to the back of the man's head.
The room was silent again.
"Why?" I asked.
"Why what?" Sergio dropped the gun and cleaned off the machete.
"Why give him hope? Why let him think you were letting him go?"
Sergio turned to me, his eyes dark. "Criminals are still human… and it would be inhumane to not give them one last flicker of hope."
"Or maybe," I argued, "it's worse… letting them see freedom, yet taking it from them?"
"Maybe." Sergio calmly placed the knife on the table and walked toward me. "Are you alright?"
I took a step back, holding my hands up.
He frowned. "Andi, I would never hurt you."
The room was tilting, my breathing uneven. I knew — I knew he wouldn't hurt me, but he'd just cut off a man's hand.
"I just need a minute."
Sergio sneered. "So that's it? You see what I'm capable of, and suddenly we're back at square one?"
"No." I shook my head. "I'm just in shock."
"So sit down."
"No." I braced my hands against my legs. "Why did you cut off his hand?"
"To mail it to your father."
"You gonna put a bow on it and wrap it in
Frozen
wrapping paper too?"
"Yeah, and remind me to include a Christmas ham." He pulled out his cell and barked into it. "I need clean up at my house, Nixon."
I could hear yelling in the background.
Sergio sighed. "No. No survivors."
Silence.
He threw the phone onto one of the tables and reached out his hand to me. "Come on. Let's get you cleaned up."
"What?" I looked down at my hands. "I'm not the one draped in blood."
Sergio sighed. "Your clothes… you have blood splatters all over you."
"Well, maybe you shouldn't be so messy next time."
"Did you just make a joke?" Sergio was incredulous. "After I killed four people and tortured one of them?"
"What?" I shrugged. "Did you expect fainting?"
"Yes."
Ignoring him, I crossed my arms. "This wasn't on my honeymoon list."
"No shit." He barked out a laugh. "Really though, are you okay?"
A smile formed across my lips. "I will be."
"Alright."
"If you do one thing for me…"
He frowned.
"Buy me a gun like that… better yet, can I have yours?"
"Hell, no!" He gripped his gun like it was a small child. "Nobody touches my gun."
"Which one?" I winked. "I'm game for both."
"Unbelievable." He swore. "How are you joking right now?"
I reached for his hand then jerked him against my body. The gun clattered to the floor. "Kiss me."
"Andi—"
"You know you want to."
His eyes were burning holes through me.
"And your fighting skills, kinda hot, minus the torture part." I kissed him hard on the mouth.
With a groan, he lifted me into the air and slammed me against the picture less wall, his boots crunching glass beneath them.
I pushed back; he stumbled, his legs colliding with one of the coffee tables. A vase hit the floor.
I smirked as he pushed the rest of the contents off the table and lifted me onto it. My legs wrapped around his waist. His hands were already ripping my shirt off while I started unbuttoning his pants and sliding them off his narrow hips.
The man was ripped.
Chiseled, tightly packed muscles met my fingertips as I pulled his shirt over his head next.
I could really begin to like black boxer briefs.
His mouth was frenzied as he bit along my jaw then took my lips captive. His tongue wickedly teased. I couldn't get enough. I needed him to kiss me harder. With a groan, I tried to pull him onto me, but he wouldn't let me. Instead, he jerked back then reached for something next to me on the table.
The knife.
"Trust me," he whispered, before pressing it against my chest and sliding it down the front, cutting off my bra. It slid lower, down my hip.
I shivered in response as goose bumps broke out across my skin.
The knife dug into my hip and then slid against my underwear. He used the knife to dangle them in front of me. They fell to the floor.
"Cute trick," I breathed.
"I have lots of tricks." Knife still in hand, he gripped me by the arms and slid me backward across the table then crawled on top. He was like a beast stalking his prey. I'd never been so turned on in my life.
He tossed the knife to the ground and pinned me against the table using his body.
"Fifteen." He bit my lip.
What was with him and biting? And why did I like it so much? My body couldn't help but respond, arching toward him, begging for release.
"Aw, you gonna count for me, Dracula?"
"I see what you did there." He licked my lower lip. "I think I like that pet name better than Italy."
"You bite," I said a little breathless as his mouth hovered over mine, his body pressing me against the wood table. I could feel every hard inch of him. "I like it."
He grazed his teeth across my stomach. His hands splayed across my belly as he slid then kicked his briefs off.
Sergio was right in warning me. He wasn't about making love — but he was about making me want him more than anything in my life. Everything about him was hard — rough edges, nothing soft, nothing smooth. There was no taking his time or licking every inch of me. There was possession, plain and simple. No room for adoration in his mind. Just sex.
I shouldn't have been okay with it.
But for some reason, it excited me to know that this man, the one who was so haunted by life — and so controlled and effortless in his killings — couldn't control himself around me.
"I warned you." His mouth met mine in a ferocious kiss, making me forget all the reasons I had in my brain for stopping him.
"More," I whispered.
"Beg."
"More!" I screamed.
He lifted my legs and hooked them over his shoulders. I couldn't help it — my eyes widened.
And then a hard knock sounded at the door.
And another.
Sergio froze.
I blinked, my eyes most likely mirroring the horror in his.
He jumped off me and threw one of the blankets on the couch in my direction, just as the door opened.
He didn't bother to cover himself up.
I, however, wrapped up like it was zero below.
"Holy shit!" Chase burst out laughing. "Really, dude? You do realize there's four dead bodies surrounding your little love nest?"
Sergio started stalking toward him. I grabbed his arm and jerked him back. Did he not realize he was still naked?
Nixon followed, his eyes scanning the mess of blood and bodies before turning to us. "Nice work…"
"Amazing," Chase muttered. "Leave it to Nixon to comment on the dead bodies rather than the naked ones."
Nixon smirked, but other than that, didn't comment.
"Serg…" Chase shook his head and leaned down to examine the lone bloody hand. "…not your best work. The cut is off a few inches."
"Yeah well," Sergio started pulling on his jeans. "Russia here only managed to find the smaller of the two machetes."
"I knew it!" I shouted.
"Russia…" Chase tsked. "…I'm disappointed. Always grab the bigger machete. Always."
"Life lesson number one," Sergio said under his breath.
"You just make a joke?" Chase tilted his head. "Hmmm, I'm amazed you're in such a good mood, considering what I just walked in on…"
"Thus the good mood," I finished, defending Sergio.
"Ah, the good mood hadn't started yet… or… should I say… finished?" Chase chuckled.
Nixon joined Chase near the floor and sighed. "You gonna mail it out or should I?"
"Allow me." Sergio's jaw clenched. "You know what this means, right?"
"Yeah." Nixon rubbed his face with his hands. "I know. It means you need security."
"Because of me?" I said lamely.
Sergio wrapped his arm around my shoulders. It was completely unexpected but welcome. I curled into him, resting my head on his strong chest.
Nixon glanced up, his eyes piercing through the darkness in the room. "Sorry, Andi. It's what's best for now. Not only would it be horrible if anything happened to you, but if something happened to Sergio too… it would be too big for us as a family to ignore, meaning, a war we don't want to start."
"Hell, we're already in it." Chase nodded in my direction. "The minute we offered her protection."
"They wanted me alive," I offered. "They weren't going to kill me yet."
Nixon stood. "Well, that's interesting."
"Shit..." Sergio gripped me tighter. "…they'd only keep her alive for one reason, Nixon. You know that."
Nixon's eyes darkened. "Hell."
Chase gave me a sympathetic look before reaching down and searching each of the men's pockets. I assumed for ID.
"What?" I squinted at Nixon. "What's it mean?"
"Intel…" Nixon sighed, then rubbed the back of his head with his hand. "They'd keep you alive only as long as you were valuable. They'd be banking on the fact that Sergio would either come after you, giving them permission to start something — or if he didn't, they'd simply torture you in order to gain as much information as possible before killing you."
"Don't." I jerked away from Sergio. "Don't you ever come after me."
"Wait, what?" Sergio blinked in confusion. "You married into this, Andi. There is no out. I protect you. I keep you safe. That's the deal."
"And I'm saying no." I shook my head. "Protect me as well as you can, but if something happens, if they take me, don't follow."
Sergio rolled his eyes. "Don't be dramatic. I'd have no choice."
I held his gaze. "If I even think you're going to be going all
Robin Hood: Men in Tights
on me, I swear I'll find a way to kill myself."
Chase muttered a curse under his breath while Nixon held up his hands and made quick work moving the bodies.
Sergio stood still as a statue. "That's not your call to make."
"The hell it is!" I hissed, pushing at his naked chest. "You're not putting your family in jeopardy. You're not starting a pissing match with my father over me. It's not worth it. I'm not worth it, remember? Weren't you saying that just a few days ago? What's changed, huh?" It was unfair, baiting him, making him see his own weakness when it came to me. I knew the walls were crumbling, and a few minutes ago I couldn't have been happier, but now I knew there was a reason they needed to stay up.
it wasn't just my life on the line, but his.
Sergio's eyes flashed. "Right." He bit his bottom lip and stomped away from me. The front door opened, a few more men shuffled in and started bagging the bodies.
The hand, however, was left on the floor.
It stared at me.
It represented so many things — all things that could be prevented if Sergio would just get his head out of his ass.
Nixon motioned for one of the men to grab the last body. "Put enough weights in the bags for them to sink fast. I don't want evidence anywhere."
The man nodded, and then Nixon held up his hand and stopped him. He walked over to the last body and snapped a picture of the horror-stricken face.
"Kodak moment." Chase nodded. "Gonna print that out and send it to Pops?"
"With some vodka attached." Nixon smirked. "He'll expect one present… not two." He brought his attention to Sergio, who was leaning against the wall as far away as possible from me. "Think you could bug the hand somehow?"
Sergio shrugged. "It's not a matter of not being able to, but hiding it is a bit difficult. Besides, it's not like they're going to keep the hand hanging out on their kitchen table for a few days so we can gain intel."
"The watch." I pointed. "Put it in the watch."
"Shhh…" Chase winked at me. "The men are talking now."
I rolled my eyes and stomped over to the hand. With a flourish, I picked the bloody mess off the floor and unbuckled the Rolex watch. I flipped it over and held it out. "Put the device inside the watch. I may not know my father, but I know how he operates. The Rolex is always given as good faith that money will be dished out once he completes his assignment. It makes sense, right? Give the guy a Rolex, something more expensive than the car he drives, and suddenly all he sees is money. My father will keep it, believe me. He won't let the hand and the watch go into the trash."
"Because he can't afford more?"
"No." I sighed. "Because he's stingy. He'll use the same watch next time. I guarantee it. It would be a waste not to, and Petrov hates waste."
I tossed the watch to Nixon and smacked Chase on the back. "I'll just let the men have their talk now."
Chase glared while Nixon handed the watch to Sergio. "Make it happen."
"Yup." Sergio was already inspecting the watch like a chocolate addict inspects a Hershey bar. I'd never understand what was so fascinating about listening devices and hacking, but Sergio seemed to be on high just thinking about the technological possibilities.
"Get some sleep." Nixon's voice interrupted my blatant staring.
"Right." I nodded. "I'll get on that."
"Don't you mean under that?" Chase whispered.
I elbowed him in the ribs.
"You forget she stole Tex's gun and landed Sergio on his ass." Nixon chuckled. "Tread carefully, or Mil's going to want to know how you got a black eye."
"Or two," I finished sweetly.
"Fine." Chase yawned. "I'm going to go back to bed now."
The guys left, the door closing softly. I quickly walked over to the lock and turned it hard.
"Nixon will leave men, Andi." Sergio was behind me, his hand placed over my trembling hand. "You're safe tonight."