Page 80 of Killer Love

“Six, actually.” Gio smiles and points at them. “Along with the sniper outside. I figured if one wasn’t enough, then six would be plenty to get the job done this time.”

“Well, you wouldn’t be a Zappia if you weren’t overcompensating.”

Gio pauses. “You’re going to crack jokes like that now, Lutrova? With six guns pointed at your head?”

“The only joke in this room is you, Gio,” he replies, his breath calm and steady. “You had to hire a squad of mercenaries to beat me. Is it really any wonder at all why you could never satisfy her?”

Gio drops his smirk.

“Oh, Sofia,” Luka whispers, his lips curling. “The things I do to her… and the things she does for me…”

Gio lunges forward and slams his pistol across Luka’s jaw. I cringe and keep Lucian’s attention on me, praying that he never holds onto any memory of this.

Luka chuckles. “You should have seen her this morning…”

“Luka…” I say, urging him to stop.

Gio twists in my direction. “No, let him finish…” he says, his voice dry and cold. “It’ll be all the more satisfying when I shoot him.”

“Oh, please…” Luka says. “You’re not shooting anybody.”

“Really?” Gio limps back over to me and lays the gun against my cheek again. “Let’s see if that’s true…”

Luka falls silent and anger returns to his eyes. Provoking Gio was obviously supposed to keep that gun away from me and Lucian and pointed at him instead.

“Don’t do that,” he warns.

“Does it make you angry, Lutrova?” Gio asks. “Watching as another man takes something from you?” He grabs my arm and yanks me out of my chair. “Well, keep your eyes peeled… because this is really going to piss you off.”

Gio shoves me forward to bend me over the table. My face slaps against it and fresh pain fires through my cheek as he leans over me.

“I’ve done some thinking,” he says, grinding his hips against me. “I’ve come to realize… that I don’t want your bastard, Lutrova. I want what was promised to me…”

“Please, stop,” I whimper.

Gio digs his gun into my side, pushing deep toward my belly. “I want my wife to give me my heirs.”

“I don’t know, Gio…” Luka says, taking another shot at drawing him away from me. “You’ve been trying for two years. Are you sure there isn’t anything wrong with you?”

“Let’s find out.”

I slam a fist against the table. “Gio, please—” I cry. “Not in front of Lucian! Please!”

He leans down to whisper in my ear. “I’m getting tired of you saying my name, wife…”

I tremble beneath him, cringing at the stink of his breath. He stands back up and the familiar sound of his zipper behind me makes me nauseous. He shoves my flannel slacks and panties down. A few of the agents titter with delight at my humiliation.

I look at Luka through a veil of tears. I can see the stubborn defiance in his eyes as plain as day. He’s not going to sit there and let this happen. His eyes shift. His muscles twitch. Any second now, he’ll lash out, and one of them will fire a bullet that will end him.

I can’t let him do it. I can’t let him die when I could try and end this myself.

“Stop, please!” I say. “Stop and I’ll go with you!”

Luka deflates. “Sofia—”

“I will go with you,” I say it again, craning my neck to look at Gio. “Please, spare him. Please.”

Gio digs his fingers into my scalp and twists. I wince as follicles snap. “He’s already dead, Sofia…”

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