Page 62 of Her Cruel Bodyguard

I am close enough for him to choke me if he wants to, but I doubt he meant it when he threatened to kill me. I know he could kill Nina, and he would kill everyone else, including my father, but he draws the line at me, and it might be for the simple reason that I remind him of our mother.

“Get away from me, kiddo,” he balls his fists, and I stumble back, not wanting to give us more gruesome memories.

Fabio steps in and leans down to whisper something in one of the warden’s ear. The man relays the information to the rest, and they nod.

It doesn’t look good.

“What is it?” I step closer to Fabio, tugging at his suit jacket.

“Nothing, baby,” he turns to me with a tenderness in his eyes that masks the hatred he feels for Salvatore. The one I had seen while he was whispering to the man.

I point at the wardens, “You told them something.”

“Nothing for you to worry about,” he cradles my face. “Trust me,” he levels our gazes and kisses me softly on the lips.

“Pathetic fools,” Salvatore grunts.

“Wait here for me with Nina,” Fabio presses a kiss on my forehead, and I nod, accepting his request. I trust him.

He wouldn’t do anything he knows will hurt me, and by this, I mean kill Salvatore. I am not ready to let go of my brother yet. Fabio looks like he would gladly consider that option, but I trust him. Besides, I don’t see anyone in this room who wouldn’t consider killing Salvatore.

I nod. “Be careful, I will be here.”

“My perfect baby,” he kisses me on the lips, and I feel butterflies in my stomach. I like hearing him compliment me. It does something to me and makes me want to keep being good for him. “Keep being this perfect, and I will start thinking God gives a fuck about me,” he smiles and kisses my cheek.

He pulls away, scans me from head to toe, and bites his lower lip as his eyes darken. He tuts, then heads for the door. I am still trying to find the rhythm of my heartbeat when my eyes meet the grimacing face of Salvatore. I shrug and look away.

Lev tips his head at Nina and goes out the door. The wardens manhandle Salvatore, and he puts up a fight to make it worse, but they overpower him, dragging him out of the room.

He doesn’t want to go with them, and I am afraid I know why.

He knows whatever awaits him can’t be good.

I trust Fabio not to overdo it, but I know him enough to know Salvatore is in for it.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

FABIO

“You are planning what I am thinking?” Lev drawls beside me, buff body and a gruffer voice coming out of a man as young as him than you would expect.

“Perhaps,” I keep strutting, uncaring for a struggling Salvatore behind us as he gnarls and curses.

Salvatore knows the day of reckoning is today.

I can’t kill him despite how much I still want to, especially hearing him threaten Eva and Nina. No one should cause my baby such pain or think they can threaten the people who are mine to protect and get away with it. But I also have it at the back of my mind that Salvatore’s death will shatter her and her father.

I like that she trusted me. Her trust in me makes me always want to protect her best interests.

I meant every word when I told her I would live for her. Everything I do, I will do for her. And I love the dynamics of her being so submissive yet a little bratty when she wants something. I love that all it takes is a pout to get me to rethink my tone or decisions.

I love the peace she has brought me. It is like my past horrors never happened. I sleep better at night, eat better because food tastes better now, and the air I breathe feels lighter and not like something infused with lead.

The fucking bastard Salvatore somehow still plays a bad role by being alive. It is probably a good thing he is out of my fucking way before I do something stupid.

He is a lucky bastard.

But today, I will give him a souvenir for messing with the people I love. He knows what that means. He has been around me long enough to witness what I am capable of when I am pissed off, and there was a time he had learned a few skills from me.

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