Page 41 of Bishop

She lunges the final foot toward him with a raised hand, cutting off his reprimand with a brutal slap across his cheek.

His head wrenches to the side, the savage clap ringing off the walls.

“How could you?” She slaps him again and again, battering his face. “You fucking bastard.”

Remy retreats, raising his arms to defend against the blows without retaliating while I remain still, gorging on her exquisite violence.

“Ease up.” Salvatore grabs her wrist with a yank.

“Fuck you.” She elbows her older brother in the gut, then swings around with a cocked fist.

“I’ll hit you back, Bree,” he warns. “You know I will.”

She launches anyway, the crack landing on his jaw.

She doesn’t flinch with the bone-crunching impact. Neither does he.

“You were warned.” His nostrils flare as he raises a hand.

“Hit her and we’re going to have issues.” I pull my gun from the back of my pants, the weapon dripping water on the fucking floor as I aim at his head.

With my current luck, if I shoot, this motherfucker will backfire. But I’m willing to risk it if Salvatore gives me the excuse to finally make him eat lead.

He snarls, his eyes hard on mine as she strikes him again, this time with an open palm.

I lunge the final step toward her, wrap my free arm around her waist and haul her off the ground. She kicks, swipes, and swings, but the fury isn’t directed at me. Even while contained, she tries to attack her brothers.

“How could you be so stupid?” she screams. “So selfish?”

Both men straighten, standing to their full height, ignoring her as they pin me with incredulity.

“Are you responsible for what happened to her neck?” Remy ignores her, thumbing a swollen spot on his lip.

“No.” My denial is barely heard over her continued outrage.

“How could you kill him?” she screeches. “What did you do to our mother?”

I backtrack, carrying her toward the stairs.

“Mom took off,” Salvatore sneers. “She ran.”

“And Dad?” She quits swinging and wiggles instead, her ass rubbing against my crotch as she attempts to escape my hold. It’s not the most opportune time for a hard-on, but if she doesn’t stop that’s exactly what she’s going to get. “What did you do with him?”

“Lorenzo’s men took care of it.” Remy keeps touching his lip, poking it with his tongue.

“It?” she accuses. “Are you referring to our dead father?”

“Calm yourself, belladonna,” I grate in her ear. “Hysterics will get you nowhere.”

She elbows my side, my arms momentarily weakened.

She shoves from my hold and jabs a menacing finger at her brothers. “Fuck you both.” She turns on her heels and scrambles up the stairs.

Jesus Christ.

I wipe a hand down my face as she disappears into the upper level.

She’s fucking exhausting. A whirlwind of emotional upheaval. I don’t know where she gets the strength to be such a nightmare.

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