Page 97 of Lucky's Trouble

It feels nice to listen to the pervert get reamed, even though I hate the person doing the yelling. But before I can deliver a snide smile to the guard, a loud bang echoes through the room, exploding in my ears. My right side—the side the guard was on—is sprayed with something warm.

I double over, clamping my hands over my ears, and scream. A flailing arm hits my back, and I’m nearly knocked down by two hundred pounds of dead weight. And I mean, literally dead weight because Sir yanks me out of the way, and I notice a gun in his hand.

“Y-you sh-shot h-him?” I stutter, my entire body trembling. Sir pulls me into his side, not caring that we’re both now covered in red.

Even knowing I won’t like what I see on the ground next to me, my eyes betray me, and I glance down to see the guard crumpled in a heap, the back of his head blown open wide. A sharp pain shoots through my chest and my knees buckle, but I don’t fall, thanks to Sir’s tight hold around my waist.

“He knew the rules, and he broke them. He also knew the consequences. Should a grown man not be held accountable for his actions?” He tucks the gun back into his shoulder holster.

My ears are still ringing, but his lips are so close, I hear every word. I understood that Sir was a bad man last night. I knew he was insane and sadistic, but he just killed a man in his dining room, in the middle of the day, with people milling about everywhere. This man is deadly, and I’m now afraid of him for a whole new reason.

A woman dressed in black pants and a short-sleeved black shirt appears in the doorway. She tsks and mutters something under her breath as she lifts the guard’s feet and drags him out of the room, leaving a trail of blood as she goes. Seconds later, she returns with a mop and bucket, still muttering.

Another woman, dressed similarly, walks in with a washcloth on her hand. She’s nonplussed by my nudity as Sir steps back and allows her to wipe me down. This is surreal. Am I having a nightmare? There’s no way this is real life.

“Pinch me,” I say to her.

For the first time since she began washing me, she meets my gaze. “I’m sorry?”

“Pinch me, please.”

Uncomfortable, she glances at Sir, who shakes his head. “She thinks she’s dreaming.”

“Oh.” She folds the dirty part of the cloth over and wipes down my face, and then, without another word, she walks out. I guess Sir doesn’t get the same treatment.

“Now that that’s over, let’s enjoy our breakfast.” He motions for me to sit.

My stomach rejects that idea, bile shooting up my throat. How can he think about food when there’s blood and brains in the grout? That same blood is drying on his face as we speak, and he wants breakfast? Then there’s the fact that I am still fucking naked.

When I make no move to do as he asks, his arm falls. “I assumed you were more experienced with the way things work in my world. Neal didn’t seem like the type to hide the darker side of the business, but judging by your shocked expression, I can see I was wrong.”

“You’re asking if he ever shot anyone while I was standing naked just inches away?”

“Well, maybe not this exact scenario, but yeah.”

“Are you fucking insane or just delusional?” I explode, noting his confusion. “No, seriously, which one?”

“I don’t like your tone, Pet.” His eyes narrow, growing darker by the second.

“Join the fucking club because I don’t like a lot of things right now, and all of them have to do with you,” I say. Like I said, today I’m pissed.

His hands tuck into his front pockets, and he lets out an audible sigh. “This is unfortunate. I had high hopes of us enjoying a lovely breakfast and getting to know one another better, but that’s obviously not going to happen.”

“Damn straight, so why don’t you just find another guard to take me back up to my room?”

He clicks in tongue, shifting his weight from foot to foot and tapping his lower lip with a finger as he contemplates for a long minute. I don’t know if this is an act or if he’s just an overly dramatic person. My guess is the latter since he hasn’t broken character once since I met him.

“I have a better idea, one that will get us back on track.” His long strides take him back to his high-back leather chair at the head of the table, where he sits. “Come, come, Pet.”

Logically, I know I just dodged a bullet by screaming at an insane murderer, so how I react now will probably determine my own fate. With that in mind, I cautiously approach him.

“That’s a good pet. Closer, still.” He pats his thigh. Narrowing my eyes, I turn to sit but am stopped when he grabs my wrist and gives it a yank, forcing me to bend forward. He tugs harder, and before I realize what’s happening, my torso is resting on his legs and my ass is in the air. “I think ten will even the score.”

I struggle to move, knowing that his intention is to spank me like I’m a goddamn child. This isn’t even in the same realm as when Lucky did it. That was playful, sexy, and meant to keep me in the moment. What Sir is doing is just another attempt to humiliate me into submission.

He grips both of my wrists in one of his strong hands and yanks me forward while he pins my legs between his, clamping me into position. “When will you learn that I always win?”

“I’ll remind you of that when I’m putting a bullet in your brain,” I grit out, blood rushing to my head.

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