Page 6 of Cruel Devil

“Are you a friend of Doc's?” I ask as Vito crowds against the side of the tub to make room for me to step into the bathroom with him.

The woman’s eyes flare when I turn to face her. “Doc?” she sneers as she grabs the door. “Do you even know his real name?” Her voice rises several octaves, her hand starting to tremble again.

“Felipe,” I say calmly. “But he's always insisted on Doc. Do you have something against nicknames?”

“I suppose I do, Savage.” She glances at Vito, then me, and starts closing the door.

She was planning on locking us inside. Because of how little space there is in here, the door opens into the hallway. We both stand there like grim statues, hands still bound in plastic ties, watching as she closes the door.

"Don't do this," I tell her, cold and hard as a fucking glacier.

"Go to hell, cartel scu—" She cuts off with a yell as I barrel into the door with my shoulder, slamming it against her.

Somehow she holds on to the gun, and despite her yell of pain, she even manages to aim it at my head. She'd have fucking killed me if Vito hadn't body-slammed her. He has so much momentum they both skid over the carpet when they hit the floor.

There's a brief wrestling match between the two as I stoop to pick up the Beretta she dropped. Before I can point it at her, Vito knocks her out with a punch to the jaw.

He straddles her, letting out an exhausted sigh like he's just gone three rounds with a world champion. "What the hell is it with women trying to kill you, Savage?"

I don't have to ask who he's referring to. I wish I could say breaking my nose was the worst thing my new wife's ever done to me.

"Nyx wasn't trying to kill me," I remind him sourly.

“It's not love if she hits you.”

I give Vito a hard stare as I step over the woman's body, watching as he rummages in her jeans.

He pulls out two phones, his and hers, and shoves both in his jacket. The plastic ties he finds are next. Then comes a small pocket knife.

She came prepared…but for what?

Vito awkwardly sheers off the plastic ties around my wrist with her knife. I return the favor, slipping the knife in my pocket before massaging my wrists where the plastic bit into my flesh.

“I don't know this chick. Who the fuck is she?"

“You don’t know everyone, Vito.”

He purses his lips. “Not for lack of trying.”

I crouch beside her and click my fingers at Vito. He pulls a pair of plastic ties from his jacket and hands them over as he gives the woman a quizzical scan. I'm doing the same. There's no resemblance to Doc that I can see, but she could be an estranged step-daughter or something. A niece?

Familial connections aside, she could be here to check that whoever killed Doc made a good job of it. But Doc and his family have been dead for several days. Why'd she have left it for this long?

Too many questions. We’ll have to wait to get our answers once we've relocated this woman somewhere safe…and private.

“Shit.” Vito stares at his phone’s screen. “Matt’s been trying to get hold of us. Something about Nyx.”

I shove him so he'll get off her, roll her onto her stomach, and fasten her wrists behind her back. If those two idiots are bickering with my wife again, I swear I'm going to fire them.

“What about her?” I growl out when Vito doesn’t elaborate.

He holds up a finger, widening his eyes when I roll my lips in frustration. “Hey Matt. Yeah, sorry, we got held up.” He chuckles when my eyes dart to the ceiling. Nothing can dampen Vito's sense of humor. Except his father, maybe.

“Wait, you’re where?”

I rush to my feet, snatching the phone out of his hand despite his bleated protest. “The fuck is happening, Matias?” I grate out, trying to ignore sudden pin pricks of nervous energy flooding my fingertips.

There’s a pause before Mat’s voice comes through on the line. “I tried to stop her, Boss, but it’s Viv, you know? What am I supposed to say?”

---