Page 36 of Hunt

"Nic." Hector's deep, commanding voice cuts through the charged air like a blade, his towering form seemingly materializing out of the shadows. "Is there a problem here?"

Nic stiffens, his broad shoulders tensing beneath the impeccably tailored lines of his suit. "No problem at all," he replies coolly, his gaze never leaving mine. "Just having a private conversation."

Hector's eyes flick between us, his chiseled features an inscrutable mask. "Is that so?" His tone is deceptively casual, but I can hear the undercurrent of menace beneath the words.

I place a placating hand on Hector's arm, the heat of his skin searing through the rich fabric of his suit. "Everything's fine, Hector," I murmur, my voice soft and soothing. "Nic was just being Nic, as usual. He’s harmless."

Nic's eyes flash with barely contained fury, his hands curling into white-knuckled fists at his sides. For a moment, I think he might actually take a swing at Hector, consequences be damned. But then he takes a step back.

“So it’s like that then…”

Hector laughs. “Why are you looking at her like that? Aren’t the two of you cousins?”

Nic’s face screws up into a look of disgust that matches my own. “By marriage, prick.”

Hector clicks his tongue. “Brings a new meaning to keeping it in the family, right?”

Nic's lips twist into a cruel smirk, his eyes glittering with malicious amusement. "You don't know the half of it, Carbone," he drawls, his voice dripping with insinuation. "Bella and I used to fuck like rabbits back in the day. All night, every night, until she was screaming my name and begging for more of my fucking knot."

Hector's eyes darken with barely contained rage, his powerful alpha aura surging to the surface and cracklingthrough the air like an impending thunderstorm. His ring-clad hands flex at his sides, as if itching to wrap around Nic's throat and squeeze the life from him.

I can practically feel the fury radiating off of Hector in palpable waves, his every muscle coiled with tension and the promise of violence. He takes a menacing step forward, his lips curling back from his teeth in a feral snarl.

But before he can lay a hand on Nic, a cold, eerily calm voice cuts through the charged atmosphere like a blade of ice.

"Is that so?" Silas's smooth, cultured tone belies the seething, calculated rage simmering just beneath the surface. He seems to materialize from the shadows behind Nic, his molten eyes glinting with lethal intent in the muted light of the hall.

Silas's voice is like the whisper of a blade being unsheathed, his words dripping with icy menace. "You would do well to watch your tongue, Nic, lest someone rip it out and feed it to the dogs."

Nic spins to face him, a flicker of unease darting through his emerald eyes before he masks it with a defiant sneer. "Is that a threat, Carbone?"

Silas smiles, a chilling curve of his sensual lips that doesn't reach his amber gaze. He steps closer, crowding into Nic's space until they are nearly nose to nose. "Oh no, Nic. Threats are for men who lack the conviction to follow through." His voice drops to a lethal purr. "When I promise something, I deliver. Every. Single. Time."

The air between them seems to crackle with barely restrained violence, alpha pheromones thick and suffocating. Nic's throat works as he swallows hard, a bead of sweat trickling down his temple.

Silas cocks his head, studying Nic like a hawk eyeing its prey. "You seem to forget, Nic, that Bella is no longer yours to claim. What you two may have had in the past is just that—thepast. And if I ever hear you speak of her in such a disrespectful manner again..."

Silas's voice drops to a lethal whisper, his breath hot against Nic's ear. "...I will personally ensure that every bone in your body is broken so thoroughly, even the most skilled surgeon won't be able to put you back together again."

Nic stiffens, a shudder rippling through his muscular frame. He tries to step back, but Silas's hand shoots out, gripping the back of his neck in an iron vice.

"Do we have an understanding?" Silas asks softly, his tone almost conversational if not for the undercurrent of pure, unadulterated menace.

Nic swallows audibly, his Adam's apple bobbing. "Yeah," he grits out, jaw clenched so hard I can hear his teeth grinding. "We're clear."

Silas smiles, a cold, razor-edged thing. "Good." He releases Nic with a shove, sending him stumbling back a step.

Hector looms at Silas's side, his massive frame vibrating with barely leashed violence. His glare blaze into Nic, promising a world of pain if he so much as breathes in my direction again.

CHAPTER 14

BELLA

I rummagethrough the hidden depths of my closet, pushing aside designer dresses and sleek weapons until my fingers close around the cool plastic of the burner phone. My heart races, pounding against my ribcage like a caged bird desperate for freedom.

With shaking fingers, I punch in the familiar digits, each number etched into my memory for exactly this moment.

"Hello?" Sarah's voice, tinged with caution and a hint of steel, fills my ear like a soothing balm.

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