Page 97 of Fiercely Protective

He grinned. “I appreciate that, but I have other ideas. I would like to start a few money-making enterprises of my own. Alessio has offered me a chance to invest with him, and since you decided to split up the Armenian spoils you took from Petros, I thought I might give a try at being more hands-on. I am leavingfor New York this afternoon.” He drank the remainder of the bourbon in his glass. “Besides, a change of pace will be good for me.”

“If this is what you want, you know I support you, but I will miss the monthly spaghetti dinners.”

He chuckled. “I’m sure you will. Give Bri my best and tell Blaze that I’ll see him around. Take care, Rogue.”

I shook his hand. “I’m sorry that I pulled you back into this world, Michael.”

“No worries. Everything is as it should be. I have come to accept that for what it is.”

I watched as he turned and walked away, pushing through the crowd. When Michael had set a course, very little could deter him. I just hoped he wouldn’t live to regret this decision.

“What was the priest doing here?”

Blaze had managed to shed himself from the eager ladies from earlier and was standing before me looking annoyed.

“He came to tell me that he is leaving the priesthood and going to New York. Alessio has an opportunity for him, and he wants a change of pace.”

Blaze scooted into the booth. “Fuck, I would have never thought he would have done something that drastic. Guilt can make you do crazy things, I guess.”

I stood from the booth. “It’s the absence of guilt that is driving him.” I grabbed my suit coat. “I am going to visit our mutual friend. Would you like to join me, or do you have a woman waiting for you?”

He grinned. “Can you give me an hour?”

“No, I want to get this over with and go home. Bri and I have an early flight tomorrow.”

He stood from the booth. “Fine, give me twenty. The little blonde by the bar is more than eager and it won’t take much to get her to lift her skirt, and I would bet everything in my wallet that she isn’t wearing panties.”

I rolled my eyes as he walked away to defile another unsuspecting woman who thought she would be the one to tame him. I would wait twenty minutes and that was it. I was anxious to get this evening over with and get back to the angel who was waiting for me.

The Chambers

The chambers were an underground bunker I acquired some years ago. It was just outside the city in a remote area, undetectable, and its existence was known to only two people, Blaze and me. It had at one time been a bomb shelter, but I had remodeled it to be more of a dungeon, a place to take those that most offended me. Blaze used it more than me, but recently it had been extremely useful.

The cold dampness sank into my bones as Blaze and I descended the steps into the chambers. The smell of blood, anguish, and despair was overpowering. Those who managed to find themselves here knew there was no escape. When we stepped farther into the room, the sounds of rattling chains drew my attention away from the water dripping overhead and down the walls.

“Good evening, Tony.”

It took all his strength to raise his head. “Just kill me, Delaney, and get it over with. I’m tired of seeing your face.”

I walked closer to him. I had kept him imprisoned here in the chambers since the day he tried to take Bri from the estate. Alessio had encouraged me to kill him then, but when I thought of the many days and nights my angel had lived in fear and the nightmares where she had to relive what this man had done to her, I couldn’t see giving him an easy death.

“I wouldn’t be in such a rush if I were you.”

Blaze stepped closer and released him from his bonds. He collapsed onto the concrete floor.

“You are letting me go?”

I knelt before him. “Do you really believe that I would allow you to walk out of here alive after what you did to my wife? No, I am here to grant your request. I am going to kill you. My wife and I will be leaving for Europe in the morning, and I want to tidy up any loose ends before our flight, but in the spirit of fair play, I am going to give you a fighting chance.”

His glossed over gaze moved from me to where Blaze stood on the other side of the room. “Nothing about this is fair.”

“Take it for what it is. It is the only chance you will have and more than you deserve.”

Blaze stepped forward and set a pistol and a knife within arm’s reach.

“You even have your choice of weapons, choose wisely and do be quick about it. As I said, I have an early flight tomorrow.”

I stepped back and waited for him to make a move. His eyes flicked between the knife and the pistol. At first, I didn’t think he would reach for either one, but eventually, he summoned what little courage he had left and lunged for the pistol. But I was prepared. I moved forward quickly knocking it in the air just as it fired before I snapped his neck. His lifeless body fell to the floor at my feet. The nightmare for my angel was finally over.

---