Page 70 of Kiss, Kill, Thrill Me, Daddy

“He is mine now,” I manage, my voice small and weak. “You may not have Tatum back. Leave while you still have legs to do so.”

Benito snorts, and a grin settles on his face. “Why the fuck would I want him back? The day he left was the best day of my life.” He turns his attention to Tatum and sneers. “You’re fucking pathetic. Who would want a loser like you?”

“I would,” I growl. “I want him.”

Benito shrugs. “I guess there’s a fly for every steaming pile ofshit in the pasture, then.” Tatum is shaking, and whether it’s from fear or from Benito’s cruel words, I’m not sure. Either way, Benito will pay for this. No one hurts Tatum’s heart. Certainly not this man. “Where the fuck are they?” he growls, marching a few steps forward. There’s hardly any room separating us, but even if I were strong enough to kick my leg and knock him off balance, he’s still too far away. “Where are my boys?”

“Why do you have a gun?” Tatum says, his voice light. Frightened. “I don’t understand.”

“Tatum, he is here because he wants the Bens. Does it matter where he got his gun from? Priorities, sweetheart. As for you ...” Every move I make is agony, but I can’t stop moving. Not if I wish to keep Tatum safe.

“Nyet,” Tatum says. “Nyet to that. I’m handling this.” Suddenly, I’m being pulled back, and it feels like my insides are ripping away from each other. It’s a sharp, piercing pain that starts at the entry wound and spreads through my upper body. My eyes are squeezed tight from pain, and when I’m finally able to open them, my little one is in front of me, barricading me with his body by spreading his arms like Jesus on the cross. “You don’t touch him,” he shouts at Benito. “Ever. If you’ve got a problem, you come to me. You kill me. He’s innocent.”

“Innocent?” Benito snorts a laugh. “Are you stupid? Did you forget the cameras I’ve got installed around the house, dipshit? You two destroyed everything I owned, then you fucked your boyfriend in the guest room.” He kneels in front of Tatum, and I can tell it’s taking all Tatum has to keep himself from lunging. “You stole my boyfriends. Then, you destroyed my bar. Fucking rude, Tatum. I want Benjamin and Bennet, and I want them now. You had no right taking them from me.”

“You left Benji locked in a cage,” Tatum shouts. “Bennet was in the attic, terrified. What did you expect us to do?”

“I don’t expect anything from you, asshole. I never have. All I want is what you took from me. Give them back or I’ll repay the favor.” Cocking the gun, he aims it at my head. “Get yourfucking phone out, and call Benjamin. Tell them to get their asses in here.”

Tatum’s eyes are darting back and forth between me and the gun. With shaking hands, he reaches into his pocket and fishes out his phone. He stares at it for a moment, and the last thing I hear is Tatum’s magnificent voice screaming, “No,” and then a loud pop.

CHAPTER 14

TATUM

It feels like someone’s stabbed me. My breath leaves my body, and my hands shake at my sides. Abi was just here with me, now he’s gone. His eyes are closed, his breathing shallow. The room around us is silent, save for a pair of heavily stomping feet. I can’t focus on them. Just the red stain spreading across Abi’s beautiful new shirt. The one he bought just for me. A shirt that once said#Tatabiis now so red with blood, I can’t even see the hashtag.

Something cool presses against the back of my head, but I don’t budge. I just stare down at the man I love, lying in a lifeless heap.

“Call them, Tatum,” Benito says, but I can barely breathe, much less move.

Abi’s only a few inches away from me, but it already feels like a mile. Without our tether there to bond us, it feels like I’m drifting away from the shore of rationality and into tumultuous waters.

“I want them back,” he says.

I reach into my pocket and pull out my phone. Once it’s unlocked, I stare at the picture Abi set as my wallpaper without my consent. He took it last night at our bachelor party, before wegot inside the cake. Before I finally accepted what this thing is we’re working toward. In the picture, there’s apprehension and fear in my eyes, but right now, all I feel is empty.

“Abi,” I whisper, looking down at his lifeless form. “Wake up.”

The gun cocks, making me jolt, but Benito’s hand is holding my shoulder, locking me in place. It would only take a ten-second phone call to end this. Then, Bennet and Benji would be at his mercy, and I could save Abi.

“Please wake up,” I whisper to my beautiful Russian bastard. He looks peaceful this way. But then, he always does. He’s my gentle giant. “Please?”

“Make the call. I’m not going to ask you again.”

“Okay,” I whisper, my throat feeling raw and cracked when the words escape it. “Just let me tell him goodbye.” I lean in closer until our noses touch. In part, I want my face here so I can feel if he’s still breathing. I need to know there’s still a little life in him, because there’s no life without him. This man barged into my world like a bat out of Hell, changing every aspect of my existence. I’m empty without him. Physically empty. More than anything, I want him in me, reminding me that I’m safe. Wordlessly telling me I’m protected. There’s no protection from this, though. Not with a gun pressing against the back of my head.

“I’ve loved you. All this time. Every single second.” Leaning down, I press a kiss between his eyes. “Please don’t leave me.” My hand rests on his thigh, feathering my fingers through his hair with the other. There’s something in his pocket, just beneath the denim. It feels familiar.

Nito groans. “God, were you always this fucking tragic?”

In this moment, he holds the power. My life is his to do with as he pleases. He could pull the trigger and snuff out my spark, if that’s what he desires. Going on experience, I’m pretty sure there’s nothing he desires more. But there’s something he’s forgotten. An old proverb. Tried and true.

Never come between a boy and his daddy.

I reach into Abi’s pocket, praying to Rinna for a miracle. And, sweet, merciful Goddess, she’s given me just that. I waste no time, uncapping the needle with my thumb and sending up a final prayer. If I don’t survive this, it’s okay. Just let us exist together as stars. Together, we’ll be constellations, riding the sky right until the end.

I jerk my hand out of his pocket, not giving Nito a chance to react. Whirling, I drive the syringe into his hip and shove the plunger down, injecting him with Abi’s serum. He gasps, sharp and quick, before taking a stumbling step back. This is my chance, and I might not get another, so I take it. Placing all my weight on the ball of my foot, I use it to launch myself toward him, screaming like hell as I rush forward. He’s still too preoccupied with pulling the needle out to notice he’s dropped the gun. It isn’t lost on me, though.

---