Page 86 of Resisted

I spit the blood and saliva at his feet. “Do you think it will hurt?”

“What nonsense are you spouting?”

Jason, the tall lanky bastard laughed. “Maybe that was the blow to the head that finally did him in.”

He fucking wished. I ignored his comment. “When they tear you limb from limb and ignite your heart into flames, do you think it will hurt?”

Russ laughed. “They won’t even get on the island without me knowing.”

Maybe he should check again. As if to emphasize my point, another two shots fired in rapid succession, then nothing. Jason’s ears perked up as he tilted his head to the side. “Did you hear that?”

Russ’ brows pulled together. “You’re as crazy as the fucking wolf.”

“No, I heard something.” Jason walked toward the window and looked out. But I knew he would see nothing out of the ordinary. Blending in was a specialty, one we were born and bred for. Unless they were feet away, there was no way he was going to see anyone out there.

“He’s getting in your head.”

“It doesn’t take much to get in Jason’s head,” the chubby one, Jesse, added, as if he had room to talk. The moment a single person made the slightest joke about him, he would pout like a toddler.

Jason shot him a glare over his shoulder before turning his attention out to the window. “The fog is thick tonight.”

“Perfect for hiding,” I murmured, which it earned me a kick in the shin, and I smirked. “I hope you’re ready.”

Jason turned from where he was watching the outside. “You think we fear a couple of wolves? We’ve got you outnumbered. Even if your two buddies show up, we’ll still have almost two men to one of yours.”

See, where they’d gone wrong was relying on their weak manpower and assuming that my boys weren’t smart enough to bring a larger number than just themselves. And though good ole Jason was too dumb to do basic math and realize that they had us slightly more outnumbered to that two to one, it still wouldn’t be enough to defeat us. I bet right now, every one of those men watching was either dead or in danger of dying really soon, and they didn’t fucking know it because they’d mentally prepared for two wolves, not a hoard of them landing on this island.

“I don’t think you’re afraid of a couple wolves, but I think you’re afraid of a math book.” My chair was kicked so hard, it toppled over to the side. The side of my body hit the cold cement floors, and I felt the jarring of the impact in my teeth.

Russ’ fingers threaded in my hair before pulling, using my hair alone as leverage to pull me and the chair upright. “Listen here, fucker. You can laugh all you want right now, but come time, we’ll be the last ones laughing. You think we were hard on you? Nah, we were as gentle as a mom with her newborn baby. When we have all of you together, that’s when the fun really begins. You’ll go for a pretty price, but no one will fault us for roughing you up first. All that’s required is that you live.”

I tried not to smile, I really did, but it was impossible when I knew that simple action caused him to come completely and utterly unhinged. When both sides of my lips tilted up, I gave up the fight and let the smile take over. “Tell me, when we rip out your heart while it still beats and set it aflame, do you think there will be a moment or two where you’re still alive and realize all the mistakes you’ve made?”

Russ laughed, but it held no humor. “I’ll never be in the position to find out.”

So he thought, but I knew better. It was a matter of minutes maybe, an hour tops, before my people burst through that door and showed him just how powerful we could be. “I wonder how long your heart will beat in my hand? Two beats? Three? I’ve had one last ten beats once. It was fascinating to watch the blood pour from its vessels.”

Jesse laughed. “He’s a fucking liar, that’s for sure. A heart wouldn’t continue beating.”

Only it did. Too bad he would most likely never find out. I shrugged, letting him think what he wanted as all the surrounding men began peering out the windows, looking for something they never would see. I smelled the moment they began to worry, the moment the mist and black greeted their vision with only the unknown and their palms began to sweat with nerves. Through the copper of blood that coated my mouth, I could taste the rancidness of fear.

“You’re scared.” I laughed, even knowing it would have consequences. “You should be.” The bat to the stomach wasn’t a shock when it hit, but the pain exploded all the same, stealing my breath and making it hard to breathe. Still, I didn’t let it detour my taunts, knowing that if I got under their skin, they would make mistakes, not guard themselves as much as they should. It was nerves. When they got jittery, it fucked with your brain. I licked my lips, letting my words leave me in a wheeze as I spoke again. “You should be.”

Chapter 37

BELLA

A hand stifledthe scream that bubbled up my throat as Vincent’s body fell into me. Gage’s breath tickled against my ear as he whispered, “It’s a shoulder wound, he’ll live. If you scream, everyone on the island will know we’re here.”

He removed his hand, and before I could even take my next breath, his gun was raised, a shot fired, then a body fell from the top of the tower and landed with a sickening thud on the earth between the ruins and the lighthouse. My chest heaved as I struggled to breathe and control my panic. My fingers ran over Vincent as his hand went to his wound, a slightly stunned look on his face.

He blinked a few times. “That fucker came from nowhere.”

He said it so fucking calmly. How? How could he be that calm when blood was pouring down his shirt and covering his hand and mine?

“You just got shot!” My voice was a hiss as it left me.

“Yeah, believe me, I’ve noticed.”

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