Page 105 of A Twisted Arrangement

“Whatever you’re thinking, forget it. We’re here for the money.”

Why isn’t he coming closer? The two men from the car are still laid out on the ground…is he stalling?

“There’s something special about this knife.” I hold it loosely by the tip between two fingers until his eyes focus on it, drawing his attention away from my face.

He looks back at me like he’s trying to get a read. He clearly didn’t do his research before coming after me.

That’s too bad.

I flick my wrist, sending the knife hurdling end over end through the air and landing perfectly in the hollow of his neck. His eyes are wide, hand hovering like they don’t know what to do.

He collapses, his body hitting the ground with a thud. When you cut through the major artery in the throat, they fall fast.

Clapping comes from the doorway, and a man exits the building. “Well, aren’t you a clever girl.”

I look from him to the gun now laid out on the ground and don’t hesitate to dive for it, throwing myself at the prone body to get to it first.

I’m not fast enough. The second I grip the handle, a boot comes down hard on my wrist, and tears sting my eyes. I instinctively pull my hands to my chest as the pain crashesthrough me. He chuckles, kicking the gun away, leaving me defenseless beneath him, covered in someone else’s blood.

Struggling to breathe, I look up at my attacker. He’s wearing a cap pulled low over his eyes that casts his face into shadows.

“Come on. Don’t you recognize me?” he asks, pulling his hat off to reveal striking white hair.

“Trip?” I jerk back, shock rippling through me. He’s the last person I expected. “Why are you doing this?”

He huffs out a breath. “I guess I shouldn’t expect you to understand. I was only ten back then.”

“Back when? Listen, whoever you think I am, you’re wrong. Just let me go, and we can forget this happened,” I plead.

“Let you go?” His smile is wrong, showing too much of his teeth. “When I just got you where I need you? Do you have any idea what I’ve done to get you here? Who I’ve lost?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Of course you don’t. You didn’t even know I existed. It was all set up for me to inherit, but you had to go and get betrothed to him.”

“Whoever you’re looking for, it’s not me.” Even as I say it, his words crack open an idea within me. Prior to Matthias, I’d only been betrothed to one man, but he didn’t have a son. I snap my mouth shut. If I’m quiet, this asshole will likely tell me what’s happening.

“That’s where you’re wrong. I know exactly who you are. After all, I’ve spent the last ten years planning exactly how I dispose of you. I’ll give you credit, it wasn’t easy. You evaded Liam, and that was after all the time I spent manipulating him. Then Jeremy failed to collect you.” He slams his foot into my chest, knocking the air out of my lungs. “Then you went and killed the two people closest to me. Was it fun seeing my friend propped up for the Order to gawk at?”

“I don’t know who you’re talking about,” I wheeze.

“Hmmm…I guess your husband doesn’t share everything with you. How about Oliver? Did you make him beg for his life after all those years standing by your side?”

Tears sting the back of my eyes and pool over my cheeks. Rationally, I know my guard was never the man I knew, but that didn’t stop the torment from being the one that killed him.

“Fuck you.” I spit out the words. “Matthias will come for me. He knows where I am.”

“That’s the entire point,” he sneers. “As always, you’re nothing more than an object for the men to use.”

A pit twists in my stomach, but I breathe through my nose. I can’t let him have the upper hand. Not if it puts Matthias in danger. Slowly, I move my hand to the left through the pool of warm liquid. My heart’s pounding so hard I can barely hear Trip as my fingers finally reach the steel handle of the knife protruding from my attacker’s chest. I grip it but don’t move. The second I do, he’ll shoot me, so I have to time it perfectly.

“You see, I’m counting on all of the Everette brothers to show up. They killed my father and ruined anything he’s ever created.” Trip steps closer, gun still trained on my chest. “No one would work with our company. No deals, no trades, nothing. We lost it all. We didn’t have anything to do with the coup, but they still came for him.”

He shifts, and he’s finally within range.

I lift so I can hide the fact that I’m sliding the knife up. A laugh bubbles in my throat; I can’t stop it. “You’re a Vasiliev. I thought they were wiped out.”

“You missed one.” He smirks. “My father never claimed me. He was close, but then those fucking bastard Everettes killed him.”

---