“Yes, my Ruthless King.” I try to emphasize my mannerisms here, knowing well everyone is observing—and potentially recording—our every move. “I’m at your service.”
“Good girl,” he praises as he takes the weapon but doesn’t hesitate to lay his lips on mine ever so gently.
When he walks away, I can feel my stomach flip in both excitement and nervousness.
Excited about how easy it is for him to give me affection in the public eye, yet nervous because with his back turned, I can envision the man in the suit, ready to take care of business.
The business that gave him enough power to claim this position that Domino thought he could maintain simply because he was a Leighton.
“I’m just doing my fucking job!” The man in black dares to announce, garnishing our focus on him as he puts his hands up in the sky. One of them is gruesomely blown to bits, thanks to what I did, and I can assume this man has a high as fuck pain tolerance because anyone else would be screaming their heads off.
“Who sent you?” Hannah inquires, but something about the way her lips are up in an intrigued smirk tells me she already has the answer she seeks.
“J-Just give me a chance, and I’ll tell?—”
He never got the chance.
As if Matteo would dare let him.
I’m the only female who doesn’t flinch as the loud ring of gunshots pierces the air. Three solid shots, right to the man’s head.
He doesn’t even have a chance to scream in pain. His body immediately drops and barely convulses before it’s completely still in a growing pool of red.
Gun powder mixed with the scent of metallic already hums through the air, the wind carrying the scent quickly to emphasize what has just occurred.
Murder in the flesh.
Hannah is offering a white handkerchief, which is already drenched in some sort of solution. Matteo wipes my gun down to the handle and proceeds to walk back to us.
Offering me the gun, I take it without showing an ounce of fear. In fact, I smile sweetly at him because he stood up on business.
“You look exceptionally hot when you get rid of unnecessary trash, my Ruthless King,” I praise, hoping everyone will hear my words loud and clear.
“Sorry, did I worry you?” he questions and moves more strands of my silver locks that were displaced by the wind.
“A little.” I’d be lying if I tried to act as though my heart wasn’t hammering against my chest like a mechanical drum on fast mode. “I apologize for reacting. I knew you had it covered, but after that recent incident with my last Ruthless King, I’m a little jumpy.”
I can hear the tiny whispers in the distance. Many wonder what I mean by the ‘recent incident’ and how they can find such information.
“No need to apologize,” he stresses and lays a kiss on the bridge of my nose.So affectionate.“That will never happen again in my presence. I just wanted to test who would have the balls to try.” He laughs, and the sound is eerie as fuck. It makes some shiver, and many tremble just thinking about what this man can be plotting.
“Let’s make haste. I promised the leaders of Deviant Lords and Savage Heirs that we’d meet.”
Matteo takes my hand, wrapping it firmly around mine and taking the first forward, knowing I’d follow. Zander easily matches our pace, and I can confidently assume Ares and Aries are right behind me.
Matteo doesn’t need to say anything else, yet his actions painted a strong message to everyone who observes, records, and values his reaction to the failed assassination attempt.
Everyone is forced to acknowledge the difference between the Leightons. Between Domino, the younger Leighton, who talks the talk, versus Matteo, the older Leighton, who always walks with intention.
Every. Single. Time.
Squeezing Matteo’s hand is the best way to give him a sense of reassurance. As of now, I haven’t observed him enough to know how he reacts to instances like these.
Zander isn’t threatened, so I’m confident he’s fine, but I can assume he’ll be checking cameras or doing some sort of analysis of the events.
Ares and Aries may not show that the situation affects them, but they have a strong feeling they’ll do some sort of survey themselves to see how those instances cannot repeat themselves.
The problem is, I don’t know what Matteo will do once we part ways. Within myself, I feel shooting that man in the head three times wasn’t enough.