Page 96 of Corrupt Me

My fists curled at my sides. “Don’t talk about her.”

He lifted his hands in the air. “Off-limits. Got it.” Lowering his arms, he flicked the end of his cigarette, sending ashes sprinkling to the ground. “Perhaps another drink is in order.”

“Make it a double,” I said, hatching a stupid plan.

Those damn brows arched again as if I continued to surprise him and he couldn’t be more pleased.

Revulsion twisted in my gut.

Taking another pull on his cigarette, Angelo tossed it onto the concrete before stomping it out with his boot and turning to go into the office, essentially giving me a few moments to myself. Well, not entirely, but no one was paying me much attention. I could hear voices in other parts of the warehouse, and the two guys stationed near Preston were busy shooting the shit with each other.

The second Angelo disappeared from my view, I moved, scurrying around the cars toward Preston’s and not wasting the gifted few moments. I wouldn’t get another chance. This was it, and I better not fuck it up.

I dropped to the ground, giving my heart a second to chill the heck out. It was working triple time. While my heart pounded in my ear, I listened, verifying I hadn’t been detected missing yet.

I could only afford a few rapid heartbeats. It was now or never.

Gliding my hand up the side of the driver’s door, I held my breath while my fingers worked on the handle, unlatching it as quietly as humanly possible. The overhead lights beamed insidethe interior. If there was ever a time to be stealthy and swift, it was right fucking now.

A combination of terror and relief twined through me as my fingers touched the cool metal of the gun.Now what, Ever?Did I just whip the gun up and point it at the bastard and say freeze motherfucker?

My hand shook as I pulled the weapon out from under the seat, the weight of it in my hand heavier than I imagined. Staring at the thing, I rocked back on my heels, knowing I needed to do something other than freak out.

“You’re going to hurt yourself with that, sugar. Give me the gun.”

God, that fucking voice.I seriously never wanted to hear it again. It caused agony and horror inside me. Tightening my hold, I shot to my feet, spinning around simultaneously as I pointed the gun at Angelo’s head. “Or I could blow your brains out.”

Pride beamed inside me at the flicker of surprise in his eyes, but he quickly covered it with an unbalanced smirk. “I would advise against it if you want to live. If you wanthimto live.” He indicated Preston with a nod. “Or perhaps it’s Tristan’s life you should be concerned with.” The weapon pointed at his head didn’t intimidate him. It…excited him.

Sick asshole.

My eyes flinched at the mention of Tristan, and Angelo caught it, a costly mistake on my part. It gave him an edge over me.

Angelo took a step closer, the end of the gun an inch from his forehead. “That’s what I thought. You’re in love with the older Malone, not the younger. For how long, sugar? How long have you harbored such strong feelings for your boyfriend’s brother?” he taunted, doing his best to unnerve me and succeeding.

I knew what he was doing, chatting me up to get me to lower my guard. My fingers reaffirmed their grip on the gun. “It doesn’t matter. My feelings are fucking irrelevant right now.”

He angled his head to the side, his eyes shifting to my hand, noticing how it trembled. I knew better than to take my eyes off him, even for an instant, but my eyes couldn’t help following Angelo’s gaze. It was enough to distract me for a fraction of a second, and that was all he needed. Angelo’s hand shot out so fast I barely had time to register what was happening, and then his fingers were on the barrel of my gun, twisting it out of my grasp.

A slice of pain went through my wrist from the angle it contorted, but my main concern wasn’t the throbbing. I’d lost my only hope of control.

His other hand, the one with the many rings raised in the air, crossed over his chest.

Oh, shitttt?—

He brought the back of his hand down on the side of my face. Fucking hard. Like really hard. The pain didn’t register. Not at first. It was shock, followed by anger, and then the splintering agony. Black dots swirled behind my eyes, and I stumbled into the car, afraid I skirted on the edge of passing out. Perhaps I would get my wish of being rendered unconscious, but being so close to falling into the depths of darkness, I panicked, clawing to my conscious state.

The bastard had backhanded me.

I cradled my cheek and lifted my head. My eyes burned into his with hate. “I should have put a bullet between your eyes.” And I vowed if I got the chance again I wouldn’t hesitate. I wouldn’t falter. I wouldn’t get distracted.

Angelo cleared his throat, tucking the gun behind his back, and snatched my arm. His fingers dug into my flesh as hewarned, “You don’t want to find out what happens to people who betray me, sugar.”

I struggled, kicking and screaming for my life, no longer an obedient hostage. If he was going to hurt me, I wouldn’t make it easy for him, and if luck was on my side, perhaps I could get my hands on the gun again. Twisting and fighting as much as my body allowed, I reached behind him, feeling for the weapon. My fingers grazed the cool steel and?—

Bang!

A gun went off somewhere in the warehouse, echoing so fucking loud it felt like my ears were bleeding. Had I accidentally pulled the trigger? The buzzing continued to ring in my ears as I took stock of myself. Had I been hit? Had one of Angelo’s guys shot me? Had I shot Angelo? But I felt no pain. Sensed no wounds…no blood. And although his hold on me had lessened, he didn’t look like a man who’d taken a bullet.

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