Page 97 of Deceitful Oath

“She won’t do it,” I egg him on, smirking casually, even though my heart is racing like a runaway train careening off the tracks.

“You,” he whips around to glare at me. “You think we call you The Wolf because you’re so big and bad? Think again, you piece of shit.”

He’s practically foaming at the mouth. I smile a little, noticing that his anger is clouding his judgment.

His gun has slipped from Lux’s temple to rest on her shoulder, and his eyes dart around my face wildly as the vein in his forehead throbs. My fingers grip the knife in my pocket firmly, ready to strike.

“Oh yeah? I always thought you called me that because you’re terrified of how quickly I can destroy you.” I laugh darkly. I pull the knife subtly from my pocket, my eyes sliding to Lux, begging her to notice. Her gaze slips to my hand and her eyes widen in understanding.

“It’s because you’re nothing but a glorified dog,” Vince roars, leaning closer to me. He’s getting in my face, trying to intimidate me, all the while not knowing that he’s falling into my trap.

“A fucking mutt,” he repeats, spitting at me. It lands on my shoulder but I ignore it. “Begging for attention from your dead mother, surviving on scraps from your father. Isn’t that how it’s always been?”

“That’s pretty twisted, Vince, even for you,” I muse. Lux is watching me intently, her finger resting lightly on the trigger. She’s ready, I can tell, so I make the move. “Of course, I’m not surprised. It’s something I’d expect from someone who killed his entire family.”

“What did you say?” he roars, getting closer to me. His arm is outstretched behind him, pointed at Lux’s chest now, but he’s not paying attention. I smirk, and it brings him closer, close enough for me to slide a knife in his chest with one quick movement.

“You killed your mommy and daddy when you were just a kid, didn’t you, Vince?” I taunt him. The vein in his forehead is about to explode, hopefully killing him so I won’t have to. “Hid their bodies. Strangled your sister, too.”

Hate radiates off him like heat. He glowers at me, ready to launch at me, needing to destroy me. But he’s trapped. He can’t take his gun off Lux.I have him right where I want him, but maybe one more jab to really sink the mental knife in?

“Did you enjoy your time in the mental institution after you forced your senile, rich grandparents to pay off the cops and the judge?”

“Shoot the dog, waitress,” he screams, glaring into my eyes. “NOW!”

Chaos ensues. Lux squeezes her eyes shut and points the gun at me.

“NOW!” Vince screams.

“No,” she whimpers.

“Open your damn eyes!” I yelp in panic.

She pulls the trigger, moving the gun at the last possible second.

My life flashes before my eyes, but I don’t stop to dwell on how she almost accidentally killed me. Instead, I use the distraction to slip the knife from my pocket and jam it into Vince’s chest. He goes down kicking and pulls me with him.

Lux springs into action, stomping on his wrist to release his grip on his gun. When he does, she kicks it down the hallway, wild-eyed and terrified.

My vision blurs as Vince’s fingers curl and tighten around my throat. I may be younger and stronger, but I’m also dazed and injured.

“I can’t do it, Rafael,” she cries, her gun hanging limply from her fingers. “I can’t shoot him.”

I swing my arm back and punch him as hard as I can. His grip loosens and I pull the knife from his chest.

“Don’t worry,” I manage to choke out as she bursts into tears. “I got it.”

I plunge it into his throat this time and it sends up a spray of blood across the white walls. Lux screams, collapsing onto the floor. I mumble a silent apology to her for what she’s about to witness and plunge the knife into his throat again.

His fingers go limp, releasing their grip on my throat entirely, and I growl as I pull the knife out and plunge it in again.

The entryway is soaked in blood now. I know he’s dead, but I can’t help myself. I repeat the action again and again until Lux screams my name.

“Stop, Rafael, stop!” she begs, sobbing on the floor. “He’s dead. It’s done. He’s dead.”

I sit back on my haunches, staring at the pale, lifeless face of the man who killed my father and tried to kill my woman. I’ve never been prouder of myself than I am now.

“You deserved it, you bastard,” I hiss, letting the knife clatter to the ground. When I finally force myself to stand, Lux cowers on the floor, sobbing.

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