Page 28 of Poisonous Savage

"Youbetter not replace me with him."

"Never," she bit out, fierce-like, sealing it with a kiss so hard it felt like a brand.Herpromise, a tattoo on my soul.

Myhands roamed over her, claiming every inch as mine again, the monster in me growling at the mere thought of another man touching what belonged to me.Yet, if it had to be, at least it was a brother.OneItrusted with my life.Andhers.Ihalf wondered if he'd gotten the items out of the warehouse, but decidedIdidn't care.I'dkillVittoif he fucked up again.Infact,Iwas going to kill him anyway.AndI'ddo it with a smile, knowingI'dbeen balls deep inside the daughter he so carelessly sold for peace.

Theworld outside this beach could wait;Icould go straight to hell for allIcared.Rightnow, there was just us—the mafia lord and his unwilling bride, bound by chains neither of us saw coming.Butchains or not, she was here, and the darkness in me clung to her light like it was the last fucking lifeline in a storm-tossed sea.

AndI, the notorious leader of theNewMexicoCinderCrew, king of all the shit no one else wanted to touch, held her like she was the first and last thingI'dever need.

ROSALIND

Bloodhammered through my veins asMarcoslammed his cell against the wall and announced thatVittowas moving against us.Tonight.Hunterwas, understandably, furious.Hisfingers slammed down on the alarm, sending a silent alert to the nearby safe houses with our men.ETA: five minutes.

"Getready," he snarled, “Marco, you’re leadingRat’sboys,I’lltakeStilt’s.Rosie, you go into the cells, takeSofia.Themeeting room has a safe room behind the painting on the east wall.Go.Now.”Sofiagrunted, grabbing the shotgun from over the fireplace and scurrying down the stairs.

Istood there. "I'mcoming with you.”

Marco'stowering frame moved to intercept.Butbefore his objections could find life,Hunterturned, eyeing the look on my face before he gave an imperceptible nod.

"Fine.”Heshoved a pistol into my palms. "Takethis.Stayin sight.Ifyou’re not on me, you’re onMarco, got it?"

Inodded, the gesture sharp, asItucked the firearm into my waistband and waited for further instruction.Hunter'sgaze lingered, a silent recognition of the darkness nestling beside the light within me.Theweight on my back felt natural.Myfather taught me to shoot from five onwards.Untilthe day my brother died andIsworeI’dnever touch another gun.Funnyhow more than a decade changes a person.

Thewar room was huge.Ididn’t even know this spot existed, but it did.Mapssprawled across tables, territories marked in red, needles poking out all over the place with my old house circled in black.Hunter'screw, scarred and hardened, filed in around us.Eachman was a harbinger of vengeance, their eyes reflecting the same brutal purpose that setHunter'sjaw in a hard line.

Marcojoined us at the front of the room without a word, his eyes skimming over me with an emotionIcouldn't decipher.Theroom thrummed with energy, every surface bristling with weapons that gleamed dullyunder the harsh lights.Knives, guns, and darker tools of the trade passed from hand to hand, each exchange a silent promise of pain.Hunteropened a small black case, andIcaught a glimpse of a needle and some vials.Mustwanna use it on my dad… if he gets the chance.

Wedispersed, the last echoes ofHunter'sorders a whisper in the air.Ifelt the walls closing in; the focus was the only thing drowning out the panic that sat just so in my gut.Myfingers curled around the pistol, sitting snugly at my back.Iwanted to use it, to kill, to defend, but it felt like ifIdid,I’dbe irrevocably changed.

Themansion was silent, transformed into a maze of death, each corridor and room a potential grave.Andin the center of it all,Istood, not just a pawn or a prize, but a queen slowly embracing the shadows that came with the crown.

Ifelt the walls shudder, their bones groaning asTheBlackHandsexploded simultaneously through the front and back doors.Thefirst volley of gunfire was a thunderclap, announcing hell's arrival.

Huntermoved like theGrimReaperincarnate, each swing of his arm sending bullets flying with deadly precision.Hiscrew unleashed their fury, answering the breach with a storm of lead.

"Stayclose,"Hunterbarked, not a plea but a command, his eyes fierce pits of onyx in the chaos.Hedidn't need to tell me twice.Myhands were steady asIaimed my gun just above his shoulder.Pop.Thebody thumped as it hit the ground, and a little thrill ran through me whenIsaw his gaze of appreciation.

Theglass shattered, raining down around us, as smoke billowed into the room.Abody hit the floor with a thud, blood blooming beneath him.Hunterpulled me towards him, shielding me with his body even asIheard a hiss escape him.

"Fuck!"Marcospat, reloading with mechanical speed, his face set in lines of concentration that could cut steel.

Everycrack of gunfire was loud in the halls.Ourmen positioned on the banisters above and behind walls whileTheBlackHandsstreamed in, wearing thick bullet-proof vests.Thestench of death wrapped around us as the world narrowed to survival—the raw, primal fight to draw another breath.

Isaw a man's jaw shatter, teeth erupting from his mouth like gruesome confetti;Iheard the gurgle of a throat slit before a loud bang and a scream.Mystomach churned, but my grip on the gun remained steady.Istuck close toHunter,Marcojust ahead, clearing the way.Iwatched their backs, making sure no one was going to flank us.

"Rosalind!"Hunterroared, dragging a man down with a brutal efficiency that stole the breath from my lungs.Thethug dropped, life extinguished before he hit the ground, his blood a beautiful splatter againstHunter'sinked skin.

Asob clawed up my throat, the sound lost.Itwasn't just the violence, the visceral display of power that had my heart thrashing—it was the battle within me, my father's blood calling even as my soul cleaved to the monsterI'dwed.Thiswasn’t a warI’dever wanted a part of, and as much asIhated my father, he was still my blood.Iknew the fate that awaited him.TheCinderCrewwere just too strong.Tootrained to allow their mafia to fall.

"Move!"Huntershoved me behind a pillar as debris flew, a near miss that had adrenaline spiking through my veins.

"Take'em out," he growled, his voice a jagged edge, and his men obeyed without hesitation, their loyalty to him as unyielding as the steel in their hands.Marcolooked at me for a brief second before firing at whoever was behind me.Myhands instinctively covered my head as my eyes met his, a small smile on his face.

Myfather's men fell, broken dolls discarded by a child's indifferent hand.Theirfaces blurred, but each one was a mirror of the man who'd sold me, who'd betrayed me.Angersimmered beneath my skin, mixing with the fear until they were indistinguishable, a cocktail of emotionsthreatening to drown me.Ineeded to try to keep a clear head.We’dfind him soon enough.Probablyhiding behind his last line like the fragile ballsack he is.

Imoved through the violence, gaining confidence, the pistol an extension of my will asIfired, taking a moment to hide behind a wall asIreloaded.Hunter'sempire was stained with sin, and yet, hereIstood, not just surviving but thriving in the darkness that beckoned, seductive, and undeniable.Itwas kind of fun.Icould see the allure.Icould also see how easily this much power could drag you into the depths and hold you under until you came up, a skinless corpse.

"Keepyour head down,"Huntercommanded, never leaving my side, his touch leaving trails of fire on my skin as he guided me through the madness.I’llgive it to him for all his asshole ways… he was someoneIwas never more grateful to be on my side.Evenas bullets whizzed past my head,Ifelt safe.Protected.

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