Page 2 of King of Pain

She whimpers, shrinking as I push up onto my knees. She looks over at me, a quick glance in my direction is all it takes. “No. Please.”

Her voice is small and scared, the tone of it skating down my spine. I catch her eyes, and I have the strangest thought. He’s not touching her.

I give my head a little shake. Where the fuck did that come from?

Maybe she doesn’t notice my gaze, or maybe Vigo and Vincent scare her too much to lift her head again. I’m not sure she’s hearing or seeing anything the way she’s trembling. But I shift closer, gritting my teeth.

Vigo points a second gun at my temple. “Don’t move, asshole.”

Vincent gives me the barest glance before he bends down, getting right in her face. “I paid for fucking dinner, you put out.”

The Vendetti twins wear matching bad suits, their V-neck T-shirts clearly visible under their open jackets.

Vincent crops his hair short, making his large nose even more prominent, while Vigo wears his longer, slicked back from his face.

They both look like pricks to me, but my cousin, Arabella, once told me they hold a certain appeal. I don’t see it.

And my guess is, if this girl ever found Vincent handsome, she doesn’t now…

Vigo hauls me to my feet, wrenching my injured arm, as Vincent wraps a hand around the girl’s upper arm, half dragging her up and onto her stilettos.

We don’t go up the massive front steps, the gaudy McMansion so in keeping with everything else about these two Italian gangsters.

Instead, we’re dragged around back. My legs are starting to work again, the cramping from the car receding.

And despite the bullet wound, my muscles twitch to fight. Vigo walks just behind me with a gun to my back. Vincent in front of me as he half drags the woman, her heels wobbling as she tries to keep up.

My eyes survey the large brick wall that encloses the property and sweep back to the iron gate with a guard.

This isn’t the moment.

They pull us toward a small guest house on the edge of a massive pool. Vincent goes first, dragging the woman inside, Vigo, with a gun still to my back, shoves me inside next.

“Supplies are in the back. You’ve got an hour,” Vincent snarls before the door closes and locks.

I stare at the door.

What the fuck? They’re just leaving us here? I’m still on my feet. “What is that guy on?” I mutter, looking at the woman who has sunk to the floor once again. She’s got her arms around her middle, small sobs escaping her lips.

Fuck me. Two crazy fucking twins, a bullet wound, and a hysterical woman I’ve already half decided I’m taking with me when I go. Could this night get any worse?

“Hey there, love?” I run my hand over the bloody mess of my shoulder.

She doesn’t say a word.

“Why do Crazy One and Crazy Two think you can patch me up?”

Fuck me, she whimpers again looking so frightened and so fragile. I’m going to have to calm her down. I do not have time for this.

But also, not leaving a massive blood trail would be helpful. I crouch down. “I’m Luke. Nice to meet you.”

Her head lifts. There’s only the dimmest light from the glow of the pool just outside, but I see the shine of her dark eyes, the tiny nose, the full lips. She’s also got a fair bit of really gorgeous cleavage on display. “Kate.” No wonder my first reaction was lust.

And now we’re getting somewhere. “Hi, Kate. What brings you here this evening?”

She stares at me like I’m the crazy one. Probably valid. So, I try again. “How did you end up in the Vendettis’ car?”

“You know them…” is all she says as she shrinks away, beginning to scoot backwards on the floor.

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