Page 116 of Devil Mine

I don’t know exactly when he started to feel like my safe space, but I do know that he’s the only person I wanted when I was in danger. The only one I needed. That being in his arms is the only place I want to be right now, the only place I feel safe.

When my sobs lessen and eventually subside, he pulls back slightly. He cups my cheeks and peers down at my face.

My walking, talking killing machine of a husband looks at me like he’ll rip apart the entire world for the crime of hurting me, just so he can rebuild it piece by piece into one where nothing will ever happen to me again.

Whatever it is he sees in my face, it makes his golden eyes darken to the color of obsidian, snuffing out any humanity in them like the flame of a candle.

“Hold him down,” he orders, the arctic cool in his voice in total opposition to the way he gently brushes away the tears from my cheeks. His cruel tone sends a chill down my spine on Franklin’s behalf.

Over his shoulder, I see that Arturo and Marco accompanied him into my office, ever his shadows. They each grab one of Franklin’s arms and use their grip to slam him face down on my desk.

He howls for his release.

Thiago’s body turns to face the scene, his hand circling around my waist and continuing to hold me close. I look up at him to find his eyes already on the side of my face.

“Does he live or die?” he asks me.

Swallowing, my gaze goes back to Franklin who’s doing his best to struggle against both men. Watching him fight against them makes me wonder if that’s what I looked like, if I was that helpless.

Arturo looks down at the floor and spots my discarded Women in Business award. He tosses it and catches it in his palm a couple of times before smashing it down on Franklin’s face, knocking him out cold.

Marco grabs my water bottle and dumps it on the side of Franklin’s face. “Wakey, wakey, sunshine,” he says, smacking him around.

They’re toying with him.

“If it were up to me, he’d die. Eventually.” The set of Thiago’s jaw tells me just how slowly he’d eviscerate him if given the chance. “But it’s your decision.”

It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell him to kill him. It would be so easy to make that decision, to rid the world of one less abuser. But I can’t make myself say it. I can’t condemn him to death, no matter what he just did to me.

“Don’t kill him,” I ask.

Thiago nods once, accepting my decision with a clenched jaw. He cups my chin and kisses my lips. The simple touch is enough to spark the fire in my belly back to life. His mouth moves over mine, his hand gripping the back of my neck to hold me close. I lean into him, wrapping my fingers around his forearm to keep myself steady. With one final peck on my lips, he releases me and steps up to the side of my desk.

He bends at the waist so his face is level with Franklin’s. “What kind of psychosis made you think you could touch my wife?”

His voice cuts across the word ‘wife’ like a knife slicing through skin, the possessive fury evident in the one syllable.

“Please, I’m sorry,” Franklin pleads. “She was promised to me fir–”

A fist slams violently down next to his face, cutting him off. “She wasn’tanythingto you.” Thiago snarls.

He straightens, looking over at Marco.

“Machete,” he asks.

With a savage smirk, Marco slaps a broad, crude blade about thirty inches long into his hand. It shines menacingly under the office lighting.

Franklin’s panicked eyes widen until they’re bulging white. He thrashes against the hold, shouting garbled pleas. When he realizes that’s getting him nowhere, his gaze slides to mine.

“Tess, please. Tell him you don’t want this. Tell him–”

Quick as lightning, Thiago grips him by the hair and smashes his face mercilessly down on my desk.

“Speak to her again and I’ll rip out your vocal cords.”

It was a useless endeavor anyway. I won’t be intervening to give him any additional mercy beyond saving his life. He deserves every single thing that my husband is about to do to him. As Dagny likes to say, play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

“That’s the second time I’ve watched you touch my wife now. Luckily for you, she wasn’t my wife the first time. But this time…”

---