Page 154 of Where the Wicked Reign

“Will do,” she said, opening the door.

“I know you didn’t want to bring a whole lot of your stuff over, because you still have your apartment and everything, so we included a few extra things to make sure you’re comfortable. Have a look around, settle in, whatever you need to do.”

She stared at me in wonder.

I smiled. “Told you we’ve got you, darlin’.”

With that, I stepped back and let her do what she needed to.

As the door closed, I headed back down the staircase.

The mansion was eerily quiet.

And I didn’t like it.

Not one bit.

All too quickly, without necessary distractions, my mind started whirring and heading down dark and dangerous paths.

I shoved the barrel of the gun down Angelo’s throat.

“You really wanted to be swallowing a cock, but all you get is this. I’m off the menu. Accept that and let it the fuck go.” I drove it deeper, making the bastard retch and claw at the floor. “Come at me or mine again and this will look like nothing.”

Abruptly, I ripped it out, and he vomited all over the carpet.

It had been a long time since I’d been in that darkly violent headspace.

It wasn’t the norm for me, nor something that I liked doing.

During our mission with the human trafficking ring takedown, I’d been adrenaline-junkie violent, focused on the thrill of it. The excitement and the major rush that it was.

But tonight, Angelo had pushed me to the bad side of it all.

He’d fucking triggered me.

It hadn’t just been the violent threat he’d posed—and that had been bad enough.

It had been the sexual threat I’d felt coming off him in dangerous waves.

The fuck I was gonna endure anything like that again.

I’d lived through it already and I’d barely survived it.

Ah, fuck.

As soon as that thought hit me, it opened a door that I was usually so good at keeping closed, especially with all my distractions in place.

Before I knew it, they were all spiraling, the brutal memories of what I’d suffered through in the past swirling around me and assaulting me over and over.

I staggered back against the lobby wall and brought my hands to my face, trying to get a grip, trying to shove it all back down and bury it.

“Sunshine.”

I jolted as a big hand landed on my shoulder.

I dropped my hands from my face with a gasp, my eyes wide, my body fucking shuddering.

And then I was looking out at Milo.

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