Page 145 of Vicious Little Princess

“Where’s the third guy?” I asked.

He frowned for a moment, then some sort of realization played on his face. “Oh, right, Santino mentioned you were used to being triple-teamed.”

It was actually strategic. I needed to know if their other team member was on the premises. They’d caught me by surprise before, at a time when I’d been wanting to hold back the dark and twisted part of myself, when I’d been struggling with it. But even though I was willing to unleash now, the fact that they weremilitary trained, as Santino had put it, would still pose a challenge. I’d always had a one-up in combat becauseI’dbeen military trained by Joe, but coming up against those with a similar skill set ripped that advantage away.

“Sorry,” Reese said, drawing closer—exactly where I needed him. “He’s busy taking care of something else far away from here.”

“That’s a shame, because I’d rather make a deal with all three of you at once. I don’t like to repeat myself.”

“Deal?” Tom scoffed.

“You’re here to extract intel from me on how to access Leone Family funds that I’ve confiscated. You do realize that means that I have the power to compensate you far beyond what Santino currently has on hand?”

The two of them eyed one another.

Then Reese stepped forward ever closer.Just a little more.“It’s not just about the money for us.” He gazed at his knife in a twisted, lustful way. “The work we do, it gets us off, sweetheart. There’s nothing else like it.”

“We’re not just mercenaries for hire.”

Interesting information. Keep it coming.“Santino is restricted on what he can offer you where that’s concerned. This, with me, is more of a one-off. There are better places and individuals who you can work for to get that rush you need.” That sick, demented rush.

Another look passed between them.Hmm.

They needed him for something.

Protection, maybe? Was he a buffer of some sort for them?

Why would a group like this who clearly knew their shit need that, though?

It hit me as soon as I asked myself the question.

They were being hunted by somebody like them, on their level.

Only one name came to mind that linked to all of this.

Joseph Stover.

Thiswas the connection that I’d been unable to make before.

Because it had been buried, it was so covert that there’d been no electronic trail for me to follow.

“Last chance to give up the intel,” Tom warned, bringing the spider gag closer, then trailing the metal over my lips, giving me a taste of it.

“Hmm… I’m not recalling anything,” I said, glaring up at them.

“Turn her head a little,” Reese spoke as he stepped right where I needed him, just to my right.

As Tom went to do as he’d asked and prepared to grab my head to attach the awful gag, I made my move.

I shot out my right hand from around the chair, snagged Reese’s knife-wielding wrist, then yanked hard and drove my knee up at the same time, successfully dislodging the blade from his grip.

In the next split second, I spun it in my hand, then drove it between his legs, slicing into his dick and wrenching it down until he was shrieking like a banshee.

“Holy—” Tom started, but didn’t get much further as I slammed my left fist into the spider gag, sending it clattering across the floor, thankfully out of his reach and away from me.Fucking thing.

I worked with the shock of it all to twist off the chair just in time as he threw his fist.

He missed me and before he could move in for another blow, I snatched up the chair and swung it into him, clocking him across the side.

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