Page 32 of Sardonic Burn

Hudson lowers his head and takes my bottom lip in between his. He sucks off the blood, licking in between.

His sweet tongue darts all over the quivering lip, taking all of the blood in his mouth.

I’m frozen in fear, but something slowly starts to build in the pit of my stomach. I know what it is, and I want to ignore it. However, I can’t. My body heats up as if he poured gasoline all over me and lit a match.

Fire explodes in my stomach, and I forfeit all rights to be reasonable. I can’t ignore the tingling sensation that is happening in the lower part of my stomach and how good it’s making me feel.

It’s like poison is spreading through my body, and he’s the antidote.

I don’t want it to end.

I want to chase the high to the ends of the earth. I want to suffocate myself in this exhilarating motility until there’s nothing left of me. I need the softness of his lips to be my undoing.

But Hudson doesn’t let me have it.

He distances himself from me, staring at me with nothing but pure hatred in his eyes. But that only intensifies my greed to own this feeling, to forever have this sensitivity for myself.

He licks the remaining blood off his bottom lip and removes the blade from my cheek.

“Never make yourself bleed. Your blood is mine and mine only.”

NINE

I’m not sure what the fuck I’m doing right now.

This morning, Henrick asked me to oversee a shipment. I don’t know if the Campbells know about the arms dealing working in our favor lately. If they do, they don’t seem to care much.

Especially since I now have two kilograms of cocaine in the trunk of my car.

I got everything done in record time. Not many people dare to mess with my family, and those who do never see the winning side. It pisses me off beyond belief that we’ve had trouble removing the Campbells from the picture entirely for five fucking generations.

Henrick has lost his mind; it’s official. I didn’t think he would follow the rules of that goddamn agreement that is older than him, but he doesn’t want to take even the slightest misstep.

He’s enforcing the rules too tightly for my liking.

However, just because I’m forced to work with Noelle and can’t kill her, doesn’t mean I can’t hurt her in other ways. As long as she’s alive while the common enemy is defeated, everything else is fair game.

That’s why I have found out every single thing there is about her.

She’s been engaged to that prick for years, and their wedding is set for summer. Since we will take down those who attacked our two families before summer, she will never get to walk down the aisle and be a bride.

Because she’ll be dead.

The most interesting thing about her is her past love life. Even during her engagement to Dylan, she’s had multiple affairs and never bothered to hide them. She’s been with more women than men, but then, something changed.

In the past nine months, she’s been oddly loyal to Dylan.

I’m curious if it’s an arranged marriage or a forced one. Since she’s so free-spirited and has suddenly calmed down, something must’ve happened. And it pisses me off that I can’t find out what.

That’s probably why I'm standing outside of one of the nicest Italian restaurants in the city. She’s friends with the younger daughter of the mafia don, and they own the restaurant, so it’s not a surprise she got a seat.

But she’s with Dylan.

On a date.

And something is too fishy about him.

I’m only here to make sure she doesn’t die before I get the chance to kill her.

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