Page 83 of The Devil We Know

I show him my teeth, going up on my toes as he squeezes a little harder, and I snarl, “You can go fuck yourself.”

There’s a moment of silence, and then the group of men starts to laugh. The corners of Kaian’s mouth turn up, so I shove my knee toward his balls. He easily deflects my attack with his leg ashe says, “Watch yourself. Wouldn’t want to accidentally kill you too soon.”

My eyes widen, and I snap my mouth shut. I see Lilith out of the corner of my eye, reaching her hand into her jacket, and I shake my head, hoping to get her attention. Her hand relaxes back to her side, and I say, “Well, if you’re gonna do it, get on with it. Wouldn’t want you to bore me to fucking death.”

The blond man steps forward, stopping a few inches from me as he leans in and says, “The fuckin’ Irish got a mouth on her.”

One of the men behind him retorts, “Well, that explains why Mathias would go rogue to get her.”

The blond man points behind Kaian and asks, “Who are the bitches?”

The three ladies visibly bristle, but Kaian says, “They’re with me. My father sent them over. I’m supposed to give them some education and then send them back unharmed.”

The man eyes them suspiciously and then looks back at Kaian and shrugs as he asks, “What the fuck should we do with her?”

I know what’s coming but knowing what’s coming doesn’t make me feel any less trepidation.

Kaian looks over at him and asks, “You want her?”

The man’s eyes widen comically, and the group of men standing on the other side fidget nervously, and he laughs a little hollowly and replies, “Tempting. But one way or another, I don’t see that ending well for me.”

Kaian snorts and makes a face as he says, “What could possibly happen? Her husband’s in a fucking cage. He ain’t gettin’ out of there.”

“Maybe not,” the man replies. “But we know he’s not the only one that will be a problem.”

Kaian scoffs, “You worried about her old man?”

The man nods. “Yes. Be a bloody fucking fool not to be worried about Seamus.” I frown, wishing I felt as certain that the old manwould defend me as this man is. And then the man adds, “And I don’t care if Mathias is in a cage or not. It’s safest to consider that guy a problem until you witness him dead and buried.”

The guy who spoke previously speaks up again, “And both his buddies are in there. It’s like a bad fucking omen.”

“Is that why you’re not in there watching the show?” Kaian asks.

They all nod and say, “I’m on enough hit lists without being added to theirs. And frankly, I get tired of beating up restrained people. It’s fucking stupid.”

Kaian nods, his grip on my throat easing so I’m no longer standing on my toes, and I relax a bit. After a moment, he releases me, and my hands come up, rubbing at my throat briefly as I scowl at him. I’m definitely going to kick him in the balls later.

Kaian turns back to the group of men and says, “Well, I guess I’ll tend to this one, then. You guys can go about your bus—”

An angry voice shouts through from the other side of the hallway, and suddenly, I find myself bodily pushed back against the wall, vicious fingers pushing into my throat.

My hands come up, grabbing at the hand and clawing, but the grip doesn’t ease, and then a face leans in so close that it’s blurry, snarling into my ear, “You’re fucking dead, you little bitch.”

My eyes widen as my feet come up off the floor. I kick them out, connecting with nothing. Then, Kaian is there, his hands gripping the wrist connected to the hand around my throat. I attempt to pull my head away, but the back of my skull connects with the wall, so I turn my head away.

The girls are tense, obviously ready to make a move, and I open my eyes wide, shaking my head, knowing it’s too soon.

Kaian shouts, but I can’t make out his words through the ringing in my ears, and the edges of my vision start to dull. Just as suddenly as it appeared, the hand is gone from my throat,and I crumple to the ground, gasping for breath, coughing and choking.

A set of feet move toward me and then stops. When I glance up, Lilith has her hand on Antoinette’s arm, keeping her back. Their typical poker faces are a mix of rage and worry.

They all quickly school their features, easing back slightly so as not to draw attention to themselves, and then Kaian is there. He kneels down, his hands on my upper arms, helping me to my feet. He then leans in and whispers, “Matteo’s brother, Enzo.

I stand with Kaian’s assistance, and after a moment, he releases me, and I lean heavily against the wall. Matteo’s brother steps toward me and I do my best not to flinch back visibly, though internally, I want to wretch.

He leans in close to me and says, “When my brother was so ruthlessly murdered, you should have been mine.”

I do recoil now, showing my teeth as I snarl, “Over my dead fucking body.”

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