Page 95 of Unbound

He glared at me. “I’m sick and fuckin’ tired of people trying to fuckin’ take you from me, Athena.”

“Nick can’t take me from you, baby.”

Tommy lifted me up and sat me on the edge of his desk and moved back toward Nick, who was sheet white.

“Let him go!” I shouted, desperately. “He won’t come back.”

Tommy moved toward Nick and put the gun in Nick’s mouth. I gasped. Nick’s eyes couldn’t have been any wider.

“Tommy, no. No, no-no-no.” I put my hands in my hair.

Tommy glared at Nick, a muscle jumping in his jaw.

Nick was crying. And peeing his pants. I saw the wet spot spread on the front of his uniform.

I sobbed. I had to stop this insanity.

“Tommy!” I screamed. “Please.”

I was bawling. I jumped off the desk.

“Get the fuck back up there!” he demanded, his chest was moving up and down rapidly. He was so close to snapping.

I sat back on the desk and thrust my hands through my hair, sending Tommy a pleading look, tears running down my face.

I put my hand on my belly and looked at my hand, my wedding rings; the gravity of this was cutting like a knife. A serrated knife.

Tommy side-eyed me and then his expression changed. He pulled the gun back.

“Last chance, fucker. I see you again?”

“You won’t,” Nick promised. Nick’s face was bleeding.

Tommy stepped back again and with his gun, he waved toward the door. “Leave town. You got twenty-four hours. Don’t come back. Before you go, get word to Greg O’Connor that due to that little stunt, he no longer has my protection.” Tommy gestured toward the letter.

Nick looked confused a second and then nodded and left, not looking my way.

I stopped crying. Tears were drying on my face, but my whole body still shook.

Tommy put the gun down on his desk and followed Nick out. Marley was barking, sitting outside the door, showing his tiny puppy teeth to Nick.

I moved to the doorway and then after hearing the front door click shut, to the foyer. Tommy talked to Will outside. He was pointing at Nick and giving Will shit.

Will went and opened the gate, which the UPS truck was directly against. Another car was outside the gate, a guy I recognized as one of our security guys standing on the other side.

Nick reversed the UPS truck out of the driveway and peeled off.

I picked up my puppy.

“It’s okay, Marley.”

He licked a tear off my chin and his tail thumped against me.

Tommy came back inside once the gate was shut.

His face was still like thunder.

I stared at him.

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