Page 115 of Vicious Heir

Blood splatters the wall. He screams in agony and starts shooting wildly. The bullets slam into the floor next to my head. I aim higher, hit him again in the hip, and again in the chest. He staggers backward, his gun falling from his hand as more blood pumps from the fresh wound.

I’m up and on my feet then. But Demir’s a tough bastard. He screams and charges, and though I put one more in his shoulder, he tackles me to the floor. We slip on his blood and smash to the floor as he tries to wrap his hands around my throat.

“You fucker,” he snarls in my face, spittle dripping from his lips. “You motherfucker?—”

There are shouts downstairs. Oh, fucking shit. His guards are home. Demir’s smile widens, but his victory doesn’t last long.

I twist and throw him off me. His air lets out in a rush as his back hits the wall. I get to my feet, kick him twice in the ribs, then unload my magazine down the steps. Bullets thud into surprised guards as the stairwell becomes a killing field, strewn with blood and agony. Two men tumble down, knocking a third over, but more are coming.

Fuck. I’m trapped up here. I grab Demir by the collar and drag him away from the hall. He groans and curses, but he’s bleeding too much. I kick the door shut and check the windows, but it’s a straight drop down.

“You’re finished now, Marino,” Demir says, showing bloody teeth. He’s trying to put pressure on the wounds in his chest, but blood leaks around his fingers, sticky and red.

“Not yet.” The guards are at the top of the steps now. They’re right outside the door. I reload my gun and wait for them to charge in.

But nothing happens.

Until there’s an explosion loud enough to rock the entire house.

“What the fuck?” Demir says, eyes going wide.

Screams downstairs. More gunfire. Automatic weapons scythe through the night. I kick open the door and catch the two men who’d been coming to kill me off guard. I splatter their brains on the wall, painting it with more gore. Then I’m down the steps, only to find Luca and several of his men fanning out over the wreckage of the living room.

“How the fuck did you get in here so fast?” I ask, adrenaline slamming in my veins.

“Vittorio called. I figured you’d be dead if I didn’t get inside in time.”

“Did you use grenades?”

“Only a few.” He shrugs toward where a fire’s going in the corner of the house. “We’d better get moving. You got your man?”

“He’s upstairs. Help me carry him out.”

Luca follows, and we find Demir trying to crawl away. Despite all the blood loss and the bullets still in his body, he’s alive. I grab his ankles, and Luca takes his arms.

“Fuck you all,” Demir groans, eyelids fluttering.

“Here’s what you don’t realize yet.” We take him down the steps and out into the night toward where Luca parked his black SUVs.“We’re going to save your life, Demir. Then when you’re healed enough, I’m going to torture you. I’m going to make you wish I had finished you off tonight. And as I do it, I’m going to make sure you know you’re suffering because you touched my fucking wife.”

We throw his body into the trunk. Luca binds his wrists behind his back and makes sure he doesn’t have any weapons.

“Gonna get blood all over,” he mutters, then turns back to me. “Should I call the doctor?”

“Please do. He has an important patient.”

Demir’s nearly unconscious now, but he’s just awake enough to look horrified as I slam the door shut on him.

Chapter 44

Adriano

Two Weeks Later

It’sa beautiful day in Rittenhouse Park. Buskers play music near the fountains. Young people sit on blankets in the sunshine. I walk with Lucy, holding her hand in mine, enjoying her closeness.

Around us, almost invisible, are a dozen of the best men in the whole Marino Famiglia, handpicked by Vittorio. Although I doubt we’ll need them.

“What do you think,amore mio?” I lean, putting an arm around her shoulders and tugging her close. “Do you want an apartment near here?” I gesture at the tall buildings. “A penthouse overlooking the park, perhaps?”

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