Page 17 of Curse

Vin glares at her, and a primal instinct stirs inside me, as certain as gravity: it’s my job to protect her. From everyone. From everything. Starting with Vin.

Vin shadows us until we reach the door, then he steps in front of us to hold it open so I can keep my hand on her.

As we walk through, a man filing past us into the building checks her out, his eyes raking across her full tits. My lip curls into a snarl and an animalistic urge to knock him flat causes all my muscles to tense. It takes everything I have to rein myself in.

Vin falls back into step behind us as we head outside, and I guide her into an alley flanking the building. The narrow passage leads to a series of alcoves. Some are bustling, others empty. One is too crowded.

Another, tucked deeper into the shadows, promises privacy. There’s a cutout surrounded by stone walls, heavy steel doors, and dumpsters full of cardboard shoved to the sides of the walkway, providing us with shelter from view of passersby.

Perfect.

I loosen my grip on Siena’s waist to guide her between the dumpsters and into the protected area. She stumbles, and it hits me that I’ve been holding her up this whole time. I grab her elbow to steady her, leading her back into the secluded space.

The instant we clear the narrow path, Vin grabs her shoulder and hurls her against the building before I can react. The force rattles through her frame as her bag slides off her shoulder, and she bounces off the stone wall.

Just as I’m about to tackle Vin, her fist connects with his jaw, the sharp crack echoing off the stone walls.

Vin’s face darkens, his temper flaring, but I step between them and push him back before he can retaliate, choking back a laugh.

“Fuck that bitch,” Vin growls, lunging for her again, but I shove my shoulder into his chest and push him back.

“Not here,” I murmur, so only he can hear. “I said I’d handle this.”

I turn back to Siena, and she’s furious, her face red, her nostrils flaring. When she locks eyes with me, I think I see her soften slightly, but only for a second.

Then her fist slams into my jaw. The sting sends a rush ofheat through me as I push my tongue between my teeth and my cheek, tasting blood. Vin laughs behind me. I’m irritated and turned on at the same time.

“Calm down, kitten,” I say, rubbing my jaw and smirking in spite of myself. “We’re not here to hurt you. We just want the flash drive.”

Surprise registers on her face, but she quickly covers with feigned confusion. “What are you talking about? What flash drive?”

Vin growls under his breath and steps in front of me. “We don’t have time for bullshit. Give us the fucking flash drive, or we’ll leave your body in one of these dumpsters here and take it ourselves.”

He means it. I know he does. But if she doesn’t have it on her, we’ll need her alive to find it. Not to mention, the crash hasn’t hit the news yet, but if Siena’s body shows up in a dumpster in New York less than 48 hours after her sister’s plane went down, it’s only a matter of time before the authorities link it to Franco and back to us.

Siena opens her mouth to speak, and I stand silently behind Vin and raise a finger to my lips, signaling her to stay quiet. She closes her mouth.

Good girl.

I shift gears, stepping forward, my softened tone a signal to Vin that I’m taking it in a different direction.

“It’s not us who wants it, kitten. We represent a concerned third party. If you don’t give it to us, he’s not going to stop sending people until he gets the drive. And the next crew won’t be as nice as we are.”

“Because you guys are fucking sweethearts, right?” She winces as she stands tall in front of me. Fuck, Vin must havehurt her.

Vin snorts and steps back, pulling out his phone and opening his texts, his way of letting me take the lead. “Do what the man says, princess, and we’ll be out of your life for good. If not….”

His voice trails off, and he takes a couple of steps back toward the space between the dumpsters. Shoving in an earbud, he glances between his phone and out toward the street to make sure that no one comes this way.

Siena’s eyes blaze with defiance, her hatred almost palpable. I take another step closer to her, and she straightens even more, trembling but unyielding. Her bravery is in fiery contrast to her shaking body, and I can’t help but admire her. Even in heels, she’s diminutive compared to me, but despite how terrified she is, I can see the badass that’s dying to come out.

Her defiance makes me want to slam her up against the wall and channel that energy to better use, but at the same time, there’s something else I’m feeling, too, something unfamiliar.

Guilt that she’s scared of me? No. Sheshouldbe scared of me, but for some reason that I can’t quite name, I don’t want her to fear me the way other people do.

Instead of acting on my baser instincts, I maintain awareness of where Vin is and what he’s doing as I move in closer to her.

“I’m going to search you,” I say, my voice low and steady. “This doesn’t have to be unpleasant. Unless you make it difficult, and then hurt won’t even begin to describe what I do to you.”

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