Page 28 of Kinks of a Billionaire
But the fucker wasn’t in enough pain for this conversation, so I pulled a knife from my pocket and pressed it against his jugular.
“Do you know if I slice you here, the blood flowing to and from your brain will just—” I made the sound of an explosion with my mouth and flicked my fingers for the added visual effect. Finally, fear entered Stuart’s eyes, and I leaned forward. “You made your last mistake when it comes to Willow.”
I pressed the blade against his neck, slicing the skin, and his eyes bulged with panic.
“It was one time,” he wheezed as gasps left his throat. “I won’t do it again.”
My grip on the blade tightened. “That’s right, you won’t.” I pushed the knife deeper, and he started crying. Fuck, and I’d barely gotten started. “Because she’s mine now.”
He let out a pained sob.
“You c-can’t take her.” His whimpery stutter grated on my nerves. “She’s pregnant with my kid, and I have rights.”
In a flash, I shifted, plunging my blade into the palm of his hand. A howl ripped from his lips, bouncing against the walls.
“Want to repeat that?” I twisted the blade in his flesh, drawing inhuman cries from him. For the first time ever, I was grateful for the Harris family’s obsession with image. They’d booked the most expensive hotel in Lisbon for their precious son’s wedding, and this building had all the makings of a fortress. Thick stone walls, high ceilings, and plush carpet—all the better to soundproof this motherfucker’s screams. “Maybe we should try the other palm too. After all, I made a mistake and stabbed your left hand. But you’re right-handed, aren’t you, Stuart?”
I let my thirst for dishing pain and revenge rise within me. My darkness rarely took over, but when it did, it was game over for anyone who stood in my path.
I pulled the knife out, and before I could follow through with my threat, he screamed out. “Please, Royce. I blacked out when she threatened to cancel the wedding.” He let out a pained sob. “I didn’t know what I was doing. I blacked out. You have to believe me.”
“Royce,” she whispered, her voice featherlight, but my rage got the best of me. I was too far gone.
I grabbed his chin roughly and twisted his neck like a pretzel. He was lucky I didn’t snap it. It would be so fucking easy.
“Look what you’ve done,” I gritted, barely keeping a lid on my temper. Willow stood at the doorway, watching the entire encounter pale white with trembling fingers smoothing herdress over and over again. It was almost as if she needed to soothe herself. I should shield her from this side of me, but right now, I was too far gone. “Tell me what you see.”
Wheezing gasps gurgled in his throat and his eyes bulged with pain as I squeezed his chin, hoping to break his jaw.
“Sh-she is all messed up.”
My molars clenched and my hand slid to his neck.
“She’s fucking beautiful, and you’re messed up in your head.” He fought against me, but it was in vain. “But I’ll show you messed up.” With precision, I sliced his left testicle. Not deep enough for him to bleed out, but enough for him to likely lose all feeling in it—for good. His pained howl vibrated against the walls as he bucked like a wild horse. I wanted to stretch his torture out for hours, days, but I had a priest to coerce and a wedding to get to. “Now, apologize.”
Stuart’s eyes flicked to Willow who still stood at the doorway, ghost white now, but still looking drop-dead gorgeous in her wedding dress. I punched him in the face, but I knew I had to bring this to an end. I promised Willow I wouldn’t kill him and I’d keep that promise if it killed me.
“Don’t fucking look at her or I’ll dig the eyeballs out of your skull.” To emphasize my words, I landed another punch, and the sound of cracking bones filled the space. “Apologize.”
He turned his head, staring at me with swollen, beady eyes. He opened his mouth several times like a gaping fish before finding his voice through his pain. “I’m… I’m sorry, Willow.”
“You can do better than that.” I patted his cheek. “You hit a woman. Apregnantwoman. My woman. Do it right, or I’m going to take my lessons to another level.”
Another pained sob tore from his bloodied lips. “I’m so sorry for hitting you and threatening you. I’m a loser scumbag and should have never touched you. It’ll never happen again.”
That would have to do.
“Go near her again and I’ll kill you,” I warned, eerily calm. “And, as you know, I don’t make empty promises.”
Stuart looked past me with fear, his gaze locking on Willow, and I didn’t like it one bit. Every instinct in me screamed to kill him. But because I made a promise, I settled on punching him a final time, breaking his nose and sending his head flying to the side, away from Willow.
Leaving him, I stood up and strode back to her room.
“Ready?”
She nodded from beneath a canvas of cuts and bruises.
I grabbed her duffle bag and extended my hand. She took it without hesitation, her soft fingers interlocking with mine as we left Stuart crying in the room behind us.
