Page 92 of Masked Seduction
Nico.
My jaw clenches, teeth grinding so hard I can hear the scrape of bone. I gesture to Denis, and he signals Mikail and Georg to circle back. They arrive quickly, moving like ghosts, their eyes narrowed and alert.
Another yell from Jenna, this time louder, angrier. My hands curl into fists. Does she not realize her defiance puts her at greater risk? But how can I fault her courage, her stubborn spirit? It’s exactly what I love most about her.
“Why did Nico respond instead of one of his men?” I wonder out loud.
Denis shakes his head, skeptical. “We know he’s not alone. Cowards never are.”
I lean upward cautiously, peering through the corner of the window. My heart stops for a single, sickening moment. Nico isstanding over Jenna, who’s cuffed to a rusted metal bed frame. Even from here, I can see the dark bruises blooming on her face, her lip swollen and bleeding.
Jenna is glaring up at him, her fierce expression unwavering despite the pain I see etched in her features. I’ve never been prouder or angrier in my entire life.
Nico leans down and says in a mocking voice, “You scream again, bitch, and I’ll beat you unconscious. Understand?”
Jenna stares back in furious silence. Nico laughs, a hollow, hateful sound, and runs a finger down her jawline, slow and sickening. Before I can even register my own reaction, Jenna smacks his hand away with a ferocity that stuns him.
Fury flashes across Nico’s face, and in a swift movement, he slaps her hard. The sound echoes, and blood roars in my ears. The thin veneer of control I’ve maintained thus far shatters completely. Something primal, violent, and unstoppable surges through me.
“Shit,” Denis mutters as he realizes my intention. “Abram, wait?—”
It’s too late. I’m already moving, weapon drawn, storming around to the front entrance with a speed I didn’t know I was capable of. I hear my men scrambling to follow, but my entire world narrows down to one objective: Nico’s death.
I hit the front door full force, my boot connecting solidly, splintering wood and metal hinges giving way. As the door crashes inward, two men in the living room leap up, startled, hands scrambling for their weapons.
I don’t hesitate. My pistol snaps up, muzzle flashing twice in quick succession. Both men collapse without a sound, blood pooling beneath their bodies.
Mikail falls into step behind me, weapon trained forward as we sprint toward the hallway. Another guard steps out, eyes wide with panic, gun half-raised. Mikail drops him without hesitation.
We reach the bedroom door. My vision tunnels, all thoughts consumed by the need to get to Jenna, to protect her from any further harm.
I kick the door open so hard it slams into the wall, plaster cracking.
Inside, Jenna lies on the bed, cuffed, bruised, her eyes wide with shock and relief. Nico spins toward me, his face contorting with panic, his hand halfway to his waistband.
I raise my gun, eyes locked on the bastard who dared to touch my woman, fury roaring out of me in a single, unstoppable bellow.
“NICO!”
CHAPTER 37
JENNA
My wrists are raw and aching from being cuffed to the goddamn bed for what feels like hours.
My lip’s still bleeding from Nico’s hits, the taste sharp and metallic at the corner of my mouth. My whole body hurts, from the tension, from the blasting air conditioning, from the fear I’m trying to pretend isn’t crawling up my spine like frostbite. I’m exhausted. Furious. Terrified. But mostly, I’m ready for Abram.
And then I hear gunfire. Two sharp pops, then boots pounding across the hardwood. Not Nico’s boys. He told them not to fire unless ordered. That means it has to be Abram.
My heart slams into my ribs. I want to scream. I want to call out and tell him to run, that Nico’s right behind the door, armed and waiting. But I never get the chance.
The door crashes open in a blur of black force and fury. Splinters fly, plaster cracks. Abram barrels in, wild-eyed and savage, his pistol raised, a rabid storm carved into his features. Mikail follows a beat behind, gun sweeping the hallway behind him, clearing the space.
My heart floods with unbearable feelings. Relief. Rage. Love.
“Nico!” Abram shouts.
Nico spins behind me, pressing the cold, hard mouth of a pistol against my temple. “Drop your fucking weapon!” he shrieks, dragging me upright like a shield.
