Page 16 of Deceit
Motherfucker.
I gripped the door frame, stopping myself from flying out there and beatingthe punk to a pulp, telling myselfthatGus would be along any second to put a stop to their conversation.
Another minute passed. My jaw ached from how hard I was clenching myteeth, and my temper was almost at breaking point when the bartender placed a glass of wine in front of her, and she gulped a mouthful.
Rage swirled inside me like a vortex, but I didn’t know if it was because ofher fucking stupidity at taking a drink from a stranger, or because it occurred to methatshe had never given me the soft smiles she was giving the guy.
But the fire in my veins turned to ice when the smile fell from Sofia’s face,replaced by a look I’d seen once before: when she was terrified for her life inthatfucking basement. Before I could rip the door open and launch myself across the bar, the dead man walking subtly nudged her off her stool and gripped her arm.
From the way he kept one arm lowered, I didn’t need to see the weapon toknow he was holding a gun.
Fuck.
Jealousy at another man talking to my fiancèe went out the window in aheartbeat, replaced by total focus and control. I stalked down the hallway to the side door, opting to avoid going through the bar and drawing any unnecessary attention.
Dialling Ernie, I burst through the door and back out into the night.
“Mr. Wolfe,”he said, answering after one ring.
Ernie had proven his loyalty to our family during the fight for Hollows Bay,earning the top spot in the gang Kai and I controlled: The Shadows. He had become a valuable asset over the last few months, and Kai had promoted him to oversee all of the Wolfe’s security.
“I need you at Bar Forty-Four in Forest Point. Track my phone for thelocation and bring back up,”I barked, hanging up before he could respond.
Backup was likely twenty minutes away, time I didn’t have to spare. Creepingalong the length of the wall, I pulled my gun out, pausing when I reached the corner of the building. Sure enough, the approaching soundsof Sofia’s frightened mumbles met my ears. Her anguished cries were like a spear being violently shoved through mychest.
When the footsteps on the other side of the wall were close by, I lunged frommy spot, making a split-second decision not to fire at the cunt holding Sofia for fear of hitting her. But my sudden appearance caught him off guard, and I used the opportunity to throw a punch into his face.
Surprised, he grunted as he released her. Blood exploded from his nose, and the gun hewas clutching in his other hand clattered to the floor.
Reholstering my gun, I had a split-second glance at Sofia, whose eyes wereglazed over, and I winced when her body collapsed in a heap on the floor, but I didn’t have time to react when the idiot with a death wish launched at me.
The two of us tumbled to the floor with him on top of me, but as he rearedback to punch me, I wrapped my legs around his waist and flipped him, smacking my head against his. We switched places sothatI was straddling him as uncontrollable rage burst from me.
I rained down blow after blow, andevenwhen he fell unconscious, I didn’t stop, purging myself of my fury. It wasn’t until the soft murmurings from beside me reached my earsthatI ceased my attack, my body heaving from how much energy I had expended.
The guy’s face was unrecognizable, both eyes swollen shut asblood poured from his busted nose and lips, and yet a murderous streak still zapped through me, wanting to inflict more damage.
It was a miraclethatI hadn’t already killed the prick.
When slight movement from my periphery caught my attention, I stood,contentthathe wasn’t going anywhere. I had a few questions for him when he eventually regained consciousness, andthenhe’d meet his maker.
Sofia was as limp as a rag doll. I lifted her into my arms, pulling her dress upafter it had slipped to reveal more of her luscious tits, and at the worst possible time, an image of me sucking a pert nipple into my mouth flashed into my head.
I shook the image away, refusing to allow myself to indulge in it.Evenif shewasn’t almost unconscious, it wasn’t as if I would ever let the fantasy become reality.
Incoherent murmurs fell from her mouth as she snuggled her head againstmy chest, my heart accelerating as the scent of cinnamon filtered up and flooded my senses. I stared down at her, caught in a trance by the affectionate smilethatpulled at her lips.
“Always…”she muttered. My brows furrowed as I tried to make sense ofwhat she was saying, only for my heart to stop beating altogether when the next word escaped from her lips.“Theo.”
Chapter 3
Miles
Always Theo.
By the time Ernie and his men arrived, the words Sofia mutteredhad replayed so many timesthatI wanted nothing more than to reach into my own brain and pluck them from my vocabulary.
With the guy I’d beaten to a pulp still unconscious and secured with cableties, I gave my orders to Ernie to deal with the fallout at the bar before getting the hell out of there with Sofia passed out on the back seat.
