Page 58 of His Game (His Obsession 1)

"I didn't do anything." Pink spittle ran down Gio's chin and soaked into my sling. "Now let me go, you fucking prick."

I pushed the nozzle of the gun harder against his skull, my finger resting lightly on the trigger.

"Fucking hell, Luca!" he raged at me, his face a mottled red.

"Did he touch you, amore?" I repeated. The thought of this asshole's hands on Veda sent me spiraling into a rage such as I'd never experienced before. Not even when Maria had died. My gun hand shook. "DID HE TOUCH YOU?"

"Yes," she yelled back. "But I handled it, Luca! Now stop it before you shoot him!"

"Oh, I plan to shoot him," I told her. "I just want him to piss himself a little first."

"Luca, please."

"What the fuck is going on back here?"

I didn't turn to see who had asked. I didn't have to. If I knew my family, and I did, the entire party would be crowded behind Veda to watch what was going down. Witnesses were important.

"Luca, Luca," my uncle called my name as he had since I was a boy. "Put down the gun. You can't go splattering your cousin's brains all over the wall. Think of the cleaning bill."

"I will personally see to it myself," I told him without taking my eyes from Gio. "It will be like it never happened." Sweat began to bead at his temple, and although he tried to keep up the tough guy act, his eyes swung over to our uncle, silently pleading with him to save him.

"Luca, please," Veda whispered behind me. "I don't want any bloodshed."

"This stronzo should've thought about that before he put his hands on something that's MINE.”

"I didn't know who the fuck she was!" Gio shouted. "Jesus Christ, Luca."

"So, what? You think any of us would bring a woman to our uncle's birthday, a family event, and that we wouldn't care if you fucking raped her in the men's room?"

"I wasn't gonna rape her, man!"

I pushed the nozzle of the gun harder into his temple. "Then what, exactly, were you doing to her in there? Why does she have blood on her mouth?"

"Because the bitch fucking bit me! That's why!" Spittle hit my face and ran down my cheek.

"Luca..." My uncle slowly made his way toward me until he was standing right next to the two of us. Pulling out a handkerchief, he wiped off my face as I debated whether or not to kill my cousin. "Don't ruin my birthday by killing family at my dinner. It might be my last celebration. If, tomorrow, you still feel that you need to avenge your lady's honor," he shrugged, "you can kill him then."

Gio turned wide eyes to him. "What the fuck, Zio?"

But our uncle just took a step back and raised both arms out to the side with another shrug. "What? You bring this shit on yourself, Giovanni."

Rage still boiled inside of me, heating my blood and making my trigger finger itchy. But my uncle was right. I couldn't splatter Gio's brains all over the wall at his birthday dinner. It was disrespectful. If my father was here, he would never allow it. Pressing my arm a little harder against his throat, I enjoyed the way he gagged, fighting for a breath. "I think you need to suddenly go home. I don't think you're feeling very well."

He tried to nod.

With one last shove, I stepped back. "Pack up his dinner, please," I told our hostess.

"Oh, of course. Right away." With a nervous smile, she scuttled off to do as I asked.

Coughing and gagging, Gio stumbled out of the alcove we'd been standing in. One hand on his throat and the other shoving people out of the way, he ran out the front door.

Turning on my heel, I made to follow him, my eyes on the front door as everyone wandered back to their food. I needed some fucking air.

Veda grabbed my jacket as I passed. "Where are you going?"

I didn't stop. I had to get the hell out of there and make sure that motherfucker left before I changed my mind. Gun still in my hand, I pushed open the front door and walked into the night just as Gio's god awful yellow sports car spun out of the drive, cutting off another car in his haste. I spotted Enzo parked on the right side of the dirt lot. When he saw me, he got of the car, but didn't come any closer. I indicated for him to stay where he was and he gave me a nod, making himself comfortable against the back of the SUV where he could keep an eye on me while still giving me my privacy.

Gravel crunched behind me, and through the ringing in my ears, I heard Veda cursing under her breath about the "goddamn death traps" she had to wear.

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