Page 112 of Paper Coffins

“Beck…” Sebastian starts, worry wrapping his words.

“He’s in a room full of men who work for me. He won’t try his luck.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure.”

Sebastian’s comment hits the moment Justin takes Natalia’s hand, turning her on the spot. From our standpoint, he uses a grand gesture to welcome her back to the city, and she merely smiles in response.

“Watch this.”

I settle in, watching the view before me. I nurse my whiskey and keep an eye on Natalia’s movements and Justin’s hands. It’s in the moment she starts to take her hand away that he reacts, clearly not a fan of rejection. In quick, succinct motions, he grabs for her again; his entire persona has shifted. Gone is the nice guy, and true colours start to seep to the surface. Natalia slaps him when he reaches for her hip, trying desperately to pull her in close, but that was like a red flag to a raging bull. Justin reacts, pushing her to a wall, taking her into the shadows of the room, placing an arm over her chest to trap her while also pulling a small switchblade to place against her jaw.

“She must be getting used to this position by now,” Sebastian jokes, chuckling.

Natalia squirms but doesn’t give him a single drop of fear.

That slowly changes when his hand reaches for her breasts, copping a brief feel of something he shouldn’t be. The look on Natalia hardens, showing him the same fearlessness she’s shown me numerous times before. Even as the blade presses to her navel, she doesn’t change her expression.

Sebastian shifts uncomfortably. “Don’t you think we should step in?”

“No, I don’t.”

He manhandles her, and I do nothing.

I stand and watch. Not because I want another man touching what should be rightfully mine. Not even because I want to make her suffer for fucking my father. I do nothing because I want to see what lengths Natalia will go to in order to assert herself.

Our eyes meet across the room, and I go to move, willing to show her that I will step in. She merely gives me the tiniest of head shakes. It tells me more than her lips ever could.

Sebastian clearly doesn’t see it, so I reach for his arm.

“Boss...”

“She’s got this handled.”

Her dress splits enough to reveal her gold chain garter. Dainty fingers fall to her side, grazing the jewellery on her thigh, then coming back up. I catch the glint of a knife before she forces it into Justin’s side then thrusts it into his throat.

Men descend on Natalia the moment Justin’s body hits the ground, and this time, I don’t hold back.

She puts her hands up, blood, blade, and all, but the crowd does very little.

“Back the fuck up!” I bellow, standing between her and them. “We all just witnessed the same thing here, so I think you need to stand the fuck down.”

It was clearly self-defence, and I’ll deal with the consequences later.

“You tell everyone I don’t fucking mess around. If she hadn’t done it, I would have.” Putting my focus on my men, I can see they were expecting this turn of events as much as the rest of us. “Sort this fucking mess out,” I order Sebastian and Sean. “I’m getting her out of here.”

I take her by the wrist, pulling her from the scene and through throngs of people. I don’t stop, don’t look, and I certainly don’t make any conversation. What Natalia just did, while damaging, also sent a message. Whether it’s a good or a bad one, I’ll wait and see.

She yanks her arm away as we get to a quieter corridor. “You don’t have to manhandle me so much. I know how to walk out of a room.”

“I asked you what game we were playing tonight. You told me there wasn’t anything special.”

“Well, there wasn’t, but sometimes a girl has to ad-lib.”

Sometimes she’s tiring.

“Killing an associate’s son was not what I needed you to do, Natalia!”

“Wasn’t the heir, though, was he?” she asks, fixing me with a grin. “He’s the fourth born son, so they’ll deal.”She’s unbelievable.“I remember those who worked with my father, and I did my homework a lot over the years, Beckett. And in that family, their father only cares about the eldest.”

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