Page 6 of Broken Princess

He lunges at me and we both sprawl backward until we hit the floor, and he decks me in return. My lip splits on my upper teeth, but I have him on his back the next second.

"You're such a cliché," Stefan sneers, blood dripping from his nostrils from the last punch as he holds me off from strangling him. "Typical spoiled American mob brat who thinks he can have his cake and eat it, too."

"You're one to talk, shithead. At least I didn't fucking murder my own girlfriend," I shoot back.

He gives me a swift knee to the gut, hard enough to throw me off for a second. Just long enough to scramble back. "I didn't... kill Gianna," he pants, pushing himself up onto one knee.

"Bullshit," I scoff, getting back to my own feet. I wipe the blood off my lip with the back of my sleeve. "You think you can just come here and pretend like nothing happened? Maybe everyone else will buy it if you flash enough cash and that transparent nice guy routine, but if you go near my girl again, you're the one who's gonna end up missing."

"Your girl?" he laughs bitterly. "You mean that bimbo you chose over Amelia?"

"You don't know shit," I seethe.

"No?" he challenges. "You don't think I know what it's like being pressured to keep up a certain appearance? You're not the only one with old money parents, Lorenzo. Some of us just aren't cowardly enough to let Mommy and Daddy dictate the rest of our lives."

"Fuck you!" I snarl, lunging at him again.

I grab him by the throat and pin him against the wall, rearing my other fist back for another blow when I hear the front door slam.

"Oh, for fuck's sake, I can't leave you alone for a minute, can I?" a familiar voice bellows.

CHAPTER 3

LORENZO

Stefan and I both freeze when we turn around to find Anthony stalking toward us. He grabs me by the shoulder and pulls me back, just in time to keep me from rearranging the pretty boy's face.

I shrug out of his grasp, pissed that I was interrupted. "What the hell do you want? We're busy."

"Yeah, I can see that," he says, folding his arms. "Looks like you've had a full day of stalking your not-ex-girlfriend—and killing the new guy."

"He wasn't going to kill me," Stefan mutters defensively, brushing off his clothes. "I had a handle on it."

I roll my eyes. "Yeah, sure."

Anthony ignores him, scowling at me. "Listen, you need to back off. For real this time."

"Back off what, Anthony?" I challenge. "You're being awfully protective, considering Amelia is just feeling a little under the weather."

His eyes narrow, but I can tell I have him cornered. Which means he really is hiding something. "I told you, she just wants to be left alone."

"You know where she is, then?" Stefan asks, sounding earnest enough. Not that I would put it past the little psychopath to be a complete liar, but he is a convincing one, I'll give him that.

Anthony frowns. "Yes…"

"Then could you call her?" Stefan asks hopefully. "Just to settle the matter of Lorenzo's paranoia."

Anthony sets his lips into a firm line. "I… guess so."

I wasn't expecting that to work, but I'm not going to complain, even if it was Stefan's idea. I wait, watching as he picks up his phone and selects Amelia from his contacts. I keep an eye on his screen to make sure he's actually doing it.

The phone rings, and rings, and rings, but no one answers.

Shit.

On the one hand, I know that as much as he hates me, Anthony wouldn't keep quiet if he genuinely thought Amelia was in danger. On the other, that means I would have to trust his judgment as to what is and isn't a danger, which I clearly don't.

Her being out of my sight is bad enough.

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