Page 12 of Wilt

“I’m making a point here.”

“You already made one. It’s right there, on the ground, brains blown out of his head.” My cousin’s attention flicks to Rosalind, gauging her reaction. He may say he doesn’t want to be included, but I know him too well. There’s murder glinting in his eyes. He hates her father as much as I do.

“Okay, I’m going to lift my hand from your mouth.” I wiggle the hand clasped over her mouth. “One sound from you and I’ll cut your tongue out, and then I’ll fucking kill you. Got it?”

She nods.

“Don’t test me. I’m not in the mood.” I lift my hand.

“I’m… I’m not going to.” Her voice wobbles, a little high-pitched, but she’s remarkably holding it together.

She sucks in breath after breath, like she’s trying to stave off a panic attack.

“We need to go, Niko.” Rush pokes his head out the door, his movements jerky with urgency. “Coast is clear, but time is running out. They’re going to notice she’s not there.”

“I know,” I bite out.

Without warning, Rosalind throws an elbow into my gut. It startles me more than anything else—she’s not strong enough to really hurt me—but as laughable as her escape attempt is, annoyance pricks.

I seize her by the arm, hard enough to bruise, and yank her hard toward me. With a sharp gasp, she bumps against my chest.

“What do you want with me?” she cries, anger and fear forcing her tears to finally fall.

“You’ll find out soon enough, sweet little Rose.” Swiftly, I bring the butt of my gun down hard on the back of her head, and she crumples to the ground with a soft thump, unconscious.

Rush peeks up at me. “Was that necessary?”

“No, but she was starting to get on my nerves.”

“You’re a sick bastard.”

“Old news,” I shrug as Rush rolls the dead man out of the way. He pulls a hoodie from the bag he brought and tosses it to me. “She was getting a bit too brave. I don’t think she would’ve come quietly, and I’m not in the mood to deal with that right now.”

He shrugs on a white vest, pinning on a badge and a name tag I had him pack. A pair of rubber gloves and stethoscope around his neck help complete his emergency health personnel look, and I marvel at how easily my plan is coming together. With this get up, we’ll be able to walk right out without a second glance.

I holster my gun under my jacket, then button it back into place. Looking down at Rosalind, I’m tempted to toss her over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes, but instead, I hoist her into my arms. She’s not heavy, and she looks smaller when she’s knocked out. I stroke a finger gently along those lush lips, then again, harder this time, rubbing her lipstick down to smear it. It’s deceptively hard work; that shit doesn’t really want to move. She really is fucking beautiful. Pity her fate was sealed by circumstance of birth.

“I like to be prepared for all contingencies, Rush.”

He checks the hallway again. “That’s what I like about you, Nikolai. You might be a sick fuck, but you make things happen and you’re always prepared. You’re like an evil boy scout.”

“Thanks. I think,” I reply, lifting her a little so I can move quickly if need be.

We step into the hall, hurrying toward the back emergency exit. We pass a few contestants and staff, but they only regard us with fake sympathy. They probably assume she fainted from not eating enough or a dress laced too tight. This sort of stuff happens all the time in these contests. Medical attention is no surprise.

No one stops us, and when we make it to the door, I spot the alarm warning sign immediately.

I glance at my cousin. “Rush…”

“Hey, no worries.” He points to the upper corner where two split wires hang. “Paid off a maintenance man before meeting you back there. Looks like he did his job.”

If nothing else, he’s a pretty quick learner. “Perfect.”

We walk out into the chilly night, beauty queen in hand. I spot our tinted SUV, engine running and waiting for us. Rush opens the trunk, tosses in the bags, and I carefully lay Rosalind on top of them. She moans right as I slam the hatch down.

As I head for the driver’s seat, my cousin tosses me the keys. He climbs into the passenger seat and I take off, ready to take what’s due to me.

Chapter5

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