Page 216 of Tempting Little Thief

“See,” Bastian whispers, his forehead meeting mine. “He ain’t dyin’ today.”

I should not laugh, but a sob-filled one bubbles out of me anyway because what the actual fuck? He shot my dad … but wasn’t I planning to shoot him myself?

Maybe he does deserve it … as long as he doesn’t die.

“He might die today.”

This comes from a deeper, older voice, and I snap my head toward Enzo, frowning when I realize his men are freeing my friends, my mind catching up to time, noting no one attempted to take Bastian out when he pointed a gun at their boss’s head.

Bastian keeps his arm wrapped tight around my waist as he turns his body, giving me only enough room to twist in his arms so my back is to his chest as we follow Enzo’s movement with our eyes.

He moves closer to my dad, who grinds his teeth as he pulls himself to his feet, unwilling to be looked down at. “You broke your word, Revenaw. I should break your neck.”

I tense, but Bastian’s lips find my ear, kissing me there as if to assure me it’s okay. That I’m not about to watch my father get murdered as I feared I might.

My father holds his head high, small beads of sweat now breaking across his forehead, though he ignores it. “I was doing what needed to be done to protect my family.”

“By fucking with mine?” Enzo snaps, pressing closer. “You called me here to take the daughter you favor, but I chose the one I want, and when I leave here, I will leave with her in tow. If you interfere again, you’ll be dead before you can blink. Is that understood?”

Holy. Shit.

Never in my life have I ever heard of a man speaking to my father this way. Enzo should be on the ground, body already getting cold for simply setting foot on the property without permission, yet here we are, and my father isn’t even reaching for his gun.

My dad’s eyes tighten, and he looks to me, an apology in his gaze as he faces Enzo once more. “I don’t know where Boston is. She found out you were on your way, and she ran.”

Enzo growls, darting forward and gripping my father by the throat before slamming him against the wall so hard it shakes.

I wince, digging my nails into Bastian’s arm.

We can’t fight Enzo. Not when his criminal organization rivals my father’s and not when his ways are darker than the new ways the girls and I are attempting to approach things.

“You lie,” he speaks through clenched teeth.

“I swear on both my girls’ lives. She’s gone.”

Enzo’s chest heaves and Bastian’s muscles flex against me.

As he must have suspected, Enzo spins, jolting toward us, but Delta has an arrow pointed at his heart, Bronx a dagger at her fingertips and then there’s Hayze, garnering everyone’s attention when he laughs. Our eyes snap toward the ceiling, and there he sits, high in the rafters with his feet dangling, a fucking axe spinning in his hand.

He smirks, catching the sharpest edge in his palm and pointing it backward at Enzo. “Go closer to my boy, I’ll split your fucking head open while the rest of them take out your team. There’re more of us in the hall, just waiting for you to make the wrong move. Be a good boy, and I’ll lead you to your lady.”

“You know where she is?” Enzo spits.

“I do. Saw the sweet little runaway. Caught her, trapped her.”

Enzo rumbles, “I will feed you to my tiger limb by limb if you’ve touched any part of her.”

“Only touched the good parts.”

Enzo tears a gun from his pocket and shoots. Bastian spins, shoving me behind him and the two move at the same moment, guns pointing at one another’s foreheads.

“We made a deal, Bishop.” Enzo is panting with rage. “You got your woman. I want mine.”

Aw, does he like my sister?

I snap out of it when Bastian taps at the trigger, his jaw clenching. “If he’s bleeding, you die.”

“You kill me, thousands of men will come knocking.”

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