Page 80 of Pride

I pinch the bridge of my nose as a fire in the basement will tear through this entire club. “How long do I have?”

“Five minutes maybe, ten tops.”

I sigh heavily. “Fine, keep me posted.”

The moment the line goes dead, my mind goes to my fiancée and getting her out safely. If this place is going to go up in flames, then getting her out is a priority. As I scan the crowd for her, I wonder why it’s a priority. After all, she has to come to an end like the rest of her family once I’m done.

I swallow hard and ignore the nagging at the back of my mind, hating that I can’t find her.

Where the hell is she?

I backtrack toward where I’d left her to get a drink, and rage kicks me in the gut when I see she’s over in the corner, talking to James Wick. Marching over there, I’m ready to murder him for looking at her, let alone talking to her.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing, James?”

He straightens at the sound of my voice. “Isiah, what an unpleasant surprise.”

Bella laughs and I’m about ready to grab her and haul her over my shoulder like a caveman so I can take her back to the Waldorf Hotel and give her a good spanking.

I tilt my head. “Do you realize Bella is my fiancé?”

He squares up to me, as we’re about the same height. “Yes, and your point?”

“My point is she belongs to me, so stay the fuck away from her.” I shove him hard in the shoulder.

He shoves me back. “Nothing is set in stone until the wedding day.” There’s a taunting look in his eyes that makes me want to claw them out of his skull.

Grabbing a switchblade out of my jacket pocket, I open it and press the sharp tip to the underside of his chin. “Do you know what I do to men that touch what is mine?”

Bella starts forward, grabbing my arm. “Isiah, don’t!”

I shrug her off, as she needs to learn what happens to men she shamelessly flirts with. When I threatened that boy Enzo at the restaurant, I meant it. I don’t do well with sharing.

James tries to act tough, holding my gaze, which only angers me further. I slice the skin, cutting the underside of his chin deep enough to make him bleed badly.

His eyes dilate with pain. “What the fuck?”

“I’m only getting started.”

He takes a step back as Bella tries to push me away. “Stop this insanity,” she says.

James suddenly stiffens. “Does anyone else smell smoke?”

As if on cue, Jane’s voice echoes in my ear. “Get the fuck out. It’s going up like a tinderbox.”

I sniff the air, trying to remain calm despite the storm brewing within. “Yeah, where’s that coming from?”

Bella notices the source and it’s coming from the air vents. “It looks like it’s coming from the basement.” Her eyes go to mine and there’s something in her expression. I can’t work out if it’s an accusation or just an understanding that it’s coming from the auction, but she doesn’t say anything.

Does she realize that I’m behind it?

There’s no way I’d put it past her. She’s smart. The fire alarms sound then, and I grab Bella’s arm. “We need to get out of here now.”

Gio appears from a door which I assume leads down to the basement. And a number of men and women come flooding out too in a huge plume of smoke. I take the moment to make a mental note of the pedo’s faces as I will ensure none of them are breathing by the time I’m through with my work here in Washington.

“Fire!” Gio shouts, panic dripping from his voice. “Everyone needs to remain calm and get out of here in an orderly fashion.”

As expected, panic ensues as everyone rushes for the exit.

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