Page 50 of Tease

“Come out, come out wherever you are,” Emmett called, the sound echoing along the empty shelves.

He thought he was the hunter, and I was the prey. Pity he didn’t realise it was the other way around. I might be smaller than him, but it didn’t mean I was at a disadvantage. I would take him unawares because I could move quietly, unlike his lumbering footsteps. He probably didn’t care how much noise he was making. He’d incapacitated Arlo and didn’t perceive me as a threat. No one ever did. That would be his downfall.

“Poor little Rina, all alone now, aren’t you? I’m going to make you suffer. I’ll leave you as a warning for your family. Your father was only the start. It’s time you all paid for what you’ve done.”

His words didn’t make me angry. They only made me feel sorry for him. However, I wasn’t sorry enough for it to change my course. I’d made up my mind. Emmett Green had to be eliminated. He was a threat I couldn’t allow to walk the earth any longer. The cycle of vengeance would end when he was gone. It saddened me to know we’d eradicated his family, but he’d hurt me too. He’d taken away my father, who was the kindest person I knew. I could imagine how much the guilt had eaten atPapá’ssoul. The knowledge he’d accidentally killed a family.

It didn’t change how I saw him. Nothing ever could. He would always be my father. A man who had fought for his family until the very end.

“Oh, Rina. You’re trying my patience now. Where are you?”

I could hear the anger in Emmett’s voice. It made me shiver. Steeling myself, I crept forward until I got to the end of the unit. I peered around it, spying him several feet away. He was looking around, so I ducked back behind the shelf.

You can do this. You have to end it. Do it for Papá.

He wouldn’t want this for me, but life had dealt me a different hand than the one he foresaw. Things had changed now. Zayn was head of the family. He was a better man than Uncle Gennaro could ever be. I was doing this for him as much as anyone else. He’d earned my respect and loyalty just by being himself.

I looked out again. Emmett had moved towards another rack of shelves. It was now or never. I ran towards his back. Before he had a chance to turn around, I jumped on him, wrapping my legs around his waist as my free hand gripped his hair. He grunted and stumbled forward. I used that to my advantage, pulling his head back by his hair and exposing his neck.

I didn’t think about what I did next. It was pure instinct. A need to end this driving me.

Gripping the knife tight, I dug it into his neck, tearing his skin as I dragged it across his throat. The cut was deep, exposing tissue and muscle. Blood flowed down from the wound I’d inflicted. He reached up to rip my hand away, but the damage was already done.

I released him, shoving away and stumbling back on the floor as I landed on it, but kept my footing. Emmett spun around, his fingers going to his neck and coming away stained with blood. I saw the anger and panic in his eyes. He gurgled as he tried to stem the bleeding, pressing his fingers to his throat.

I stood there, panting, as he dropped to his knees. He tried to talk, but the sound came out all croaky and unintelligible. He slumped forward a minute later, landing heavily on the ground. The blood pooled around him. I couldn’t move from my spot. I’d mortally wounded someone. I’d slit his throat, and now he was dying in front of me. His fingers twitched at his sides. Then they went still. His chest stuttered before he fell utterly silent.

I looked down at the bloody knife in my hand. The tool I’d used to kill Emmett with. My boyfriend might have become incapacitated, but he’d left me with this. It had saved both our lives. I’d ended everything. It was done. And we were all safe now.

I don’t know how long I stood there staring at Emmett’s dead body. It was only when I heard the sound of voices echoing around me that I even looked up. I met my cousin’s eyes. He was standing a few feet away, staring at the scene in front of him with a raised eyebrow.

“Rina.”

“Hello, Zayn.”

I wasn’t sure how my voice came out steady and calm, but apparently killing Emmett hadn’t rattled me the way I thought it might. Maybe it would later.

“Are you okay?”

I nodded and then I held out the knife to him. Zayn skirted around the body. He took the knife from me, turning it over in his hands.

“Where’s Arlo?”

I pointed to our left. Zayn flicked his head at one of the other men who’d arrived on the scene. They moved off in the direction he’d indicated.

“He’s h-h-hurt.”

“I know. We’ll make sure he’s okay. Do you want to go to him?”

I nodded. My heart wanted Arlo. To know he was okay. He’d be so proud of me for finding the strength to protect our family. To me, Arlowasfamily. He’d been there my whole life. I couldn’t imagine my world without him, especially not now we were together. He was my happiness and my future.

Zayn gave the knife to one of his men before he wrapped an arm around my shoulders.

“Come on then. You can tell me everything later when we’ve dealt with your little… mess.”

That was the most tactful way of saying I’d slit a man’s throat and let his blood spill out all over the concrete floor. A man our family had ruined. It was an act of mercy in my mind, ending his life. He no longer had to live with pain, only fuelled by the need for revenge. He could rest in peace.

I allowed my cousin to lead me over to where I’d left Arlo. Every instinct inside me screamed to run to him and hold him close, but I knew it wouldn’t do him any good. Not when he was injured. When he came into view, he was being seen to by two of Zayn’s men. The moment his dark eyes met mine, he let out a little sigh, as if the sight of me reassured him.

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