Page 71 of Tyrant (The Villetti Chronicles)

“You’re full of shit, Ari, thinking you can pull a fast one on me.”

The longer I kept him talking, the better my chances. I had to find a way out of here. Not that I could go anywhere with my hands and feet tied.

“Why was Justin taking me to you?”

Derek snorted at my change of subject and paced away, twirling the blade with his movements.

“Didn’t he tell you?”

“No.”

“We had a deal. You, in exchange for your father’s head, making way for Justin to take over… and he’d answer to me.” He slapped a hand on his chest. “My fuckin’ puppet. No one would question a Michaelson in charge, but they’d never accept me.”

My hands shook at his words. Derek was going to kill my father for my uncle. Justin’s betrayal was much worse than I first suspected. So much worse.

“Justin wanted Dad dead?”

“Of course. Jealous fuck wanted to run things. Bennett was in the way. I was going to enjoy torturing that cunt and now everything’s gone to shit.” Derek spun around and advanced on me, shoving the blade in my face. “Now, where the fuck is Justin, Arianna? I need the little shit, don’t matter if he didn’t uphold his fuckin’ side of the deal. He is the key to my fuckin’ takeover.”

My hate for my uncle stuck to my veins like tar. Not only had he tried to rape me and deliver me to McGovern, but he was also going to have my father killed. His own brother. How could he? How could he do such a thing?

“Where is he?” I let out a nasty laugh, pure rage sinking into every pore. “He’s fucking dead.”

Derek’s eyes went wide.

“Dead?”

“I killed him.”

My mouth formed a smile. The guilt I’d felt at taking a life disappeared with the knowledge of what my uncle had planned. He deserved it. And I’d do it again in a heartbeat, even if it had left a permanent stain on my hands. I didn’t want to wash it away. I wanted to wear it like a badge of honour.

“I stabbed him in the neck and made him bleed out all over himself. And if you think I’m ever going to bow down to you, you’re fucking mistaken. I’ll kill you too.”

Before Derek had a chance to say a word to me, there was a loud shout from somewhere in the building, then a shot fired, followed by a thump as if a body had dropped to the floor.

Derek’s head whipped around to the door as it opened and in walked the man who made my heart lurch in my chest and left me breathless every time I was in his presence.

The sex club owning mafia prince with a gun hanging by his side and a calm expression on his face.

The man every inch of my being belonged to.

Zayn Villetti.

Twenty Four

Arianna

It didn’t occur to me to question Zayn having a gun. Strict gun laws here didn’t mean criminals couldn’t get access to illegal weapons. My dad had two. Zayn belonged to the mafia, so it went without saying he would have the means and contacts to own one himself. All I felt was relief that he was here.

“Hello, McGovern,” Zayn said, his deep voice displaying no emotion as he stopped just inside the room, taking both Derek and me in.

I knew that tone, and it scared the crap out of me. It was usually followed up by punishments for me. Derek was in huge fucking trouble right now. Especially given the fact he had a blade in my face.

“I suggest you step away from my property. I’m not a forgiving man, nor do I tolerate anyone touching things that belong to me.”

Why the hell was my heart flipping over in my chest at his words? The first time Zayn had referred to me as his property, I hadn’t been very impressed. Now, I was practically swooning and wanting to lay myself at his feet to say thank you for coming for me. I wanted to kiss his shoes, let him collar me and spit in my mouth. The first time he’d done it, I’d been too stunned to process the whole thing. He’d done it again earlier without giving me any warning. I didn’t know why it made my legs shake and my body hot, but it did. Questioning the desires Zayn brought out in me was futile.

Just like I called him daddy, I wanted him to spit on me.

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