Page 104 of Bad Men

Mia’s head lifted and our eyes met next, and I knew she knew what I was about to do. I expected her to ask me to come with them, to spare Cortez, to show him mercy. I knew I would refuse. It was already on my tongue, but she said nothing. Her cheek lowered to Dav’s shoulder, and she let herself get carried away, leaving me with the man wheezing at my feet.

I removed my blazer and rolled up my sleeves.

This wouldn’t be quick, or clean.

Davien had placed her on the hood of the car when I finally emerged, soaked in the blood of another man and recking of gasoline and smoke. One of the old blankets from the trunk was twisted tight around her shoulders despite the heat. Dav stood between her parted knees, hands tracing the curve of her spine in slow, rhythmic strokes. Her head was on his shoulder, eyes closed. I almost thought she was sleeping, but I could just make out the faint movement of her lips as she whispered to Dav. Both their heads jerked up when I disturbed the gravel in my approach. Their eyes jumped to me and lingered. Dav’s expression said nothing to my appearance, but I knew he would be unfazed; this wasn’t the first or the last time he’d seen me after a job. It was the second set of eyes, Mia’s eyes that froze me mid stride, my heart in my stomach.

She knew what I was. I had never concealed it from her. But knowing something and seeing it were two different things. This would be a defining moment, a moment of no return. She would either accept what I did and stay, or … I couldn’t bring myself to think of the alternative because I had already lost her once and that absence had been a level of torture I didn’t want to face again.

“What’s wrong?” she asked at last, breaking the coiling numbness creeping up my limbs. “Why are you standing there?”

Maybe she didn’t understand. Maybe she was in shock. Maybe she was trying to spare my feelings. Maybe…

“Please, Nero, I’ve missed you.”

That propelled me forward. Davien stepped back as I crossed the remaining five steps between us and pressed her into my chest with a gentleness I had to will into existence. My fingers twisted into her hair, fisting the blood crusted strands while simultaneously fighting not to hurt her.

“We need to talk,” I snarled into her ear. “You have a lot of explaining to do.”

“I’m sorry,” she whispered into the curve of my neck.

I shook my head. “Not good enough, sweetheart.” I pulled away and lightly cupped her face in my palms. “I’ve never been so fucking scared.”

A tear slipped from her good eye and carved a clean path down her cheek. “Nero…”

I skimmed the pad of my thumb over her swollen lip, wishing I had taken longer with Cortez. “Not yet. Once you’re healed, you and I are going to spend a full night discussing your punishment. I can tell you right now, you won’t be sitting properly for a while. Understand?”

She nodded, accepting her future punishment without argument.

Satisfied, I turned my attention to my best friend. “Why are you still here? I told you to take her to the hospital.”

“Believe me, I tried.”

“I wasn’t going anywhere without you,” Mia broke in before Davien could finish. “I just got you both back. I’m not letting either of you out of my sight again.”

“You need stitches,” I told her sharply. “You’re hurt and bleeding.”

“I don’t care!” she snapped back. “I wasn’t leaving you.”

My hand shot up and cupped her chin, forcing it back so I could glower into her good eye. “I care!” I snarled back. “I fucking care, Mia. You should have called when he told you the first time.”

Her chin quivered, but the tears remained clinging to her lashes. “I would rather die than let him hurt you or Davien.”

It took every ounce of my self-control not to shake her, to not yank her into my chest and kiss her until she couldn’t speak. Well, only part of it was control. The other part was the rumble of an engine ambling up the gravel road. I didn’t recognize it, but I recognized the man who emerged from the glossy interior when the car came to a rolling stop several feet away.

Alejandro unfurled from the backseat, his suit as immaculate as the carefully swept strands of hair pushed back from his solemn expression. His goons followed him from the front seats but remained by the car when he motioned for them to stay.

“What the fuck is he doing here?” Davien muttered just low enough for us to hear.

I didn’t offer a explanation because I didn’t have one. Instead, I stood and watched as Alejandro’s gaze moved from Dav to me and settled on Mia. They narrowed as they took her in.

“I imagine the one responsible for this has been adequately dealt with?”

His low, cold drawl was answered by the high, piercing shrill of fire alarms breaking the silence. It echoed through the fields in every direction, screaming for help as an inferno blazed within, devouring all remnants of my wrath.

Alejandro’s gaze slanted in the direction of the building as thick, black smoke coiled from the open windows and poured through the door I’d left ajar. He hummed quietly and shifted his attention back to Mia. He surveyed the welts across her chest, the blood staining her clothes and settled on her twisted fingers.

“It is unfortunate he could not be with us longer. I would have liked a few words with him myself. I do not tolerate men who lay violent hands on a woman.”

---