Page 9 of Ruined Beauty

Morgana sniffs, and I realize she's crying. She's trying to hide it by turning her face to the window, but I hear it in her voice.

"He's a pimp, alright?" she snaps. "Not a boyfriend or anything, not anymore. I was meant to go out with a client."

"So I assume you never took him home to meet your folks?"

"They don't know about it. I was trying to help and got in too deep. And now Bruno will arrive at seven to collect me, find I'm not there, and then fuck knows what'll happen. It's gonna be difficult for you to threaten my parents' lives if someone else kills them, right?"

Yes.But that's not my primary concern.

I glance at my watch. "It's six-fifteen now. We'll be in Yorkville in ten minutes, so I'll have this dealt with by… six forty-five?"

I keep my eyes on the road, but I feel Morgana staring at me.

"What are you gonna do? Hektor isn't from New York. He probably doesn't know who you are."

Which means his friends are not my friends. Not well-connected and therefore didn't ring the cherries when Arman asked around.

"Threats to you are threats to me, and I'm not gonna tolerate that from anyone, least of all some gang-banging scumbag. You belong tomenow, and that's all there is to it." I put my foot down, gaining speed. "He'll know who I am before the hour is out,lisichka. Mark my words."

* * *

Along an alley, a burly man stands at the door of a dive bar.

"That's Bruno," Morgana says.

I exit the car, catching Bruno's eye as I walk to the passenger side. He frowns as I open the door.

"You stay with me." I grip Morgana's hand. "I'd rather get you to safety, but there's no time, and I can't leave you in the car."

"Don't." She tries to take back her hand, but I have too tight a hold. "Please. I'm so scared. I can't take all this in. It's happening too fast."

"You're mine," I say, pulling her with me. "I don't intend to give any of these fuckers a chance to argue otherwise. Stay with me and do what I say, no matter what. You understand?"

She nods, stumbling a little on her high heels. Bruno steps forward to meet me, squaring his chest, and points at Morgana.

"Thatdoes not belong to you. Who thefuckdo you think—"

I let go of Morgana and land a solid left hook on Bruno's jaw. Blood flies as he crashes into the dumpster, hitting his head hard. I stoop to Bruno and punch him in the solar plexus, knocking the breath from him. He heaves and falls on his side.

They're all the same, these guys. Big, but slow. I'm pretty stacked too, but the difference is that I act decisively and don't second-guess myself. I'd rather fuck someone up too much than too little.

I pull my gun from the holster.

Morgana screams.

I turn and look at her. "You're really not getting it, are you?"

"You can't just shoot people in the fucking street!" she cries.

Bruno crawls to the other side of the dumpster, and I follow him.

"Oh my God, Vlad! Don't—"

I ignore Morgana's protests and shoot Bruno in the back of the head. He slumps onto the concrete, blood pooling beneath him. Morgana appears beside me and gasps.

"Jesus Christ! You blew him away just like that? You didn't even speak to him!"

I take her hand again. "I had nothing to say. You need to get used to this. It's your life now."

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