Page 45 of Vicious Seduction

His upper lip twitched with a sneer before he looked back at Lina. “I have just been informed that your childish antics at the club of pitting members against one another by whoring yourself around could cost us our membership if you continue to make appearances. This needs to end, Carolina. Your presence here benefits nobody.”

“Nobody?” She inched forward aggressively. “Is that how you think of your owndaughter?” A humorless laugh puffed past her lips. “Why am I surprised? You two wanted me gone so badly you broughthimback here. You disgust me.”

“That was your mother’s idea, and you should move on because there is nothing to find here. How many times do we have to tell you that?”

I considered stepping in, but my little fire-breathing dragon handled the situation admirably. She pressed a painted nail into his chest, her narrowed stare slicing through him. “I willneverquit searching, and anyone with a soul would understand why.” She whipped around to leave.

I flashed a smug smirk, then followed her, only to pull up short when I saw Lina standing stock-still. A man in a ski mask held a knife to her chest. In a heartbeat’s time, he spun her back to his front and had his arm around her neck, positioning her between us.

“Don’t fucking move, man. Just give me your cash and shut the fuck up.” His dark eyes darted over my shoulder, then back to me. Behind us, the door to the club slammed shut, the deadbolt clicking over.

Fucking coward.

Charles Brooks had bailed. Not that I needed his help.

I held up my hands to calm the masked man. “No problem. Let me just get my wallet out.”

“Don’t try anything stupid. I’ll stick this blade between her fucking ribs so fast…” He was young—had a man’s body, but his voice still had a ring of youth to it. Immaturity and desperation were a nasty combo. Made people impulsive. I wasn’t going to underestimate him.

I met Lina’s wide, terrified eyes with a reassuring look. The poor woman couldn’t catch a fucking break. It pissed me off, but I kept that shit buried deep. I couldn’t afford to show anything but perfect calm.

“I have a couple of hundred here. Take it.” I slid my wallet from my back pocket and unfolded the expensive leather.

I could understand why he’d chosen us. We wore nice clothes on a dark, unoccupied street. Using a woman as leverage. We made an excellent mark, but the problem was, my looks were deceiving. I wasn’t the same as the other men who came and went from this building. I wasn’t about to run and hide.

“Just give me the whole thing,” the guy demanded.

I stopped pulling out the bills, then closed the wallet and held it up. “We’re going to trade. I’ll hand you the wallet; you give me the girl.”

He nodded, eyes locked on the prize. Definitely young. Anyone who’d spent time on the streets knew you never swapped. Always have the wallet tossed to the ground nearby.

Good news for me. Not so much for him.

I held the wallet between two fingers, my other hand held up in surrender until I was close enough to slowly reach toward Lina. Just as the thug’s hand reached for the wallet, I let it drop, timing it perfectly to look like I’d misjudged where his hand had been. When he moved to pick it up, I grabbed Lina away from him, shoving her behind me, then stepped on the guy’s hand.

He screamed out in pain. “You fucking—” His words were cut off when he tried to slash at me with the knife in his other hand. Expecting the move, I dodged the blade, then pounded my fist down into his cheek.

I never even worked up a sweat, and the thing was over.

The kid collapsed unconscious into a heap on the frozen sidewalk. I thought about giving him a boot to the gut for good measure, but he was just a dumbass punk. I picked up my wallet and his switchblade, closing it and putting both items in my pocket. When I peered over my shoulder at Lina, she rushed over and wrapped her trembling body around mine.

“Shh, baby. It’s okay. I’m here.” I held her for several seconds, enjoying the feel of my fingers woven in her silky hair. I didn’t even want to examine how incredible it felt to have her run to me for comfort. I felt ten fucking feet tall. “Let’s get you home,” I said gruffly, annoyed that I had to separate from her, but it was cold as balls out. I needed to get her someplace warm.

My mood soured as I thought of taking her back to her place.

Then don’t. She’s in no condition to be left alone.

I peered down at the asshole who’d scared her half to death after she’d already had a shit night. I gave him that kick to the gut I’d been considering. A whoosh of hair wheezed passed his lips, and his body reflexively curled in on itself, though he never fully woke.

Satisfied, I pulled Lina to my side and led her to the car. I was ready to get the fuck out of there. I never got the chance to see Wellington—the whole point of dinner at the club—but I couldn’t seem to care.

What the hell was happening to me? Didn’t I care about punishing him for letting traffickers have easy access to ourcity? He’d killed Darina and given that poor Russian woman to his sick son to torture. He had to pay for what he’d done.

My knuckles ached from my bruising grip on the steering wheel.

When I thought about it all, I got so damn pissed, but all it took was one brief glance at the beautiful pale face sitting next to me to know I was doing the right thing. Someone had to protect her, and helping her didn’t mean I had to give up my campaign for justice. I just had to divide my time between the two.

When Wellington goes down, and the engagement’s over, what then?

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