Bad Men - Piper Stone Page 0,94
still keeping our distance. The asshole wasn’t going to get off a single shot.
“Should I guess that you are the two assholes who were sent to rescue you, my beautiful fiancée? The heroes you mentioned so highly during our discussion?” Michael asked as he nuzzled against her neck, his eyes flashing the kind of anger that I so well understood. “They don’t seem that dangerous to me. Then again, you always were a bad judge of character.”
“You’re a sick fuck, Michael. They are heroes, men who risked their lives to save me. You only wanted to capture me, keeping me in a gilded cage. A possession,” Lindsey spouted, her eyes dancing with venom.
Michael growled into her ear. “Because you have always belonged to me long before you father made a deal with my family. Did dear Daddy ever tell you why?”
My hackles were raised as I inched closer, keeping both hands on my Glock. “I suggest you let her go, Mancini.”
“That’s not going to happen. She belongs to me. A debt owed. Isn’t that right, Silas?” Michael laughed after saying the words, even daring to press kisses against Lindsey’s cheek.
She tugged on his arm, struggling to get away. “Leave my father alone.”
“Oh, but as I already told you, he has to pay for what he did to my family. To my brother. Your father killed him.” Michael glanced from Diego back to me, a grin on his face. The bastard thought he’d won. “You must think I’m stupid, Lindsey. I knew the moment you were back in town. I watched you at that hospital, caring for a fucking bastard.”
I snarled as I watched Michael stroking her lovingly. The asshole had been within arm’s reach all along. My rage was ready to erupt.
Michael snorted before continuing. “At least you were stupid enough to leave their ridiculous methods of protection, making dragging you here easy so your father could experience the ultimate punishment. Your death.”
“You fucking asshole,” Diego hissed.
The bastard shot a quick look in Diego’s direction, his lip curling. “A clever asshole. I was looking forward to seeing Silas’ face as he watched his precious daughter die. That’s exactly what he deserves because of his betrayal.”
“My father would never intentionally hurt anyone. He’s a good man, an excellent doctor,” she insisted, digging her fingers into his arm.
This was getting out of hand. My entire body was on fire, fueled by hatred from the past, retaliation for everything I’d been through.
And the love that burned deep within me.
“Just stop, Michael. I don’t care about me, but you can’t have my daughter. She has done nothing to you.” Silas walked closer, lifting his arms and showing his palms as if giving up. “I made a mistake, but I refuse to allow her to pay for it.”
“I assure you, old man, there’s a bullet with your name on it as well,” Michael stated, laughing as if this was all a game.
“You didn’t make any mistakes, Father.” Lindsey had pride in her voice. While I might not understand her ability to forgive her father, I understood more than most what true loyalty meant.
And blood was thicker than water.
At that moment I realized just how important sharing a life with her, even with Diego truly meant. Dante’s job offer, pushing both Diego and me into higher ranking positions with the Specialists wouldn’t come without a price. Both he and I had walked away, tearing up the offers without lamenting over our decisions. I admired Diego for his fervent need to change his life.
In truth, I was ready to do the same, but only with Lindsey by our side.
“Stop,” Diego directed, moving in front of him. “We’re not going to play any games. Drop your weapon, Michael, and we might allow you to live.”
He laughed. “That’s not going to happen. If you try and stop me, I will kill her. And before you can get off a single shot, I’ll finish my job, ending Silas’ life. While she’s a tasty morsel and I certainly wouldn’t mind having her as my bitch, blood is much thicker than water. You should have realized that when I allowed a pig like Fernando to touch her.”
Hearing him say the words pushed me into an entirely different level. His threat also forced memories from the past to surface, playing out like a wretched DVD only in real time.
My rage continued to increase, visions encroaching on my field of vision, the images horrific. Teresa’s assassination had been well planned, although she’d fought for