Inevitable (King Crime Family #2) - J.L. Beck Page 0,75

it out ever so slowly, hoping, praying that Mack is too distracted to notice. It’s heavy, and if I land it perfectly, it will kill him.

One chance, that’s all I have. A small smile plays across my lips as I wait for Mack to speak.

“Business, yes. As usual? No. You have everything I ever wanted, and you refuse to pay respect to those who helped you get where you are. I want my piece of the pie. I did what I could. Then this bitch got in the way and fucked everything up. You say love is weakness, but when I watched you look at her, I saw the same look I used to give Delilah in your eyes.”

The words leaving his mouth are both vile and full of anger. I hate Mack just as much as Enzo does, but right now, listening to those words, I feel for him. I know what happened between him and Delilah was tragic. I know it turned him into a monster the same way the death of Enzo’s mother did for Enzo. The only difference is Enzo has me. I can save him, but there is no saving Mack. He’s broken beyond repair.

You can only be broken for so long before it gets to you—before the hate and guilt you carry around eats away at you. You couldn’t care less about being alone for the rest of your life because nothing matters to you. That’s what happened to him, and I could feel it happening to me.

Blood pumps through my veins rapidly, echoing in my ears. Everything around me becomes white noise. The only thing I can hear is my own shallow breathing. My hands feel like they are being weighed down by bricks as a thin layer of sweat forms on them.

This isn’t fear. No, it’s preparation for war. For death. I’m anxious but also ready. Ready to deliver the monster behind me to a place where maybe he can find his own peace.

My teeth clench together as I ready myself for the final blow—the savage desire to kill pushing me to madness. The need for blood is overwhelming, erasing the fear of the gun pointed at the back of my head.

Everything happens in slow motion. I clench my fist, my nails digging into the soft flesh. With precision I didn’t even know I possessed, I spin around and land my fist hard on his balls. A rush of air leaves his chest as he bends over, the creases of his face filling with rage.

Without even thinking, I plunge the knife upward. My muscles tense as I jam the blade into his left eye. His scream makes my ears ring, and I already know I will never forget the sound… so full of pain and suffering.

A gun goes off. The deafening sound ringing out in the warehouse. A second shot follows then a third. Gunfire surrounds us, but all I can feel, see, and think about is the blade in my hand.

“Cover her!” I hear Enzo yell, followed by heavy footfalls.

Blood squirts out, landing across my face as I yank the knife out and scurry backward.

I watch Mack fall to his knees, his hands covering his eye as if he is trying to stop the blood from pouring out. I look at him, and my mind goes back to all the times he hurt me.

He needs to pay, and I’m going to collect that payment today. I find myself scooting closer to him, the blade still in my hold.

“Do you remember all the times you threatened to slit my throat—after you fucked me, of course?” I can barely recognize my voice as my own.

A rumble sounds in his chest as I hear him mumbling the word bitch, which only fuels the roaring fire inside me. “Bitch? Hmm... I guess Enzo taught you something, after all, huh? Die with honor, it is.” Those are the last words I say to Mack as I roughly plunge the blade into his neck and drag it across, cutting his throat.

I loom over his body, listening to the gurgling sound he makes, blood covering his face and neck as it drips to the cement floor. I watch him fight to breathe, the rise and fall of his chest coming and going.

A breath escapes me as I watch the light leave his undamaged eye. I killed him. I look down at my hand, covered in my enemy’s blood. I think I had to do this. I needed to