twists into my hair, pulling it roughly to expose the line of my neck. My grunt of pain makes him smile and my heart flutters in the beginnings of panic. Lifting his gun, he trails the barrel—still hot from the murder of my mother—from my chin down to the hollow notch of my jugular. Pushing hard enough to stop my breath, he leans forward, sucking in the choke of air I exhale. “You’ll need to be punished,” he threatens. “Leaving me the way you did.” He tsks. “You made me so mad,” he grits against my lips and I pray he can’t feel me shaking. “I wanted to kill you and your fucking sister, just for the inconvenience.”
“Leave Codi out of this.” My voice sounds strangled, the barrel of his gun still leaving me with limited air.
Anger flashes through his eyes and he grabs at my jaw, moving to shove his gun into my mouth. “Don’t make fucking demands of me, cunt. You should be on your fucking knees begging me to spare you for the shit you pulled.”
“I’d rather you shoot me,” I mumble around the metal.
He takes a step back, throwing his head back to laugh.
“Don’t fucking tempt me. You think a few years away from me and you’re what? Strong. I broke you down with ease once, I’ll do it a-fucking-gain. Your little warrior act is cute, but best accept you’re back with me, Kitty Kat.”
Sliding forward, he bends his neck, making sure I can see his eyes.
“Now, get on your fucking knees.”
“Go to hell.”
“Oh, I’m sure I will. Just not today.” He steps into my body, leaning into me harshly. My neck tips back to keep him in focus. “Get. On. Your. Fucking. Knees.”
I refuse to move.
Palm to my chest, he shoves me. Hard.
I stumble, but don’t fall.
He moves forward again, hand gripping into my shirt to lift me off my feet. The muscles in his arm bulge in exertion.
This time he throws me.
Hands flailing, I land on my ass. I yelp out in pain, a gust of air jumping from my throat on impact.
Crab walking backward, I scurry away.
But he’s faster.
On me in a flash, he lifts me by my hair.
I wince.
Tucking his gun into the waistband of his pants, he slaps me with as much might as he can manage. Pain slices across my face, eyes watering, my cheek stinging, a trickle of blood escaping the side of my mouth.
His chest heaves with anger.
Eyes always up.
Jonathan releases my hair, letting me stand on my own two feet.
Elbows in. Punch with your right hand first, but rotate your arm as you do.
I lift my head, ignoring the pounding in my temple.
My goal is peace.
Closing his eyes to crack his neck, I take my chance. Knees bent, I jab my right arm forward with as much power as I can find, just like Rocco showed me.
You’re forgetting your reinforcements. Me. At your back. Holding you up.
My fist connects with his jaw with a loud and satisfying crack. He stumbles backward, shock twisting his face in hate. Hand lifting to his jaw, he drags against it roughly. Pulling it back, he takes in the smear of blood staining his skin.
“You stupid fucking bitch.” He spits at the ground, a mixture of blood and saliva landing beside his Dolce & Gabbana leather shoes.
Pompous prick.
I feign a level of confidence I by no means feel. Eyebrow lifting in challenge. “Only way you’ll touch me like that again is when I’m fucking dead.”
He smiles, the blood from my right hook smeared across his teeth. “Your wish, Kitty Kat. My fucking command.”
I could run. Sprint as fast as I fucking can. But I’m not stupid, that would only delay the inevitable.
I’m not afraid of him. He’s a fucking coward who controls others through fear. If Rocco taught me anything, it was to take my control. If I die doing it, so be it. I’m not afraid of death. I’ve made peace with that reality. More than that, I’m fucking happy to give over to it if in the end it saves my family.
Grabbing me by the throat, Jonathan pulls me in, kissing my lips. A kiss of death if I’ve ever experienced one.
The idiot is so confident in his own power, he never imagined I’d be strong enough to exert my own.
I take the opportunity of him being so close, biting his lip to draw blood. My knee lifts at the same time, slamming into his tiny fucking balls.