My grip tightens on the steering wheel, and suddenly her relentless banging is more annoying than it was before.
I grind my teeth remembering how they came in to the office while I was trying to calm her down.
I drag her back to the room, her small body pushing against mine. Her feet barely touch the ground as I lift her squirming body to hold her tighter to my chest. Her nails dig into the skin of my forearm that’s pressed hard against her chest, until I can pin her up against the back wall in the office. Her breathing is heavy and so is mine. Adrenaline courses through my blood. One hand covers her mouth to keep her screams muffled.
Fuck! I grit my teeth and keep my voice low as I speak through clenched teeth. “Stop. Screaming.” She doesn’t listen. She keeps it up as though I haven’t said a damn thing. I slam my body up against hers, then move my hand to her throat and squeeze.
“Listen real good, you had better fucking stop.” That gets her attention, but then the office door opens and two sets of heavy, even strides are heard in the silence. The door closes and locks with a loud click.
“I thought it was locked, Vince.” Anthony speaks, but I don’t turn around. I keep my eyes on hers as they dart to my cousins behind me.
“You want me to do it quick, Vince?” Anthony asks. “I’ll make it painless.”
My blood chills as I watch her eyes widen in fear. My poor sweetheart. I can’t. I can’t let that happen.
“No.” It’s the only word I can say. I don’t want to explain it to them. Because I’m their boss, I should know what to do, but I haven’t got a clue.
“You need her to talk or something, Vince?” I can hear the confusion in Anthony’s voice. She should be dead by now. I shouldn’t be toying with her like this. Thing is though, I don’t want her dead. She whimpers and her eyes finally meet mine. I know I must look like a cold-blooded killer. My jaw is clenched and my eyes are hard.
She struggles again in my grasp and then I remember my forearm on her neck. Her head is pushed back in an unnatural way and she’s taking in ragged breaths. I let up on my grip.
I place my lips at her ear and whisper, “Don’t you make a fucking sound.”
“Vince?” At Anthony’s question, I turn my shoulder to Elle. And she acts like a fucking idiot and takes off behind me. My hand reaches out to snatch her but I miss. Tommy’s right fucking there, though. Did she really think she’d make it? Watching Tommy wrap an arm around her waist, bringing her body up against his pisses me off.
He speaks clearly, and I can hear the remorse in his voice as he says, “I’m sorry, I really am.”
I know exactly what he’s gonna do. He’s planning on snapping her neck. Quick, painless, but it’s not going to fucking happen. I take three strides and I’m on him. I land my fist on his jaw like a fucking asshole. He doesn’t see it coming, and it sends him flying into the wall. His shoulder blade hits the drywall, leaving a large dent. Elle tumbles to the ground and I step over her, fuming with rage.
“No one touches her. No one!” I scream so loud I know they all hear it. Everyone in this place. But I don’t give a fuck. It’s not going down like this. I know the rules, just like I know I’m breaking them right now. But I don’t care. I’m not going to allow anyone to hurt her.
I hear her shriek, and I turn to see Anthony holding her just like Tommy was. But he’s quick to respond. “Just keeping her from running, boss.” I give him a quick nod and turn back to Tommy. He’s looking up at me with equal amounts of shock and aggression.
I reach down and offer my hand and help him up. His eyes stay on me, waiting.
“I don’t want her dead, Tommy.” He looks at me for a moment and then nods.
“One second, boss.” I don’t know what he has planned. But I do know this is all fucked.
It’s all my fault. All of it.
What the hell was I doing letting her leave on her own? Fucking careless. I was sloppy. I’m not fucking sloppy. Never. That’s not how Valettis do business. I grind my teeth and look out of the window as we finally leave the outskirts of the city. Pops is going to be pissed.
Just the thought of his disappointment makes my heart sink. I don’t really give too much of a shit what anyone thinks of me, except for Pops and Ma. Sometimes my brother Dom and sister Clara. But my father's opinion matters the most. He’s always been proud of me. But this shit I’ve gotten us into--this is not good. He’s not going to fucking like that I risked the family to get my dick wet at our place of business.
I don’t know what it is about this broad that has me making poor decisions left and right. I don’t know if it’s her curves, that little pout she has that shows me she’s hurting, or that snappy little attitude that comes out of nowhere.