The Marriage Debt (De Vos Mafia #2)(64)

“I told you to fucking run back to your boss. This isn’t a fucking playdate with toy guns,” I say, getting up close and personal. “Did he put you up to this?”

“Easton doesn’t know I’m here,” he says through gritted teeth.

I laugh in his face. “Bad decision. Shouldn’t have come here if you wanted to live.”

I point my gun between his eyes.

“Stop!” Jill’s shriek instantly makes me look at her even though right now I want nothing more than to ace this fucker for even attempting to get close to her, let alone the fact that she almost died.

Fuck, the mere thought of anyone shooting her turns my entire body into pure, seething rage.

I should cut off his fingers, pull out his eyes, feed him his own goddamn tongue for what he did. I want to. More than anything, I want to make this motherfucker pay for murdering my guards, for trying to assassinate me, for almost getting my precious bunny killed.

But something stops me the second my index finger pushes the trigger.

“LUCA!”

Her voice.

“Please.”

Her saying my name, begging.

God.

How I yearned to hear her say those two things.

Just. For. Me.

But she isn’t saying them for me.

She’s saying them to stop me from killing him.

To save him.

Fuck.

“Please, don’t kill him,” she pleads.

I look over my shoulder, unable to ignore her. She’s clutching the shot-up doorpost, her sparkly, golden dress covered in bloodstains from the guard lying on the floor right in my penthouse. She must’ve checked him to see if he was dead. Always so caring, even when she shouldn’t be.

This fucker almost shot her.

He wants to take her from me so badly he’d risk killing her in the process.

And here she is pleading for his life?

“Do it,” Nick growls at me, and when I turn my head, he’s already grabbed ahold of the gun, shoving it even harder into his own damn skin. “Do it then. You want her? I won’t ever fucking stop until she’s safe and away from you.”

Away from me.

Like I’m the most dangerous thing on the planet.

Me.

I should fucking kill him.

Do it and prove to her what kind of monster you really are.

My teeth grit as I bury the gun into his brain, seconds feeling like hours.

“Please!”

Her voice is the only thing that breaks through the barrier and silences the screams in my head.

I hate him. I fucking hate him so much I want to stab him a thousand times just for daring to touch her.

But I don’t fucking hate her, and I don’t want her to fucking hate me.

I grumble out loud as I close my eyes for a second and turn around to rip my knife from his shin. Nick groans in pain, blood pouring from his wound. I bring the knife to his throat as I take the gun away, the blade cutting into his skin until it bleeds.

“You’re going to fucking leave. Right now. And if I ever see your face again, I will scrape it off with this fucking knife and feed it to your fucking mother. Understood?”

He swallows, sweat drops rolling down his forehead.

I slowly get off him, still pointing my gun at him as I tuck my trusty knife back into my pocket. The dude seems unsure of what to do as he lies there propped up on his elbows on the floor. He clearly didn’t account for this.

“Get up,” I growl.

He does what I tell him, but not without throwing me the most daring looks. “You won’t get away with this.”

“Shut the fuck up,” I bark. “You should be happy I let you keep your fucking balls after trying to shoot her.”

“Don’t listen to him, Jill,” Nick says, completely bypassing me. “I was aiming for him. Don’t let him get into your head.”

“Do you have a fucking death wish?” I say, stepping closer again with my gun aimed at his head.

“Stop,” Jill says, and she grabs my hand.

My nostrils flare because I fucking hate his guts, but I still lower my gun for her.

“Fine. Have it your way,” Nick growls. “Easton and I will come back for you, Jill.”

“No, don’t,” she says, stepping forward even more. “I chose this to save Jasmine. I wanted to marry him.”

Nick’s eyes widen, and his fists ball. “What?”

“Please just leave …” she says. “It’s too much to explain. Just know that I’m here because of my own choice.”

The look on his face slowly begins to unravel. “I don’t—”

“Believe me,” she says, and she holds up her hand to show her ring.

He’s at a loss of words, that’s for sure.

And the sight makes me feel something I rarely feel.

Pride.

“Nick. Don’t come back for me. And tell Easton and Charlotte I’m fine. Please,” Jill says. “I don’t want you or anyone else to get hurt.”

“What about you?” he says, throwing me a glare. “You’re gonna let this fucker own you? Put a collar around your neck?”

He eyes the bunny symbol dangling from her neck, and I suddenly feel fiercely protective.

She blushes as my grip on her hand grows tighter. “You don’t get to fucking decide that for her. Now leave. I don’t give second chances so fucking count yourself lucky she likes you.”