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“Good morning… What’s the opposite of sunshine? Something really insulting since shefucking bit me?” Leighton laughed.

“Not my finest moment,” Candy said, her voice still hoarse and sleepy. “You tasted like shit. Anyone got a toothbrush?”

“Whether or not you’ll have any teeth left to brush after this is going to be entirely up to you,” I clipped, pulling her head back so I could look her in the face.

“You know why you’re here, Candy,” Az said behind me.

“I almost sent flowers to the funeral. I heard it was a lovely service, but it’s too bad his woman missed it.” Candy said, looking me in the eye. I sneered, bringing my fist down on her overly calm face. I let her go as blood trickled from her nose. Victoria made a sound behind me. I suppose it was meant to be a snarl, but it gave me the impression of a kitten trying to be intimidating. Candy’s head lolled to one side momentarily before she started laughing.

“Starting with head strikes? How am I ever supposed to keep a clear head for your questions, boys?” The humor in her voice made me want to take her head off, and I drew back for another blow.

Az’s hand gripped my shoulder and pulled me back just far enough for him to step between us. He kept his eyes pinned on her as he rolled up the sleeves of his button-down shirt. “We need her conscious if we’re going to find out anything. I’ve got this.”

“That’s right. Be a good little boy and let the boss play,” Candy laughed. “We all knowDaddyis in charge, let him show us what a big dick he has.”

I started to lunge forward just as Leighton wrapped his arms around my waist and jerked me back. I saw Victoria stepping forward at the same moment, her face twisted into asnarl. It was downright unjust how they let her get involved while holding me back from the justice I deserved.

“He’s notDaddy.” Victoria hissed, her voice so low I almost missed it. “You fucking killed him.”

Candy tossed her head back and let out a full belly laugh as if Victoria had told the most hilarious joke. When she was finally done laughing, she took a few wheezing breaths as if she’d start up again at any second. Then, she smiled broadly at Victoria.

“The things I’ve heard, I’m a little surprised you’re such a daddy’s girl. Though, I suppose when you don’t know who daddy really is, you’ll beg for just about anybody.”

“Enough!” Az’s voice boomed out.

“Why did you kill him?” Victoria demanded at the same time.

Candy cocked her head to the side and studied Victoria closely before licking her teeth like a predator. The smile that split her face was manic and starkly contrasted with the saccharine tone from her mouth. “Because he begged so prettily for you to choose anyone but him. I couldn’t let such a perfect declaration of devotion go to waste. When she–”

Candy’s words were cut off as Victoria launched herself at the small table next to her, snagging a knife and slamming it viciously into her thigh. A pained howl ripped from Candy’s lips, and her body attempted to flee the pain, jerking back so hard the chair rocked beneath her weight.

Victoria’s face was twisted in righteous fury as she stood, blood on the hand that had held the knife. For a moment, she didn’t look like a kitten playing at being scary. She looked like a lioness staring down at her wounded prey. I hated how it made my cock twitch and my body respond. Every cell lit up, wanting to chase her. I wanted to catch her, to see what it would be like to have this savage side of her fight back while I claimed her again.I felt like an addict fighting the urge not to relapse as I worked to remind myself this version was the real her. The vicious woman she hid under all her spoiled naivety.

“You fucking bitch!” Candy shrieked. “And to think, I gave you a choice. I should have just killed all of them!”

Victoria lunged forward again, grabbing hold of the knife in Candy’s thigh and jerking it free. I knew the moment the first spurt of blood shot from Candy’s leg that Victoria hadn’t made a novice’s mistake. Time seemed to slow, Az reaching out to grab Victoria as she shrieked like an enraged banshee, Leighton scrambling to find anything to stop Candy’s femoral artery bleed. A pained hiss was all I needed to tell me Craig was trying to remove his belt. But all of it, every single movement we made, was for nothing. The damage to her thigh and the amount of blood with each spurt meant we had maybe minutes.

“Who the fuck is behind this, Candy?” I shouted, knowing she wouldn’t answer but hoping she had time to say something. “Who the fuck ordered my brother’s death? You can’t tell me someone didn’t order it.”

Candy’s head started to sag from blood loss, but she rallied long enough to tilt it back and smile at me. “Wouldn’t… you… like to… know.”

I was so caught in tunnel vision that I didn’t notice Craig had reached her with his belt in hand. He struggled to lift her injured leg as she lost consciousness, intent on using it as a tourniquet.

“Fucking, Leighton give me a hand damn it.” He yelled.

Candy’s breathing rapidly grew shallow, her chest barely moving as Leighton rushed to help Craig. In the few seconds it took him to reach them, her chest had stilled on a strange rattling breath. It was a death rattle. I’d heard it many times before, butit was neveruntil we’d finished our questioning.

“Fuck!” I bellowed, storming toward the warehouse door and pausing long enough to slam my fist into the wall beside it. “FUCK!”

Chapter Twenty Four

Az

My hand went to my hair and I tugged it, growling at myself over the action. Victoria stood with her mouth gaping open in shock in front of Candy, still holding the bloody knife. Angry wasn’t the right word to begin describing how I felt about how everything went down.

“Leighton, get a hold of Phil and sort this mess out.” I barked, my tone causing Victoria to flinch.

“Yep. On it.” He replied, more subdued than I could ever remember him being as he strolled from the warehouse, pulling his phone out as he went.