Page 40 of Corrupt Crown

Sasquatch’s features soften before he shakes his head. “Tomorrow?—”

It’s my turn to shake my head. “No. I want to?—”

My argument gets cut off when Sasquatch’s cell rings, and his face breaks apart in a wide grin as he checks his wristwatch. “Right on time.”

He covers the distance in three large strides before he plucks his cell from the grass with one hand and tosses a bottle of water at me with the other. I narrowly catch it as he taps the screen, and I fumble the bottle when Rafe’s voice hits my ears.

“I’m too busy to be dropping in for these fucking chats, Emiliano.” He sounds frustrated. And breathless.

My feet slowly cross to where Sasquatch is standing, grinning as he looks at the video call on his screen. “I need to make sure you stay alive,Fratello. Leaving your muscle behind to babysit wasn’t your smartest move.”

I can barely make out Rafe’s form on the screen from my much-too-short vantage point, but his words make my heart race faster than any of the exertion from this afternoon.

“Her safety is the priority.” Sasquatch flicks amused eyes to mine as Rafe continues. “Now you’ve seen me. I’ll check in same time tomorrow.”

The screen goes dark, and Sasquatch drops the cell into his pocket before bending down to grab his own water bottle from the grass. He chugs half in one go as I take a small sip from mine.

“Thank you.” My voice is low but sincere.

He smirks as he screws the top back on his water. “For what? Kicking your ass?”

My lips lift easily in a smile that reaches my eyes. “For keeping me safe.”

His face loses all playfulness as he nods once before he nudges my shoulder with his. “Come on. The day’s not done yet.”

I bounce excitedly, stopping quickly when my legs scream in protest. “More sparring?”

He shakes his head as we start to make our way back inside.

“Nope. For the next two hours, I’ll be teaching you Italian. And then I’ll be showing you how to use a firearm.”

My feet slam to a halt, and I blink several times as my breathing speeds up.

“Why?”

Sasquatch turns to look at me, and he shakes his head with a sad smile. “If the time comes, and he has no other choice but to return you to Conti, he wants to make damn sure you are capable of giving that bastard hell.”

He’s protecting me as best as he can.

The thought warms me from the inside out, and I jump to action, pushing past Sasquatch to call over my shoulder. “How does peach cobbler for lunch sound to you?”

His hoot of delight makes me run faster, feeling freer than I have in a very long time.

CHAPTER 13

RAFE

“Please.Please. I’ll do anything. Plea?—”

Jeremy Danvers’s entreaties turn into a shrill scream when I ignore them completely and drive the hammer down onto the nail Enzo is holding above the knuckle of his middle finger. One rapid strike bolts it to the table alongside his thumb and index finger.

“Two more to go before we move to your right hand, Jeremy.”

My teeth flash in a wicked grin, taking in the sight of the blonde man covered in sweat while I relish the pain that is flowing off him in waves.

“Why are you…” He breaks off with a pant, raising his head to look at me in confusion, sweat dripping down his temple. “Why are you doing this?”

Enzo lines up the next nail over his ring finger, and he tries in vain to pull his hand from his secure restraints. “You have a good, hard think on all the bad shit you’ve done in your life, Jeremy Danvers. I’m sure you’ll soon realize exactly why I’m here…”