Page 54 of Crescendo

He spits out blood before turning for the stairs, but I’m right behind him.

“Espi, wait.”

I’m still on his heels when he enters the pub. Arno and his men are seated at the bar, but they pretend not to notice as Espisido darts across the room and barrels through the main door, out on the street.

It’s only when I start to head after him that Arno speaks up. “Let him cool off.”

“What the fuck do you know?” I toss back. I can see Espi’s dark hair bobbing amid a crowd of pedestrians across the street. He’s headed south. I flatten my palm against the main door before it can fully slam shut. I start to shove it open again when a hand falls on my shoulder. Only sheer force of will keeps me from sending my fist through its owner’s skull.

Arno knows better.

“Let him go,” he says, withdrawing his hand the moment I whip around with both of mine already curled into fists. He backs up a step, holding his palms out flat toward me. “I’ll try talking to him again, once he’s calmed down.”

“I don’t need your help,” I snarl.

Arno says nothing, but his expression reveals what we both fucking know.I do.The bastard just has enough sense to not rub my nose in that fact.

“I’ll send the tape tonight,” he says, changing the subject. “I thought I’d let the fucker stew for a few days. I hear that he didn’t react very nicely when he got her ear.” He flashes a wicked grin, his eyes gleaming. “Let him see what happens when you fuck with my family.”

“What will you do to her?” It’s a dumbass question. I tell myself that he could string her up for sport and I still wouldn’t give a damn. Then my fingers twitch, sticky.

Arno shrugs. “Nothing for now. If you’re bored of her, you can send her down to the basement—”

I leave him there, heading for the stairs, and Arno doesn’t follow me to the upper level. There’s no one to witness when Ithrow the door to my apartment open so hard that it ricochets off the wall and nearly closes again. When I finally step into the living room, she’s still on the floor. She lifts her head when I come closer though, her eyes glassy and distant as they attempt to focus on me.

Staring her down, I wait for the rage to resurface. My fingers curl in anticipation of that irritating heat. I blink, expecting to find her drenched in red any fucking second. I’m ready for the violence; I won’t resist the impulse to take out every bit of frustration I feel on her pale skin. She’ll get her death wish after all...

I wait.

She keeps still, almost as if she knows what’s coming. Her hair drapes her back, strands of it mingling with the substance still drying there. Her body is limp, resigned. I know now that she won’t fight when I attack her.

Hell, she’ll relish the assault.

My head throbs, but for a different reason as I reach back to slam the door shut behind me. I stalk down the hallway, my gaze on the doorway to the bedroom. I don’t know why the hell I pause to direct two words at her over my shoulder.

“Get up.”

She does so noisily, staggering against the couch to catch her balance. I hear her let out a low groan as she registers the pain she’ll feel for the next few days. Any smug pleasure I may have felt at hurting her is washed away by exhaustion. Arno’s not the only bastard who’s been deprived of sleep. I need to wash these past forty-eight hours from my brain, and I consider heading down to the bar to seek out some liquid assistance to do just that.

Instead, I enter the bedroom and take up a spot on the floor.

“Lie down,” I order when the woman staggers to the doorway and clings to the wall for balance.

She found my shirt, and she’s wearing it, the filthy hem brushing her knees. Her eyes flicker with uncertainty when shespots the bed, but she crosses over to it and sinks down without question.

Pressing my head against the wall, I close my eyes, blocking her out as she lies stiffly on the mattress. I’ll make a new plan to talk to Espi, with or without Arno’s help. I’ll find a way to make that bastard Van Hallen pay for putting his babysitters-in-blue on my trail. I’ll repay Arno for posting my bail.

It’s a long list, and I grit my teeth in irritation.

A wolf never sleeps.

“Going somewhere?”I grind out, my eyes still shut.

The quiet rustling that jarred me awake goes silent, followed by a softly whispered word. “B-bathroom...”

I sigh and consider ignoring her. Hell, if she wants to sneak out of the apartment on her own and risk running into one of Arno’s men, that’s no concern of mine. After a minute of silence, the rustling starts up again as if she’s settling back down against the mattress, and I finally open my eyes to near darkness.

10:00flashes on the alarm clock, illuminating the room in hints of neon red. “Make it quick.” I stand and make a show of stretching my arms above my head, knowing she’s watching and imagining the difficulty she’ll have if she tries to run. When I head for the door, I hear her scramble to her feet.