Page 30 of Die for You (Kiss or Kill #2)

Gianna works the room while I subtly keep an eye out for Lenny. I also ensure Elena and the children are okay. They’re sitting quietly and obediently. Anger rolls over me because I too was as submissive as these innocent children.

I know what it feels like to be afraid all the fucking time of the adults who are meant to protect you.

Suddenly, the hair at the back of my neck stands on end.

A distinguished-looking man with immaculate black hair and a three-piece suit is slyly slithering closer to the stage. He is making small talk, but it’s a ruse for what his true intentions are.

I know that look.

I can smell the depravity seeping from his pores.

On the outside, he appears notable, but on the inside, he is a cesspool of filth. And his attention is riveted on Elena.

A server offers him a sandwich from his silver tray. The man graciously takes two napkins and places a sandwich on each. He then walks over to the stage.

He gestures to Elena, who instantly makes eye contact with me.

I frantically shake my head, a word of warning to stay put. I’m about to charge over, but Gianna and a woman with a ridiculous wide-brimmed hat step in front of me.

“Mary-Lou, this is Valentina.”

“Oh, you were right. She is beautiful,” Mary-Lou says in a thick Southern accent. “It’s so nice to meet you.”

I’m not really paying attention because I’m trying to see over Mary-Lou’s fucking hat. She is in direct line of Elena, prohibiting my view. Gianna notices my distraction immediately.

She’s about to turn to see what has captured my interest, but I step forward and quickly hug Mary-Lou. “The pleasure is all mine.”

Gianna smiles, and I am off the hook for now.

“Gianna told me she adopted you from this very orphanage. Imagine that.”

“Imagine that,” I quip, but she doesn’t read between the lines.

“Gianna’s kindness knows no bounds.”

I choke on air, but soon recover. “It was so nice meeting you, Mary-Lou, but if you’ll excuse me.”

Mary-Lou appears stunned I would want to flee such a pleasant encounter. What a moron.

I make a break for it, but Gianna grips my bicep, digging in her fingernails. I peer down at her fingers, arching a brow. My poker face has slipped, but Elena is in danger, and I made her a promise. I can’t be like every other adult who has disappointed her in the past.

“Is everything all right?” she whispers.

“I think I saw Bria,” I fabricate as this is the only excuse that’ll fly.

It works.

She instantly releases me. “Go, do what you must.”

What I must means detain her until Gianna can do whatever the hell she wants to her.

That can wait because as I finally am free, I see that Elena is gone, as is the pervert who was hovering.

As gracefully as I can, I make my way over to the stage. “Where did the little girl go?” I ask a boy, pointing at Elena’s empty chair.

He chews his lip, not making eye contact. These fragile souls are wounded and damaged beyond repair. Is there not a kind person within these walls? If I cannot save these children, then I will burn this place to the fucking ground and take them with me.

“It’s okay, sweetheart. I am Elena’s friend.”

The boy lifts his chin, sorrow laden in his green eyes. He points over his shoulder to a door that leads outside.

I don’t hesitate.

I push aside anyone who stands in my way and burst out that door.

It’s pitch black, and the noise from inside interferes with me hearing anything that may hint to where Elena is.

She hasn’t been gone long. I doubt the asshole would take her toward the house, so I rip off my heels and turn right.

I run down the hill to where the shrubbery is thick and no one is in sight.

It’s the perfect place to remain hidden while destroying an innocent child’s life.

With my heart in my throat, I beg whoever may be looking over me that I’m not too late. But when I hear a pained scream, I know that I am.

I see a small, abandoned cottage a few yards away, and even in the darkness, the silhouette I see brings back memories which only enrage me further.

I can see Elena’s front pressed to the wall of the cottage, her attacker behind her, ripping off her pretty blue dress. She is screaming, her tiny arms fighting back, but he punches her in the back of the head. Her screams soon fade as she goes limp.

That doesn’t stop him, however, as he tosses her to the muddy ground. Her blue dress, the one she was so proud to wear, is now ruined.

Just as he unzips his trousers, I come up behind him and ram my stiletto into the back of his skull. He wavers on his feet, unsure what just happened.

I’m about to show him.

Grabbing his upper arm, I spin him around to face me. He is confused by the commotion, but soon regains his composure.

“The little girl, she was like that when I—” He stops mid-sentence, raising his arm and touching the high heel that is still embedded into his skull. “What is happening?”

“What is happening is…well…I’m about to fucking kill you.”

His attention drops to the other shoe in my hand, and he soon realizes, like Cinderella, I’m missing a shoe. But this is no fairy tale.

This is a horror movie.

I drive the other heel into his groin.

I never miss.

It takes him all of three seconds before the pain kicks in—no pun intended.

He howls like a little bitch, his eyes wide as he cannot believe the sight of a shoe sticking out of his groin. He attempts to take it out, but I kick him straight between the legs, the heel embedding deeper into his groin.

He drops to his knees, and this sight would be fucking comical as he has a heel embedded into the back of his head and one between the legs. But there’s nothing funny about what this asshole was about to do.

Looking at Elena, her form is replaced with mine.

I see myself begging Father Merry to stop.

I see the men in that filthy basement, licking their lips like starved beasts.

So yanking the shoe out from the back of this motherfucker’s head, I jam it into the side of his throat.

I do this for the old me.

I do this for every child who fell victim to obscene deviants who could never save themselves.

Blood gushes from his neck wound as I struck him straight in the jugular. His hands are coated in blood as he attempts to remove the shoe. But I punch him in the face, breaking his nose.

He falls backward, groaning and writhing, and all I can think is, shut the fuck up and die .

I’ve wasted enough time on this asshole, so I pull out the shoe from his groin and ram it into his temple.

His moans cease.

He twitches for a few seconds and then…there is silence.

It’s comforting.

I yank him up and remove his shirt, curling my lip in disgust. I shove him back to the ground and retrieve my shoes. I use his trousers as a rag to wipe away his blood.

Gently lifting Elena, I wrap her in the shirt and cuddle her into my arms as I walk her up the hill.

She stirs, but I softly shush her. “Go back to sleep, princess. It’s all a dream.”

She nuzzles closer into me, falling back asleep, and I can only hope that when she awakens, she will believe that it was just a dream.

I sneak in through the side door and place Elena into bed. I put on her Disney pajamas and tuck her in. I stay with her for a little while, but then I have to go.

I press a soft kiss to her forehead and stand, but she breaks my heart before I leave when she whispers in the darkness, “You kept your promise.”

The promise I made to keep her safe.

Her soft breaths indicate she’s asleep.

I brush away my tears as I enter the hallway, needing to compose myself before I enter the shark tank. My heels are shiny, one wouldn’t imagine where they were moments ago.

I measure my breaths and brush down my gown.

Let’s do this…

As I step into the foyer, I bump straight into a solid wall of muscle, a familiar wall that silences the voices within.

My cover slips as I look up at Lennon from under my lashes because his eyes soften. He realizes something is wrong.

God, he is beautiful.

His simple tuxedo accentuates his broad frame and height. The longer strands of hair are styled, giving him the look that he just rolled out of bed. The pinkness of his full lips only appears more succulent thanks to his heavy growth.

His eyes smolder as he takes me in from head to toe.

But we both remember the roles we’re meant to play and slip back into rival mode. We quickly detangle ourselves from one another.

“Look what the cat dragged in,” Bria snarls, her arm looped tightly through Lenny’s.

She looks stunning in a royal-blue gown. But akin to Gianna, the ugliness within cancels out any beauty.

I deadpan her, not in the mood for her bullshit. Truth be told, handing her over to Gianna doesn’t bother me in the slightest. It’s what it’ll do to Lenny that I have the issue with.

“Oh, how lovely to see you two. Thank you for attending.” Gianna appears by my side.

Lenny tightens his grip around Bria to stop her from causing a scene.

“Your time will come,” Bria sneers with nothing but hatred.

“Let’s hope it’s after the canapes. The shrimp is to die for.”

Gianna grips my elbow, escorting me away.

And here we are—one big happy family.

We’re rivals and have attempted to destroy each other for years, but for the sake of pretense, we’re pretending to play nice.

I know what I’m supposed to do.

Gianna doesn’t need to remind me.

She wants Bria.

So Bria will be hers.

There is no elaborate plan.

No double-crossing.

We brought them here for a reason, and that reason is to capture Bria. What fate will befall Lenny, I don’t know. I suspect it’ll be for Gianna to humiliate him before taking his throne.

But Lenny won’t go down without a fight.

I can only hope we get Lettie back before that happens.

“I don’t want to give them an opportunity to blindside us,” Gianna softly says, smiling at guests like everything is kosher. “During my speech, I want you to subdue them both.”

I don’t even bother asking how she expects me to do that in a room full of people.

One of her rules is don’t ask stupid questions.