Page 52 of The Pawn

He laughs louder, bloody stumps for hands in front of his face.

I hadn’t understood why he’d left her behind. Left her for me to find. It hadn’t made sense.

“You didn’t know? Guess she wouldn’t come running with the news.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” I say, stalking back toward the cell, toward him and pressing the barrel of the pistol to the side of his head so hard, his cheek is crushed against the wall.

“They’re coming for you, the family,” he says through gritted teeth because even now, even with his hands as they are, he’s scared to die. He’ll do anything to stay alive. “You kidnapped his wife, after all. You fucking prick.”

I lower the weapon, press it to his stomach and pull the trigger.

He grunts, doubles over, drops to his side. Blood pours form his stomach, and I stand watching him.

“That’s going to hurt like a mother fucker. And then you’re going to die slow. But not fucking slow enough.”

16

ALLEGRA

Time passes. The house is silent. I’m locked in Cassian’s bedroom pacing, trying to make sense of what’s happening.

Rami is here. In the same house as me.

I finally make myself sit on the floor pressing my back to the bed and push my hands into my hair. What if he tells him? What if he tells him what I did?

Fuck. I need to think. I need to fucking think. I shouldn’t have let Cassian go down there without me. I should have gone with him. I should have taken Enzo’s gun and killed Rami before he could say a word.

What if he tells Cassian what I did?

I force a deep breath in. I need to calm down.

Footsteps sound outside the door. I jump to my feet as the lock is turned, the door opened. I don’t know what I expect to see. It’s not this, though. Not Cassian shirtless and bloody and looking a fucking wreck.

The sight of him makes me stop. It’s not just the wild look about him. It’s what’s in his eyes. Like for the first timein the time I’ve known him, he’s caught off guard. Like he didn’t expect what he got.

I know why.

He knows. Rami told him and he knows.

I drop my head, unable to bear his gaze. I’m too ashamed.

“Look at me.”

He has two things in his hands. A gun casually held by his thigh. In the other is his shirt. It’s stained blood red.

I look at that and his words come back to me. His promise.In pieces.

Cassian closes the door.

“Look at me, Allegra.”

I’m slow to drag my gaze back up to his. His expression hasn’t changed. He looks wild. Like a beast.

He knows. There is no doubt.

“He’s a liar,” I say, cursing the tears that stream from my eyes. Always tears. Angry or hurt or terrified. Always fucking tears. I hate them. I fucking hate them so much. “You can’t believe anything he says.” My voice breaks. “He’s just a liar.”

Cassian comes to stand a few inches from me. He tosses the gun onto the bed. I close my eyes. I don’t want to. I don’t want to see him. I don’t want him to see me. He brings his hand to my face, wrapping around the back of my neck, his thumb gentle on my cheek.