Page 98 of The Villain

“He was always a useless brat, wasn’t he?”

“What did you do?” I hiss. “What did you do?”

His eyes darken, go flat. I know this look. The death inside him. I’ve seen it before although he’s been so good at hiding it from Michael. I think my father saw it too. I think that’s why he kept him at arm’s length in the end.

“You were always too fucking dramatic. Let’s go.” Heturns, signals to Rami, because they are all his soldiers, not Michael’s. I’m hauled to my feet.

I lunge at Malek as soon as I’m up, and even though Rami holds me back by one arm, I manage to slap Malek hard across his face, so hard his head jerks to the left.

“I will kill you! I will fucking kill you!”

He chuckles as Rami grips both my arms, immobilizing me.

Malek touches his lip where I see blood. He must have bit it. He looks at his finger, then up at me. He raises his arm and slaps me and if Rami wasn’t holding me up, I’d fall to the ground with the force of it. But he’s not done yet because with the back of his hand he slaps me once more before gripping my jaw, my ears ringing as he holds me still, as he gives my eyes time to focus on him even as my head spins.

“No, Allegra, you won’t kill me. You’ll get on your knees and thank me for allowing you to live every day for the rest of what may be a very short life.”

I hate him. I’ve always hated him. I never thought he could do anything, though. Amal warned me. And now, my brother is dead, his blood seeping into this dirty road.

“I will fucking kill you,” I tell him and he digs his fingers into my jaw and his smile widens, just before he slams my head hard against the one unbroken window of the car. The impact sends me crashing to my knees in that bloody asphalt and one final blow from the butt of a soldier’s gun knocks me out.