Page 40 of Thorns of Silence

I shook out my fists, loosening out the restlessness binding my nerves.

“He has five men watching his manor outside.” Cesar’s voice came through the earpiece. “Three guards inside.” That should be a piece of cake. I cracked my neck, letting my bones pop. Tension released and my shoulders relaxed. “Are you sure this is smart?”

I scoffed.Smart?What good was smart when the fucker placed his hand on Phoenix’s flesh? On her ass. Granted, she smacked his hand away, and judging by her expression, she was pissed off at him.Probably as a result of their ruined date, I snickered to myself. She blamed him and me.

“We’ll pick off the guards outside first,” I said instead. We were hidden in the shadows on the opposite side of the manor, ensuring both angles were covered. We both had perfect views for sniper shots.

Baptiste’s mistake was thinking he could beat me at my own game and outsmart me, relying on his guards to protect him.Think again, motherfucker.

I wasted no time. One by one, we picked them all off. This was almost too easy.

Slinking up to the front entrance, I kept myself close to the wall, my steps silent against the ground. Once I reached the door, I picked the lock—again, child’s play.

I turned the handle and slipped through the narrow opening. The heavy mahogany door snicked shut behind me. From what little I could make out, the manor was sprawling. A large chandelier hung a little ways in, opening up to a dimly lit area.

It was also… flashy, just like the fucking guy sleeping in his bed on the next floor up. Gold statues. Marble floors. Bronze sconces adorning the walls. Paintings dating back a few centuries. The home was equipped with the latest technology, impenetrable for a novice.

Not for the likes of me, motherfucker.He wouldn’t see me coming until it was too late.

These powerful emotions I had when it came to Phoenix felt novel, but somehow familiar. I didn’t know how to describe it, but I had every intention of keeping Phoenix for myself and this guy would not stand in my way.

She didn’t know it yet, but she would choose me. It was inevitable, like rain and sunshine. Trade winds and hurricanes.

I released a long breath. I yearned to pummel something into the ground.Soon.Then I’d show him exactly what it meant to disobey me.

It took no time to find him, the look of absolute shock on his face well worth the wait. Three of his guards surrounded him, and even they stared at me with sheer surprise. It was ludicrous seeing them all piled in the front sitting room of Baptiste’s bedroom. Almost as if they were about to kick off an orgy event—Baptiste in his pajamas, his guards with shirts half open like they were modeling for a Fabio commercial.

“How did you get past the guards outside?” Baptiste uttered. “We didn’t hear a thing.”

“What? Don’t tell me you’re disappointed,” I sneered. “I, on the other hand, am very disappointed at your poor choices when it comes to Phoenix.”

Cesar was right behind me and hauled one of the guards by his throat. “This is the only guard left. For the moment.”

My right-hand man shoved him into the wall, his teeth rattling with the force. Then he punched him between the eyes, making a grotesque mockery of his face. He attempted to struggle, but it was fruitless.

And I fuckinglovedwatching Baptiste’s eyes bulge out of his head, finally filling with understanding.

“Don’t worry, Cesar. We have a few more to play with here.” I jutted my chin in Baptiste’s direction where the remaining guards stood. “Gentlemen, I haven’t introduced you to my friend Cesar.” I tilted my head toward him. “The verdict is still out on whether he’s more annoying than me.”

Baptiste stared at him, then looked back at me and blurted out, “Can we talk about this?”

Cesar went into attack mode, handling the guards while my focus was on this idiot. I removed my jacket and meticulously folded it before laying it on a nearby chair and sauntering toward him. “My first attempt was a talk. That has come and gone. Now,” I said around a thin smile, bringing my wrists up to undo my cuffs, “I will follow through with my promise.”

Meaning, I’d beat him to the point of no return, ensuring he forgot about Phoenix. For-fucking-ever.

I drove my fist into his face, blood exploding all over his features and spluttering from his mouth. I casually stepped back, eyeing him coldly.

“Remind me, what did I say the last time I saw you?”

“Fuck you,” he snarled.

“Wrong answer.” I punched him again, even harder on the other cheek. He reached for his face as he wailed like a goat. The last guard standing attempted to come to his aid, but Cesar shot him in the foot.

I watched the last of the useless guards this fucker surrounded himself with stumble and fall. Despicable. Did he really think he was safe? One of the fallen guards crawled for the door, but Cesar kicked him in the gut, and the only thing that came out of his mouth was a pained grunt.

“Let’s try again,” I said with a calm I didn’t feel. “What did I tell you?”

Baptiste swallowed once, twice, then licked his lips before he said, “That you’d beat me within an inch of my life.”