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“Shit,” Ronan muttered under his breath.
I felt a little vomit rise in my throat.
The man screamed out in pain, holding his knee because the agony was too much. He started to crawl away while The Butcher looked down at him. Then The Butcher raised his gaze and looked right at me, that same look on his face that he wore the other night. He purposely provoked me, tried to get under my skin.
I held his gaze with an indifferent look, refusing to cower under his intimidation.
He turned his gaze to Bosco than slammed his foot on the man’s head. He kept slamming down until his skull caved in, and he lay lifelessly on the floor, limp as a dead fish. Blood was smeared everywhere.
Men cheered when they won their bets.
This wasn’t how I wanted the fight to go, and I hid my disappointment as best I could.
The Butcher walked to the edge of the ring, looked at Bosco, and then took a bow.
Wow, he was one smug son of a bitch.
Bosco’s expression didn’t change.
Ronan was silent.
I waited for Bosco’s men to pull The Butcher out of the ring so he could be shot in an alleyway, but nothing happened.
Bosco stood up then loosened his tie.
My eyes moved to him, unsure what was happening.
Bosco stared at The Butcher as he pulled off his tie and dropped his jacket onto the chair.
My eyes snapped wide open. “What the hell are you doing?”
Bosco unbuttoned the front of his shirt then dropped that on top of his jacket, standing shirtless on the platform.
The Butcher grinned like this was his lucky day.
Ronan stood next to his brother. “I don’t think this is—”
“Shut up.” Bosco silenced him with his hostility.
This couldn’t be happening. I moved to my feet next and stood right in front of him, forcing him to look at me instead of The Butcher. “Bosco, this is stupid. You could just shoot him later.”
He pulled his shoe off next. “I want to do this. Now sit down.” He spoke calmly despite the intensity of the situation.
“No!” I grabbed both of his wrists. “I won’t let you. What if he kills you?”
He kept his indifferent expression. “He won’t.”
“That man just crushed the other guy’s skull!”
He slowly pulled my hands off his wrists. “Carmen, I made a promise to you. I keep my promises.”
“Then shoot him! Have someone else do it. Don’t do this!” I was entering a full-blown panic attack. “You can’t do this. I won’t let you. Please stay. Please.” I pressed my hands against his chest, begging him to listen to me. Tears burned in my eyes because I was terrified of losing this man. I’d come to care for him so deeply that I wouldn’t be able to go on if I lost him. I didn’t want a single scar on that beautiful face. “Don’t do this to me. I can’t lose you…”
That lopsided grin stretched across his face. “Beautiful.” His hand cupped my cheek, and he wiped away a tear. “As much as I’m enjoying this, I have to go.”
“Why?” I demanded. “This is stupid—”
“This man will suffer for what he did. I will keep the respect of my men in the process. Men will be too terrified to even look at you. This is my world, and this is how I run things. I’m the executioner—and I will kill him with my bare hands.”
I was crying harder now. “Babe, don’t leave me…” I used his nickname, desperate to make him listen to me. “I’m begging you…”
“I know,” he whispered. “And I love watching you beg. But I never make a promise I can’t keep. I promise I’ll come back to you.”
“You can’t make a promise like that!”
“I can. And I will.” He cupped both of my cheeks and kissed me on the mouth. It was soft and short. He abruptly pulled away and slipped off his other shoe and socks before he moved to the stairs. “Ronan, keep her back.”
Ronan stood in the way so I couldn’t chase after him. He gave me a sad look, like he didn’t like this either. “There’s nothing we can do now. He can’t turn back.”
My face was stained with tears, and my makeup was smeared across my face. Every time I tried to breathe, I couldn’t get enough air. “This can’t be happening…this can’t be happening.”
Ronan grabbed my hands and guided me back to the chair.
The crowd went wild when Bosco approached the ring. They were even louder than before, men whistling and screaming. More bets were made as people gambled on the biggest brawl that had ever taken place.
Ronan sat directly beside me, sighing loudly under his breath.
“Why is he doing this?”
“Because he made a promise to you. The Butcher will dead in twenty-four hours.” He looked at his watch. “And he’s only got an hour left.”
