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I saw Jewel’s shocked face, eyes wide, mouth open.
She was saying something, or screaming it, I wasn’t sure.
Couldn’t hear over the rush of sound in my ears.
One glance confirmed she was safe.
My focus zoomed in on Cristo.
Cristo.
Goddamn motherfucker. He was going down.
I leapt over the back of the sofa and landed on him, body-slamming him over the coffee table. Wood crashed under our weight. Porcelain, glass, plates of food flew everywhere.
My fingers wrapped around his thick neck, squeezing, squeezing. I choked the hell out of him. His face was red. He clocked me. My head whipped to the side.
Fuck, he got me good. Not surprising since we were almost equally matched. Almost, but not quite.
Cristo’s nails raked and gouged my hands. He was a vindictive fucker. I may have the element of surprise on my side, but that was fading quickly.
I saw Cat at the edge of my vision. Both she and Jewel were screaming. Luca would skin her hide if she got hurt. And I’d skin Jewel’s if she got involved. Cat yanked Jewel back a couple of times. Smart girl.
My head snapped back. Cristo’s fist smashed into my nose.
Then Nelu and Luca showed up, Nelu wielding a gun that he immediately lowered when he saw us rolling around on the floor.
“For Christ’s sake, Nicu, what the hell are you doing here?” I heard Luca bellow out, penetrating the haze surrounding me. He grabbed Cat, who tugged Jewel along with her, and brought her to his side. Good, I preferred her a farther distance from us.
Placing a staying hand on Luca, Nelu ordered, “Give them a bit of time. This has been building for years.”
My shirt was sticking to my back from when Cristo got on top of me and crushed me against the floor littered with food. I was back on top, my fist swinging out to connect with his jaw. Nelu was right about one thing. This had been building for years. Although he was letting it play out because he hoped Cristo would give me a beat down in retaliation for killing Simu. Fat chance of that happening. Cristo got a few good hits in, I’ll admit. I felt a blooming pain in my left eye, and blood was coasting down the side of my face, pooling in the crease of my sealed lips before dripping down onto Cristo’s pristine white shirt.
Between the red dots and the black smudges, it wasn’t pristine anymore, I thought with glee. Splotches of discolored skin covered his face, likely matching mine.
“You little shit,” Cristo griped. “I should end you for what you’ve done.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked as I dodged one of his hits. “For Simu or busting into your home?”
“Both, motherfucker.”
“Come on and try it, asshole. You can’t hurt me.”
“Tata, throw me the gun,” he thundered.
“No can do, son. You’ll have to use your fists,” he singsonged with a laugh.
His fist hit straight up, catching me in the chin. Pain exploded, ripping my head back.
Jewel gave a little screech.
My fist slammed down again, but Cristo swerved in time, and my knuckles connected with the hard floor. Fuck.
“Alright, enough,” warned Luca.
A moment later, both Luca and Nelu threw themselves into the melee, tearing us off each other. Luca got me in a choke hold and wrangled me out of the room, down the hall, and into a small bedroom. I allowed it, considering I got what I wanted, which was Jewel far away from Cristo.
Tossing me on the small twin bed, he slammed the door and locked it.
