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"I'm the one that betrayed your uncle. Kill me and let her go. She knows nothingabout this. Look," he said, but I didn't.
"Please,look at her," he pleaded this time, and I turned to face the woman with her head buried in the cushion. “She is a bright young lady. She won't utter a word to anyone," he promised.
"Answer me then, Fred. Why did you attempt to kill Luke Levine?" I inquired once more.
"You came to avenge your uncle, Ethan," he begged, avoiding my question. "Leave the girl alone."
There were days when I allowed myself to enjoy the thrill of a kill, but this wasn't one of them. There was nothing pleasant about Fred Westbrook, a man I once trusted, looking up at me now, unaffected about the consequences of his betrayal. To him, I was still a hot-blooded young gangster.
I didn't care because I was the one who was about to shoot him in the head. But before I could, I was struck in the shoulder by something heavy.
Turning around, the woman who had been torturing my mind with endless thoughts for the past few days appeared unexpectedly. Her feisty expression made her look even more enticing than the night before.
I wasn't sure why she was here or why she wanted me to take her first and leave Fred and the other girl her age alone. For some reason, she assumed I was there forher. It was fate.
"What a small word," I said to her as I moved my gun away from Fred's face. "Vanessa," I pronounced her nameagain, tasting iton my tongue.
Her eyes were still fueled by anger and bewilderment. However, her defianceturned me on even more.
"Just take me and leave them alone," she said, and I heard some men snicker. When I looked at them, they quickly quieted down.
"It appears that we are amongsta bunch of selfless people here," Tristan ventured with a low chuckle. He was the only one who could calm me down by reducing the tension in the air.
He and my uncle always thought I went overboard when I wanted something or someone.
"I think it's just the city," I said, and the men around me relaxed. They feared me, and I didn't want to change that, especially in front of Vanessa.
"I'm afraid I'd have to turn down your offer. I came here forthis man, and I'm not leaving until he's dead by my hand," I moved my gaze to Vanessa. Her eyes didn't accept my answer, and I knew she would beg.
She was a strong-willed woman who was not easily shaken, not even by me. It gave me a different kind of pleasure to think of her pleading with me to spare the life of a man who would still die that night. What she didn't realize was that I always followed through on my promises. Fred Westbrook was sentenced to death for his crimes against my family. I didn't care if Vanessa believed there was still hope.
"He has done nothingto you," she begged. "Please just let him go."
I scoffed and turned to face her. I had no idea how she was related to Fred Westbrook, if she was related at all, but her devotion to him amused me.
"What if I don't want to do that? What are you gonna do then,Vanessa?" I asked, aiming my pistol at her. Though she remained unflinching, I could see concern in Fred's eyes.
When I pointed a gun at his head or the girl by the sofa, he tried not to show fear. He did, however, appear to have a soft spot for Vanessa.
"Interesting," I said aloud before returning my attention to Fred. "How are you relatedto Vanessa?" I askedhim.
"She's a neighbor who comes by every now and then," Fred tried to explain, and I knew he was lying. Everyone in the room could tell he was lying.
I returned to a shaken Vanessa and asked her the same question. "Vanessa, how are you related to Fred? If you don't want to be hurt alongside him, tell me the truth," I said quietly, showing her that I wouldn't hesitate to do this.
Despite the fact that I could see her resolve fraying in front of me, she remained silent, following Fred's head shake. He didn't want her to tell me anything, which made me even more curious.
I sighed and chose the only option left. Killing either of them would have given me no answers. Despite the number of guns in the room, Fred was defiant of death, and Vanessa would obey hisorders. That meant my attention was now turned to the other woman in the room.
"No, please!" Vanessa screamed as I turned to Anna. I motioned to Tristan to help her up. He did, and she turned to face me. Her eyes were already teary,her cheeks puffy from all the crying.
Tristan's pistol remained aimed at her temple, and her shoulders rose high and trembled in terror.
"Hey," I said, and she immediately opened her eyes, giving me her full attention. Her gaze was divided between Tristan's pistol and mine, and I knew it was going to work.
"What is the connection between these two?" I asked her in a threatening tone.
Before answering, her teary eyes darted to Vanessa, apologizing. "She ishis niece."
