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“Don’t worry,Dad,” I sneered. “I’m just looking over my inheritance.”
Jason Perelli laughed darkly. “If you think you’re getting anything from me after what you fucking did, you little cunt, you’ve got another thing coming.” He stood abruptly. “In fact, here’s how this is going to go. These little boys that you’ve hired—”
“Hired?” I interrupted, earning a dark scowl. “Oh no, these aren’t hired henchmen. These are my husbands. I married three men. Just this morning, in fact. The ceremony was lovely. Too bad you couldn’t make it.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I watched as one of the bouncers tried to inch around the other, and, without missing a beat, Archer fired, nailing the guy in the arm. The second, still standing bouncer, whipped a gun out and pointed it at Archer. But we’d anticipated the fact that they would be armed. I wasn’t stupid, but neither was Jason Perelli.
“I wouldn’t if I were you,” Jensen warned, leveling the barrel of his gun on the man.
Unsteady eyes slid around the room, scanning from one side to the next as if he were trying to pinpoint exactly who was the biggest threat. His eyes landed on me and I smiled.
“Put the gun down,” I warned. “And we’ll let you live.” He looked to my father before back to me.
Jensen took a step closer. “You shoot her, I shoot you, man. You shoot me, he”—Jensen nodded to Ian—“shoots you. There really is no other option. Put it down and you’ll be fine. We promise.”
With untrustworthy eyes still shining with doubt, the bouncer slowly put both hands up and reached down, placing his gun on the floor and kicking it away. “Alright, man. I ain’t dying today. That’s all I give a shit about,” he said. Whether that was true or not would be determined by how this all ended. But for now, he was no longer my concern. The guys would watch him as I finished this.
I turned back to Jason Perelli and arched a brow. I wasn’t playing around, and I knew my father now understood as the shout and subsequent curse from the man echoed through the space. He had always been cocky and confident, secured in his position of power and his protection, but he didn’t know how much I’d changed or what I brought to the table.
Oh, how the mighty fall.
“As I was saying,” I continued, reaching out and running a finger along the front of his desk. “I came to take a look at my inheritance, andyou”—I lifted my hand and pointed at him as he opened his mouth again—“won’t be giving any orders anymore.”
“Listen, you little bitch,” he snapped. “You damn near ruined me with that stunt you pulled. You just couldn’t keep your whore of a mouth shut—I gave you everything! A roof over your head and—”
“I was terrified of you as a child,” I countered. “My mother was terrified of you. Oh, quick question...” I turned around, shifting to face him once more until there was an open path from him to me. “Whatreallyhappened to my mother? Because I know it wasn’t a car accident that killed her.”
“Your mother was nothing more than a pill popping addict. She died of an overdose after fucking her dealer,” he snarled. He took a threatening step towards me, but stopped as Jensen moved closer, transferring the aim of his gun from the bouncers to my father. Archer stepped up, looming over my father’s hired men even as the one who’d been injured gritted his teeth in pain and writhed on the ground. I wondered if he’d been taught not to make a noise when being shot. What kind of life would lead a man to this? I wondered. What had led my father here?
“I dare you,” Jensen growled, the intention of his words clear. “See where this bullet ends up.”
“You think you’re going to be able to threaten me and walk out of here, America?” My father’s gaze remained trained on me. “You think you can tell your boy to shoot me? You’re nothing but a slut like your mother. Three fucking husbands? I should’ve put you to work as soon as you were sixteen. I would’ve gotten more out of you as one of my whores than my fucking leech of a child.” Surprisingly, his words didn’t hurt. Whether that was because of my numbed emotions or because he meant nothing to me, I didn’t know. I was a survivor, having been convinced over the years to blend in, to stay in the shadows, but right now? I was the one with the power, the one with all the cards, and I wouldn’t be talked to like this. Not by him. Not by anyone.
“Maybe,” I offered helpfully, a cruel smirk splitting my face. “Or maybe I would’ve killed you sooner.”
“Excuse me?” His face reddened, and despite the threat of Jensen’s gun trained on him and Ian’s on the bouncers, he took a step towards me. “You come intomyhouse, intomyclub and threaten to killme?” He shook with fury, his head twisting back and forth as an angry, almost manic chuckle almost burst from his lips. “Oh, no. I’m going to enjoy flaying you alive, you ungrateful cunt! I gave you everything, and you fucking snitched on me. I’m going to—”
“You’re not going to do shit,” Ian growled as he stepped up behind my father, placing the barrel of his gun right at the base of the bastard’s skull.
Jason Perelli didn’t even pale as he realized his situation. Instead, he grew even angrier. His lips parted, but instead of addressing me, he shouted for his other boys. “Roberto! Giovanni! Don!” I waited a beat and smiled when nothing happened. No doors suddenly opened. No guns entered, save for the ones already in the room. And it appeared that my father hadn’t been the only one expecting them.
“Fuck!” Archer shouted. I turned as the uninjured bouncer barreled into him. The gun went off and suddenly, arms closed around me, pulling me back against a male chest.
“You think you can threaten me, you little bitch?” My father hissed in my ear. “I’ll show you what happens to little girls who disrespect their father.”
Without looking, I knew Ian had his gun pointed at my father’s head. It wasn’t necessary. Fury raged through my veins. Just his hands on me made my skin crawl. He didn’t get to fucking touch me. I brought my foot down on his and jabbed my elbow back into his solar plexus. Spinning out of his loosened hold, I grabbed the back of his head and brought my knee up so that it connected with his nose. The sound of crunching cartilage was like music to my ears.
I refused to look behind me as Archer subdues the bouncer. A gun went off again and for a brief moment, I closed my eyes. When I heard the bouncer’s low grunt of pain and his wheezing gasps, I sighed in relief, turning finally just to make sure. Archer stood over both bouncers, his lip bleeding, his clothes torn and wrinkled. He held the gun steady on the bouncers—now both injured.
“Someone will have heard!” one of the bouncers yelled. “You think Jason Perelli doesn’t have more guys on his security team?”
“We know he does asshole, why do you think they didn’t come when he called,” Jensen spat back. “They’ve either been bought off or taken out. Which do you want to be? Alive”—both he and Archer adjusted their grips on their guns with intent—“or dead?”
“They’d rather be dead that betray me!” My father sneered as he rose up, blood pouring down over his mouth as he covered his nose and tried to staunch the bleeding.
“Really?” I asked, arching a brow. “Why don’t we ask them?” I turned towards the men in question. “After tonight,” I announced. “I will be taking over all Perelli enterprises. Defend him any further and you’ll be getting an unmarked grave right next to his.” I cast my father a smug look. “Or, you can choose to not fight and my men will take you to the hospital and let you live. Your choice.” I paused and when neither of them spoke, I nodded to the guys.
“Unmarked grave it is,” Archer said, finger on the trigger.
