Men of Mayhem (31 page)

An Ultimate Betrayal Prequel Novella

Nico

I’ve killed. Countless people have died from my over-eager trigger finger, and I’m not ashamed to admit it. Some accepted their fate with dignity, yet most turned into a blubbering wreck, begging for a second chance.

Tens.

Hundreds.

Thousands.

Well, maybe not thousands, but it wouldn’t have surprised me if I was closing in on that milestone too. I’d transformed full-grown men into incoherent pussies. They reminded me of their wives, their children, or other loved ones. They pleaded to be spared for the sake of their family…like it would make me give a shit.

It was always the same.

Honestly, if one of them could come up with an original line, I may have been tempted to save them.

Probably not, though. There were never second chances in my line of work. You fucked up, you paid for it with your life. No matter who you left behind, there were no loose ends.

Ever.

And I was the guy for the job.

I had been bred for assassinating those who got in my way, and my family’s way. It was in my blood, deeply rooted in my DNA.

I’d long since stopped counting the number of dead bodies I’d amassed. Each one was only another insignificant notch on a tally. They weren’t worthy of being counted. The fucking bastards who dared to cross any Salvato deserved to die, and I was only too happy to be the one to look them dead in their fearful eyes, raise my gun to their head, and fire.

It was always quick.

A clean shot.

Clinical.

When emotions became involved, things got messy. It was a job and one that had desensitised me.

At least I thought it had.

I never expected for
her
to be tied up on her knees in front of me. The gritty concrete cut into her skin and the rope around her wrists bit into them, rubbing them raw until they matched the single, fiery red streak in her chestnut hair. Even at my feet she looked strong—stronger than any of the men. Her almost amber eyes glared at me with a burning intensity. They held a silent challenge to pull the trigger. It wasn’t a plea, it was a dare, and I knew I should.

She was an Aletti and I was a Salvato, after all.

Our families didn’t mix. We were rivals in an endless turf war, each fighting for control of the territory. That made her the enemy, and normally I’d jump at the chance to kill any one of the leeches. To eradicate the Aletti mob princess should have been an honour. I should have wanted to mount her head on the freaking wall like a trophy and send the rest of her body back to her father.

It was the ultimate prize.

The problem was I couldn’t. My gun wavered in my hands as I raised it to point at her petite body. Moving it up over her breasts, my gaze lingered on her ample cleavage until it was drawn to her olive-toned face.

“Do it,” she sneered, jeering for me to end her life.

It was easy to be confident when she had the upper hand and knew it.

Taking a deep breath I attempted to quell the tremors. That wasn’t me. I didn’t shake…I didn’t feel.

My gun lined with her forehead and she didn’t even flinch. She held my gaze with a steely one of her own, a spark of betrayal swirling in the golden orbs.

“Go on. What are you waiting for?”

I placed my finger on the trigger.

Close your eyes, take a deep breath, plant your feet into the ground, open your eyes, exhale, and fire. Don’t think about who she is or what she means. Ignore the emotions swimming in her eyes. She’s just like all of the others.

But she wasn’t. Regardless of my tally, I’d never once raised my hand to a woman, let alone shot one. Could I really start with the one I loved?

“I said pull the fucking trigger, Salvato!”

This wasn’t a game anymore. I stood to lose, and I stood to lose big.

“You’re weak. You’re a worthless traitor. How does it feel betraying someone who gave you their heart? Who trusted you?” She spat at my feet. “Pull the goddamned trigger or give me the gun and I’ll show you how it’s done.”

I locked my emotions deep within me, barricading them in the bottomless cavern inside my chest where my heart should have sat. “How about a blowjob first? For old time’s sake.”

Her nostrils flared and she spat at my feet again. The ball of saliva landed on my black, polished boot this time.

“Fuck you.”

“You already have, sweetheart. Numerous times. That why you’re in this shit.”

She didn’t even bat an eyelid. “Do you torment all of your victims this way? Is that what gets you off at night—what you’re thinking about when you’re jerking off? Will you think of my pretty face, lifeless, tonight and cry out my name?”

I began lowering the barrel, dipping it to her chest.

“You’re not going to do it, are you?” she asked.

“I guess that’s a no to the blowjob?”

“I’d rather die.”

“Oh, you will. Don’t worry about that, princess.”

Anger burned in her eyes at the nickname. She hated the reminder of her status within her family. I was beginning to break down her walls. My words were hitting marks I shouldn’t, to make this look authentic, and her facade was failing. I needed to end this before she fucked everything up.

“Kill me,” she hissed, her teeth grinding together.

I laughed, but it was empty and humourless. “So eager to die.”

“If I’m dead, I don’t have to feel the pain you’ve caused me. Death would be a blessing over knowing you—”

I pulled the trigger. Even with the silencer the deadened
thwump
could be heard over her words that were stopped abruptly.

Brianna fell to her back. Her body lay awkwardly on the floor and her tied hands behind her arched her back to push her breasts into the air.

The stillness that followed was only broken by my ragged breaths and racing heart.

I’d shot the only woman I’d ever loved.

Brianna

Two Days Earlier

“Five more minutes,” I moaned, nuzzling into the warm body beneath my face. It was a futile attempt to cling to the bliss already being erased by the cruel realities facing us. Knowing this, I imprinted the musky scent of his cologne into my memory. It would linger on my pillows and covers, but it would never embrace me at night. When he left, so would I. I’d leave behind our mini oasis and only have a memory to satisfy me until next time.

“I can’t, Bri. You know I’d stay if I could. There’s nowhere I’d rather be, but…you know…” Nico trailed off, not needing to voice the reason we couldn’t remain together. He was already extracting himself from my hold and sliding my head gently onto the soft, feathered pillow that replaced his taut chest.

I sat up, not bothering to rearrange the duvet and cover myself. His lips had been tasting and teasing my body only moments ago. There wasn’t a curve that hadn’t experienced his soft, searing touch, and therefore I didn’t feel the need to hide beneath the material. Also, if it had the added effect of making it harder for him to leave then I definitely wasn’t going to hide.

I pouted, my bottom lip jutting out as I watched Nico pull on a pair of jet black jeans. With his back to me I marvelled at how they hugged his ass perfectly. My gaze then wandered over the contours of his naked back, and he must have felt the heat in my stare because Nico spun to face me. Catching sight of my expression, he strode back over to the bed, not bothered by the fact his jeans were still unbuttoned. The line of dark hair disappearing into his boxers had my pout growing even bigger at the thought of what I was missing.

He placed a fist on either side of my outstretched legs and dropped his head so his eyes were level with mine. A few seconds passed before I could drag my gaze up to peer at him through my eyelashes.

His lips grazed my forehead, easing the creases. “Don’t look at me like that. It won’t be this way forever.”

I snorted indignantly. Anger welled in my chest, erasing any lingering desire I’d felt towards him. It was always the same answer and I was sick and tired of it. “When? Both of our fathers have at least another thirty or forty years in them. I’m not waiting that long.”

Nico huffed, his breath blowing over my face. “What do you want me to say, Brianna?”

“How about you’re willing to fight for me? That we can go public and stop the sneaking around?” I growled, eight months of pent-up rage bursting through my usually strong composure. When I only received silence in response, a disgusted choke followed. “Yeah, I didn’t think you would.” Defeat laced my words more than I meant it to. To save face, I pushed him back and scrambled to pick up and put on my underwear. Being naked in front of him only made me vulnerable now.

“Bri, come
on
. I know this isn’t perfect, but it’s better than nothing. At least we’re together.”

I glowered at him over the bed then returned to hunt for my jeans. “Really, Nico? To me it feels like I’m a dirty little secret you want to keep hidden away and only visit when you need to fuck. It’s been eight months and I want more. I
need
it.”

“You’re crazy! We can’t go public, and you know it.”

“Why? Are you scared? Have I finally found something Nico the big, bad assassin is scared of?” I spat back patronisingly.

“Don’t be a child. You know I love you, and the thought of anyone harming you—” He cut himself off. Rounding the bed, he was at my side within a few steps. He took my wrist in his gently, removing the bra I had been about to put on and dropped it back to the floor. With a flick of his wrist, Nico pulled me flush against his chest. One hand splayed on my back to hold me in place, the other cupped my jaw and tilted my head back until I met his gaze. His eyes were dark, his face hardened in intense fury. The sight forced my breath to catch in my throat.

“You know what the thought does to me, Bri. I love you.” His fingers grazed my cheekbone, moving up to tangle in my hair. “I would do anything to keep you safe.”

The weak part of me wanted to cave and drop the argument. That side urged me to lean into his touch, shut my eyes, and close the gap between us until my lips met his. Unfortunately for Nico, I wasn’t used to listening to that section of my mind. Instead, I met his gaze with one just as cruel. I wasn’t some feeble woman he’d picked up on the street who would back down, and I didn’t need his protection. I knew all of the tricks, I was trained to kill, and I was stubborn as hell.

“If you loved me you’d fight for me.”

“Don’t do this, Bri. You know what would happen if our relationship came out. What do you want me to do? Take on not
one
but
two
families singlehanded?”

I shoved away from him, snapping from his grasp. Scraping my bra back off the floor, I threw on the remainder of my clothes. “I. Want. More.”

“Well, you’re shit out of luck.” He yanked his T-shirt off the bed and over his head. “I’m not arguing with you over this anymore.”

“
I’m
not scared of our fathers. I didn’t think you of all people would be.”