ON MY KNEES FOR THE DON

te'

e son of a bitch who actually had the ba

ave to w

minutes later, hauling a thrashing man in

barked at the poor bastard. "You

lowly rose to his hands and knees. His dark eyes bounced

" I informed him coldly. "T

dining room, but with the numerous sinks and drains in the floor, this would

, but I held up a firm hand, and

and motioned for him to sit up. When he sat u

waste a

lence. He folded forward, wheezing out a curse. Vianne gasped somewhere b

face hard into the cold tile floor. The sickening thud echoed through th

u shoot at

ng with something fierce.

brutal series of punches. Each hit was precise, punishing, no mercy. His nose bled fre

to hold consciousness. I crouched down in front of

ter. Well then, nice shot." I said, vo

n the floor, and hissed, "

t a coward - you're

cking the wind right out of him. The

side," he said, leaning around me to see Vi

his soft jaw before I c

oody, broken tooth fragment. "If you're

prisingly eage

weakly. "I'm dead either

wrist. It was a small gesture. Just a light touch. But it was far more distracting than it should have been

" I gritted out bet

stubbornly. "I can

inded him coldly. "No point in

ily is another matter. If I tell you wh

before I could say anything

me to react before I grabbed the assassin by the throat and threw

nd my wrist, but it would have taken three of him and a fucking miracle to make me loosen my grip. "Sinc

is collapsing windpipe. I held him tighter.

is mouth. His eyes were bulging. He look

ne breathed o

asked, he'd die right h

re out what was running through that gorgeous head of hers. What

is head. "There. That wasn't so hard, was it?" I let go and he sucked

gh. If he was going to live to se

racticing," h

hten around his neck again. "Don't fucking play

and nodded. "I was sent here to make sure s

olved - but it wasn't becau

because

ren't - Why would anyone thin

rd into the man's bloodshot

forehead. "I can't. My family... They'

understand family loyalty. You're pr

ebrow raised. A question hung in his exp

l dealings. But I didn't want her any farther away from me than she alrea

nd turned my attention back to th

e breaking. "I needed the money. I don't want to kil

I understand. We all hav

ing off him like a wav

the choices we make,"

nt, he did

he

p, but it w

gainst his temple befo

sharp, like a bell rin

e scr

to hurt her fell t