Page 203 of Punishing His Runaway Bride
"I'll count to three. One."
My knee bent slightly.
"Ezio, don't!" Olivia's voice cracked.
"Two."
"Don't kneel!" She struggled. Ropes dug into her wrists. Blood seeped from the cuts. "He's not worth it!"
Sebastian's arm tightened, choking off her words. Her face flushed red, but her eyes stayed on me. Tears, defiance, something that made my heart clench.
My knee nearly touched the ground.
"Three."
Excitement flashed in Sebastian's eyes. His knife hand loosened for an instant.
That instant was enough.
Olivia moved.
Her elbow slammed backward into Sebastian's gut. He screamed.The knife slipped from his hand. His arm loosened for one moment.
One moment was all I needed.
I charged. Left fist crashed into his face. He staggered back. Olivia broke free from his grip, fell to the ground. I didn't stop. Second punch to his temple. He slammed into a metal rack behind him with a dull crash.
He collapsed, blood streaming from his mouth. But he was still smiling.
"Still so fast," he gasped. "All our lives, you've been faster than me at everything—"
I kicked the knife away, grabbed his collar, and hauled him up.
"You lost."
"I know," he said, looking at me. That fire in his eyes had died, leaving only emptiness. "I've known for a long time."
He suddenly smiled. Light, like sharing a secret.
"But you know what, Ezio? There's one thing I knew before you did."
"What?"
He looked at me. A flash of malice in his eyes.
"Did Olivia tell you? Leo is your son."
Something exploded in my brain.
Leo was my child?
What the fuck?
I lost focus.
Just one second.
But it was enough.
