Page 78 of Intent to Kill
Adam followed Mercedes’s lead, making an escape through a long side corridor. It wasn’t the way he had intended to go, so his only option was to improvise.
“In here,” Mercedes said. She pushed open the door of the baker’s kitchen, luckily finding it empty, and herding Adam through before closing the door behind them.
The metal door shut with a loud, securing thud, as if it were just as relieved to be closed as they were to be tucked safely behind it. Resting their heads against the back of the metal and looking into each other’s eyes, they each let out a sigh of relief.
Adam couldn’t tell why his temple felt so sweaty, not until he noticed that Mercedes’s hand covered his where it rested against the cool metal door. The infinity necklace hung from her wrist between them like mistletoe. A reminder of how they’d once promised each other they’d stay locked together forever. Partners in crime.
“Well, well, well,” a voice said from afar. “If it isn’t Adam Vandemilio. Here I thought you were dead.”
Adam knew that voice...fuck.
* * *
Adam pivoted to see the very person who had spotted them, who had discovered him, very much alive and well, and back in Ridge City.
Across the baker’s kitchen, nestled behind the metallic countertops and stomping out a cigarette with his foot, was Yani, looking like a cat that’d cornered a bird. Smug, yet not surprised.
Yani remained calm and composed, his attention briefly holding on where Adam’s and Mercedes’s hands were clasped over the door. “I’d say we’ve definitely found the one trying to take Dorian down, wouldn’t you?”
They shifted away from the door, and Adam rested his hand on the small of her back. Ready to push her to safety should Yani do something stupid.
Yani seemed to notice Adam’s protective stance, because he looked even more pleased with himself than he had originally.
“Damn, you sat right next to us on that boat, and you actually seemed concerned,” Yani laughed, hand on heart and smirking at Mercedes. “Genuinely concerned.” He chuckled again, as if it was the funniest thing he’d ever encountered.
“Wait until Dorian finds out about this,” Yani said. “That you’re rolling around with Adam Vandemilio behind his back. That’ll be worse than anything I could ever do to you.”
That was Yani’s best idea of a threat. He was Blake’s hitter, after all. It was well known that Yani liked to kill almost as much as Adam liked making mischief.
Well, looked like someone was leaving the party in a body bag. So Adam rolled up the sleeves of his suit and prepared to do what he did best.
“You’ve just made a big mistake,” Adam said, running his tongue along his teeth. “Now you have to die.”
That seemed to amuse Yani even more. Clearly, he remembered Adam’s face, but not how deadly Adam could be.
“Go back to the party, baby, I got this,” Adam said, but Mercedes didn’t budge.
“Go,” Adam said, looking back to her. Yani was the most-worthy opponent of the Seconds, and would be a hard kill, but being found in this position by Blake would be much worse. Mercedes dug her heels in, raising her chin. “Trust me,” Adam said, searching her eyes.
Mercedes grimaced, looking very much like she didn’t want to go. But still she nodded and left the kitchen, giving Yani one last look of contempt before securing the door.
Then it was just Adam and Yani. It was time to fight. And Adam was never going to back down from a fight ever again.
Yani smirked and licked his lips, like a predator readying for a fight that he knew would end in a kill. In a win.
But Adam was more aware of death than he’d ever been. Nearly dying had had that affect. Adam knew that every fight was one that he needed to put his whole life behind. He had a lot more on the line to fight for.
“Guess three gunshots weren’t quite enough,” Yani scowled.
But Adam wasn’t giving him a chance to move first. The air was heavy for only a moment. Then Adam bolted for a meat cleaver and launched it across the room. Yani jolted sideways at the shoulder, the cleaver embedding in the wall where it stuck.
Fuck, maybe Yani would be hard to kill? At least he didn’t appear to have his gun.
The hitter advanced, swiping a bread knife and slashing at Adam as he jumped back each time, with only milliseconds to spare.Too fucking close!
They pushed around the kitchen, each slash getting closer until Adam backed into the metallic countertop. Cornered. In a wild panic, he grabbed an electric mixer from his back and belted it across Yani’s face. Blood pooled at his cheek, but the psychopath still didn’t slow.
Adam ducked as the knife slashed for his throat, grabbing Yani’s arm mid-air as he cocked another hit. But before he could move, he was knocked in the gut and sliced at the forearm, tearing flesh.
