Page 159 of Insatiable

“Who is she?” Archie asks.

His fist connects with my face before I can spit on him.

Another from the left – one of his men wearing knuckledusters on both hands. My mouth fills with blood as my teeth cut into my gums.

Good. I want pain. I want to feel every single fucking blow they throw my way.

They question me on who the mystery woman is, and to be a prick, I ignore them, just so they can throw more punches and pour ice-cold water over me. It soothes the raging heat inside.

Bernadette eventually tells them to stand down and to get out of the room, leaving just me and a phone sitting on the desk, surrounded by images of my ex.

“If you tell me who she is, I’ll call off the hit on Prince,” she says, and my face drops. “All I want to know is her name.”

“She was just a fuck to pass time,” I lie. “I met her at the club, then we met up again tonight.”

“How many times did you sleep together?”

I grit my teeth, spitting crimson on the floor. “Twice. It won’t happen again. Call off the hit.”

She hums. “Then why did you hide her?”

I lick my burst lip, tasting metal on my tongue. “She was innocent and didn’t deserve whatever shit you were about to throw at her. You going after her was petty fucking jealousy.”

She chuckles. “Fine. I want you on the next flight home. Come to me and apologise in person.” She’s smiling. “Earn your forgiveness.”

I gulp down the sick rising in my throat.

“I don’t like hearing about you sleeping with other people I’m not aware of. No more sneaking off with cheap whores on motorbikes. Do you understand?”

My knuckles turn white. Did she just call Stacey…

I close my eyes to tamp down my building fury.

Hearing Bernie speak about her like that is fucking irritating. She doesn’t come close to how stunning Stacey is. But if I bite, I’ll give it away that she was more than just a fuck.

“Do you understand, Kade?”

I glare at the phone, forcing the words out of my mouth. “Fine. But you stay the fuck away from my friends.”

“Beg me not to kill him, and all will be forgiven.”

I click my neck to the side, shaking my head. “Please,” I grit out through my teeth, a headache coming on. “Please don’t kill him.”

“Done. Hold your fire, James. Go back home.”

They must’ve had a sniper aiming into the hotel room.

Then she speaks to me. “You have a lot of making up to do. I look forward to seeing you.”

My body tenses. “Right.”

She laughs. “Don’t make any plans for the rest of the month. I’ll need some extra company while I’m in Italy.”

The call cuts off as one of her men enters the room, and as my hands are cut from the zip ties, five more pile in. Two have bats, three have knuckledusters and the other a metal pole. Typical – these fuckers need to use weapons against me.

I prepare myself for a fight as I swing for the closest, breaking his jaw on contact. The pain searing through my knuckles drives me to hit the next one. I hear the snap of someone’s neck as I blindly lose my fucking shit.

This I can handle. This I’ll take to keep everyone safe. This is the price I’ll pay to make sure they never find out who Stacey Rhodes is to me.

At least I got to kiss her.