𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐓𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐈𝐓 | 𝟏𝟖+

49 | beg for her

L O N Z O M A T T I A

Sweat runs along my brow. That gun is still pointed at the back of Alexia's skull as she whimpers against the dusty floor, blood dripping down the curve of her face and a growing black eye.

The more I look at her, the more my blood boils.

But if I step out of line, if any of us step out of line–Alexia will be shot on the spot.

I don't want to mess with Landon when he's in a mood like this because he didn't come here to play, he's come here to prove a point. Yet, I have no idea where he's going to take this, knowing him... it's going to get twisted.

These last couple of days I've been distracted, Gabriel included. I feel my bones stiffen inside my body at how all I've been focusing on is this moment with Zane and yet I completely ignored Alexia.

I thought she'd be safe with Dante... I haven't heard a word from him.

Cazzo. My head pounds and I can't stop my forehead from beading.

My fingers twitch around the trigger on the gun beside my thigh. Landon is staring back at me like a smug bastard and I want to blow his goddamn face off and never look at that smirk ever again.

More of Landon's men step into the warehouse, guns in hand and ready to fire any moment he signals. We could be dead within seconds but I'm going to do everything in my fucking power to make sure that Alexia is safe.

I watch Landon carefully, not taking my eyes off him as he begins to pace in front of us. "You all thought you were so smart, that you could trick me. But I knew your plan all along." He snorts harshly.

My eyes flick to Zane for a second and I can see the raging fury behind them, his jaw tense and his eyes set forward on the man that we both hate with a passion. "You've all been too distracted with this silly girl," he gestures to Alexia on the floor who now has her eyes closed and is silently whimpering. "I've had my men reporting back to me, ones that your men weren't keeping tabs on. They saw you at the club together, you've been getting so careless. All because your emotions have gotten the better of you."

I find my teeth grinding into each other. "See this is what happens," he tucks his hands behind his back and walks towards me, his dark eyes making me want to snarl in his face. "When you let a woman change your priorities."

Gabriel's hand shakes with his gun in hand and I pray he doesn't react, no matter how much we both want Landon to suffer, it won't be at the expense of Alexia's life.

And maybe he's right. My priorities have changed since meeting Alexia, my whole world has been turned upside down.

"But clearly not focusing on her enough," Landon flashes Gabriel a sarcastic pout. "Because finding out where she lives, kidnapping her and killing that bodyguard of hers was like taking candy from a baby. If only you two had been paying attention to her these last few days as much as you have me and my men, otherwise she'd probably be safe or one of us would most likely be dead."

I grip my gun tighter, my eyes flicking down to Alexia as a man steps over her and straddles her from behind. He presses the barrel of the gun into her skull again, her whimper is something straight out of a nightmare. It's going to replay in my head for the rest of my life.

Landon glances from me to Zane and he starts to tut, the noise echoes off the walls. "And I really thought you wanted to work with me, Zane? Our father's would have been so damn proud of us."

His jaw crunches loudly. "I didn't want to impress my father."

"Hmm," Landon mumbles lowly. "That's a shame, he always wanted us to work together eventually. He thought I would be good for you, make you stronger, tougher. But you turned out weak, you don't have a craving for blood or violence, you play things safe. I'm disappointed that you didn't just shoot me on the spot, you always have to wait for something and I don't understand why."