Page 60 of Psycho Sinners

I focused on the first aid kit he held for a moment, before meeting his eyes. There was something flickering in them, some glimmer of humanity perhaps. He’d cleaned up his own face, but his lip looked messed up, and his nose was still bleeding.

We looked a right fucking mess, I was just glad I’d fucked up his pretty little face. Those claw marks on his cheek weren’t too pretty either.

“Give me your arm,” he repeated, and I hesitantly did as requested, terrified that this was some inhumane trick, but he just opened up the first aid kit and started cleaning my bite.

I was too stunned and confused to say anything as he cleaned it up and then applied some gauze.

Did he get a kick out of doing this to me? Fucking me up then tending to me? What the hell was this?

My gaze moved to the sharp scissors in the first aid kit.

I couldn’t tell you why I did it, was it the mix of emotions and the entire fucked up situation? Possibly, but I snatched up those scissors and drove them into his chest with all the force I could muster, a desperate part of me hoping beyond hope I’d somehow get close to his heart.

The air was knocked out of me as I was slammed to the floor and pinned down. He straddled me, snarling as he yanked the scissors from his pec, my attempt futile and nowhere near good enough. I was sure you weren’t supposed to do that, but maybe the fucker would bleed out now.

He hissed as he tossed the scissors onto the floor. Those dark eyes locked onto mine, his teeth bared as he ducked down.

“If you’re going to kill someone, don’t fuck it up. Don’t fucking miss,” he hissed against my ear, and I flinched as the warm blood from his fresh wound dripped onto my chest and dribbled down the side of my boob and ribs.

“It could be the last mistake you ever make, kitten.” He pulled back, his expression no longer as pissed. He looked more intrigued as he cocked his head at me.

“Being a fighter will keep you alive, Scarlet.”

My breath caught as his lips pressed to my forehead, and then he rose and walked away, leaving me lying there, confused beyond belief.

19

TYRONE

Istrode into the apartment, still furious that the meeting I was meant to attend tonight had been called off. At least Julian had called, the issue he’d had to go deal with involving some missing product from our latest shipment had been successful. Although we now needed a new warehouse manager after the untimely death of our last one.

As for tonight’s meeting, Julian had been supposed to join me after his warehouse adventure to speak with some liaisons for a rival family who were overstepping on our turf. It was our way to try to avoid bloodshed in the streets of this fine city we called ours. The great city of Starwin teetered in the palms of our hands, having been founded by three great mafia families, built on the bones of our ancestors.

We all still ran this city from the shadows with an iron fist, but my father had made sure that the Silvestri family had come out on top as the head family of the city. Although our once partnered families now saw us as the enemy, constantly trying to overthrow our great family and take the seat at the top.

Why couldn’t they just accept their place and be happy? We gave one family the northeast sector of the city, while the other had the southwest. As for downtown, we owned the majority of it, running the main hubs of the city. We dominated the drug market, both legal and not, along with the gun trade.

I pulled up as my gaze landed on Cristian at the kitchen island, holding a bloody rag to his nose.

“What the fuck happened?” I growled. I didn’t need yet another mess of his to deal with. He was a loose cannon these days, even worse than he used to be.

Before everything had happened, when he’d finally slipped and lost his head completely.

He’d handled his grief in a warped way, and now, he was not exactly the brother I remembered, the one I’d grown up with. He was darker, more wicked, and he was bat-shit crazy at times.

And yet, I’d still trust my life in his hands when it came down to it. That much was a given.

I stared at Cristian, waiting for an explanation as he removed the bloody rag from his face. A thin cut crossed the bridge of his nose, still slowly oozing crimson.

"It's nothing, just a little misunderstanding with our house guest," he said with a dismissive wave of his hand.

My brow furrowed as I glanced around the open living space. "Where is she?"

"In her room, I told her to clean herself up."

A low growl rumbled in my throat. "What happened, Cristian?"

Keeping a leash on Scarlet had been trying at best. The fiery minx had a stubborn streak a mile wide and a penchant for mouthing off that constantly set Cristian off apparently.