Page 48 of The Devil's Dilemma

“What the fuck?” Austin tried to scramble away from me, but I was far stronger than him. No chance of escape.

I straddled him, my knees on either side of his hips, and pinned him to the sofa.

I revelled in the hurt I could inflict on him and smiled as I slipped my hands around his throat. His eyes widened as he fought for breath.

I squeezed tighter, forcing the air from his lungs. I sat on him, my arms bulging with the effort.

My cock hardened and pressed against his, but I was more than sure he wasn’t enjoying this half as much as I was.

He clawed at my arms and gripped my shirt, kicking his legs out, trying to dislodge me. I squeezed harder, digging my thumbs into his neck.

Slowly his movements lessened, his eyes rolled upwards, and his head lolled to the side.

Yes, this was what I’d wanted to do all along. To eke the life out of him until he was no longer in existence.

Then I was flying across the room, hitting the coffee table with a crunch, shattering it into pieces.

“What the fuck, boss?”

I shook my head and slowly came to my senses.

Conrad was bent over Austin, pumping his chest.

What had I done?

My head cleared. Fuck, I’d killed Austin.

I was no stranger to murder and violence. It was part of me, but the compulsion to steal his life and make him suffer had overtaken my every thought.

The chip wasn’t protection or assurance for the job he’d been sent to do, but protection against me and what I would do to him once the mark was broken.

There had to be an explanation.

“Do you have the chip, Conrad?”

“In my pocket. What did you do?”

He continued to work on Austin, and for once, I felt remorse for what I’d done.

Killing in cold blood was what I did, so why did I feel bad?

My heart was in my mouth as I watched Conrad struggle to breathe life back into Austin.

At least it had proved a point, but at what expense?

Conrad sat back on his heels, his arms by his side. Austin lay on the sofa, his eyes closed.

Now what?

I made my way over to them and stood next to the lifeless body. Well, fuck.

“What were you trying to do? Why did you kill him?”

“I was trying to prove a point. It just went a little too far.”

“You could say that again. Another body to dispose of. Two in two days. It’s becoming a habit.”

“I don’t need your insolence.”