Page 19 of Vicious Intentions
He took a sip of his bourbon, acting as if by consuming the same liquor his father guzzled, he’d become a man. “You don’t own me anymore than you rule this house.”
I inched closer, keeping a smile on my face. “It’s a shame the blood running through your veins is tainted.”
My comment struck him as odd, his eyes narrowing. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
While I ordinarily wouldn’t be in a rush to provide an answer, I had better things to do with my time. “Let’s just say that art never lies.” I had proof his father had knocked up another girl, someone underage who’d given birth to another son. I’d been taught early on to track down every dirty little secret of my enemies. Theo was no exception.
“Don’t play games with me, pusshead. I’m in no mood.”
When he dared attempt to take another sip of his drink, I ripped the glass from his hand, tossing it against the wall.
A few of the girls in the room squealed then returned to flirting as they normally did. No one gave a shit what went on inside the estate.
With a single exception. The delicate innocent flower. Sage stood apart from the group, studying me intently. If I didn’t know better, I’d say there was admiration as well as lust in the warm glow of her blue eyes. Then she smiled, her attitude obviously shifting to admonishment. My cock only ached that much more.
“What the fuck?” Theodore snarled.
While I was momentarily distracted by the girl’s beauty, he managed to drive both hands against my chest, almost pitching me to the floor. That broke the near trance-like state I’d been in. I lunged toward him, issuing a brutal punch to his gut, then wrapping my hand around his throat.
Cain immediately approached, giving me the nod to deal with the asshole outside the party room. I heard him encouraging the party to continue as I dragged Theodore into a more private section of the estate, tossing him inside one of the rooms. I had to admit, I was curious as to whether the innocent flower would follow, unable to resist finding dirt on the Elite. Maybe. Maybe not. However, my main objective was to issue a harsh warning.
This wasn’t about holding a conversation any longer. The fucker had not only invaded private space where he didn’t belong, he’d insulted a member of the Elite. With a single brutal punch, a crunching sound indicated I’d broken his nose.
He cried out in pain as his body slumped against the wall. I’d give him credit. With barely a shake of his head, he threw himself in my direction, snarling like some fucking animal as he tried to wrap his hands around my throat. I issued an undercut to his throat, knocking the wind out of him. Then I let loose, punching him several times. After his knees buckled and he dropped to the floor, I stood over him, fisting his hair and jerking him up by several inches.
“This will be the last warning you get, Theo. Stay the fuck away from the house. You’re not a member of the Elite. You’re too much of a pussy to be one.” When he said nothing, just glaring at me with tears in his eyes, I spit on him then backed away. “You’re disgusting. You were never man enough to handle the required responsibilities. Get out. If I see your face again anywhere near this estate, I won’t hesitate to slice off your dick and shove it into your mouth. That will be the beginning.”
He had the good sense to remain silent until I was in the doorway.
“Be careful, Cristiano. Those boys you think so highly of will betray you just like you betrayed me.”
I laughed, not bothering to acknowledge his statement. Although I knew what he said was the truth. As close as I was to Cain and Hunter, I could never turn my back on them.
Taking long strides from the room, I grabbed the first Elite member I saw. “Jonas. Escort the bastard out of the building.”
“Yes, sir.”
God help the fucker if he showed his face again.
* * *
The fact I’d left Theodore alive jerked at the evil man inside of me. I wasn’t accustomed to controlling my brutality under any circumstance. I headed away from the party and into a room reserved for Elite members only. Hunter and Cain were inside, studying me intently the moment I walked in.
“Is it done?” Hunter asked.
“If you mean tossing him out, yeah. I would have preferred to drive my knife into his gut instead. I had Jonas escort him out.”
“Jonas has become a godsend,” Cain said, chuckling under his breath.
“Yeah, he has his sights set on being president next year.” Hunter grinned. “He’s fucked up like the rest of us. He’ll make an outstanding prez.”
“You know why we need to be careful, but only for the time being,” Cain said harshly. He wasn’t usually the voice of reason. I certainly didn’t approve of towing the line for anyone, especially a shithead like Theodore.
A sharp knock irritated all three of us. When Jonas stuck his head into the door, he had an evil grin on his face. “He’s out the door.”
Cain exhaled. “Any trouble?”
Jonas shrugged. “Gave me some lip but I’m used to that. He’s thinks he’s invincible cause of daddy.”