Free Revenge by Dana Delamar Page B

shoe scuffed the floor, making her start.
Kate looked up as Vince stepped into her office. His cheeks
reddened and his eyes narrowed as anger crawled over his face. Her
pulse skittered like a frightened mouse. “What are you doing here?”
she asked.
    “I waited until he left.” He paused,
breathing fast. “What do you think, I’m fucking stupid?”
    “What are you talking about?”
    “Lucchesi.” Vince leaned across the desk.
“How many times have you opened your legs for him?”
    Kate’s skin heated at the accusation. He
might be a Mafioso, but she didn’t have to put up with this. “You
have a lot of nerve.”
    “No. You have a lot of nerve. I saw
the two of you. No man like Lucchesi just looks at a woman
he wants. And you acted like a perfect little puttana too,
playing that game so I’d have to leave. So you could be with
him.”
    “You’re calling me a whore?” For some reason,
the word hurt.
    “It fits.” Vince’s fingers opened and closed
on her desk, his knuckles turning white when his hands clenched
into fists.
    Seeing his near loss of control, she rose,
her body trembling, a chill racing up her spine. She struggled to
keep her voice even. “It’s over , Vince. I don’t have to take
this from you.”
    He lunged, grabbing her by the hair, and
yanked her halfway across the desk, sending her papers and laptop
flying. She heard the computer hit the floor and break. He mashed
her cheek flat against the wood, then pulled her head up, forcing
her to look at him. “You’re my wife, and I’ll call you
whatever I want. You’re a whore. A dirty, fucking, whore .”
He spat the words at her, his voice low and menacing. For the
second time that day, he backhanded her, sending her sprawling into
the chair.
    Kate’s eyes flooded from the pain in her lip
and jaw. Her face throbbed and stung from the slap, her scalp
burned as if he’d pulled out a fistful of hair. She tried to gulp
down air, but her throat felt too tight. Get up , run , damn it ! Her muscles shook, her heart thrashed in her chest,
but she couldn’t move, couldn’t speak. Couldn’t run.
    Vince stalked around the desk. Finally she
regained control of her body and launched herself out of the chair,
but he slammed her back into it, trapping her. “I’ll see you dead
before I see you with a Lucchesi.”

    Enrico had nearly reached Kate’s office when
the sound of her husband’s raised voice turned his blood to ice. He
threw the door open, heard the click of Andretti opening a
switchblade. The man bent over Kate, the knife gleaming.
    As Andretti’s head turned toward him, Enrico
sprang for his knife hand. Capturing the man’s wrist, he crushed
the bones, grinding them together. Andretti grunted with pain and
lost his grip on the blade, the stiletto clattering to the tiles
between them. Throwing his body into Enrico’s, Andretti sent them
sprawling to the floor.
    Andretti landed on top. The impact jarred
through Enrico and he struggled for air. Andretti’s meaty fist
hurtled toward his face. He eluded the blow and grabbed Andretti’s
left forearm, digging his fingers into hard cords of muscle. They
were well-matched, but Enrico had the advantage when it came to
weight and height. Straining hard, he finally flipped Andretti onto
his back and held him flat, both of them panting with exertion. His
voice came out rough when he spoke to Kate. “Get the knife.”
    “Don’t you fucking help him!”
    Kate picked up the shining blade, then
clicked it shut and closed her fist around the knife’s pearl
handle, her body shaking. She looked at Enrico with wide eyes.
    “Now call my guard, Ruggero.”
    “Fucking cunt!”
    Kate stepped into the hall. While she was
calling Ruggero’s name, Enrico looked down at Andretti. “You will never speak to her or touch her again.”
    “You make me fucking sick. Sniffing around
another guy’s wife.”
    Enrico’s cheeks burned. It was true. But it
didn’t excuse Andretti’s behavior. “Take your