Hundred and nine

Hundred and nine
HAZEL STYLES POV

He leered as he approached me, the gun in his hand aimed straight at my face. "Look at those rage-filled eyes," he grinned, flicking the gun. "I can see the obsession Julian had with you now. No wonder he wanted to keep you at his side so bad even if it meant dying," he said, then paused, his eyes roaming over my face.

My hands balled into fists, the urge to punch the smug look off his face overwhelming.

"I should have killed you that night fifteen years ago. You were like an itch under my skin that I couldn't get rid of no matter how hard I tried. But if there is one thing I've learned, it's that waiting and anticipating the thrill of a kill gives the same dopamine as the act itself. Also, I knew this day was going to come. I am very good at predicting things, you see."

Tears of pure rage brimmed in my eyes, blurring my vision. "Fucking bastard! It isn't enough that you killed my mom and my dad—"

"Wrong," he shouted, cutting me off. He leaned in, his eyes boring into mine, his dark voice crawling up my arms and peppering my skin with goosebumps. "Julian killed your parent," he sucked in a breath, the black in his eyes disappearing. "That fucking bastard," he gritted out, then pressed the gun to my head, his hands gripping my jaw hard. "He was the one who killed your beloved papa and mama," he taunted, then grinned, his eyes crinkling at the sides as if it were the happiest memory he had. "I can get you the contract before I cut you up into pieces if you want?"

My heart squeezed, making it difficult to breathe. It hurt so much to think that Julian had done such a thing and all for what, just because he wanted to take over the company.

I blinked back tears, my gaze never leaving Ksar's manic ones.

"Julian is dead, whatever contract you had with him is null and void."

He shook his head, his lips thinning. "All my contracts are for a lifetime, Hazel. Julian knew that. He even helped me draw them up," he said wistfully, then sighed. "Julian was my favorite client, you know, but because of you, he lost his goddamn mind. He breached our contract and fucking told me not to kill you!" He roared in my face, making me flinch.

I tried to pull away but his grip just tightened, his breath hitting me in the face as he jerked me close.

"His obsession made me curious about you, Hazel. I wondered what it was he saw in you... I wondered why he chose to save you when he killed everyone else without a moment of hesitation."

"And did you get your answer?" I asked, glaring at him. I hope he saw just how much I hated him and wanted him to burn in hell.

His eyes dropped to my lips then he smirked. His touch made me sick, the waves of nausea hitting me as he leaned in even closer making my eyes burn.

"Didn't you hear me say it earlier? It's your eyes, Hazel. Right now, you're staring at me like you want to murder me, but all I can think about is how good and expressive they'll look when I stick a knife in you," his lips grazed my ear. "Do you want to test that theory out?" He asked, meeting my gaze, the twisted smile on his lips stretching.

We stared at each other, the seconds ticking by, and then I dropped my gaze and scoffed out a laugh.

His grip on my chin tensed.

"Such a fucking psychopath," I muttered under my breath then snorted as I met his gaze

His brows dipped, the grin on his face slowly fading.

"Is something funny?"

My lips curved in a smile."What do you think Ksar?" I asked, then taking advantage of his momentary confusion, I jabbed the taser into his neck at the same time I elbowed his hand that was holding the gun away from my temple.

Ksar fell to the floor, his teeth clenched hard as his body spasmed from the electrical current.

I tased him again for good measure, then I stomped on his wrist, loving the scream of pain that tore out of his lungs as his eyes squeezed shut in agony.

I kicked the gun out of his hand, then picked it up and aimed at his head, my heart roaring in my ear from the adrenaline.

He grabbed hold of his wrist, his eyes snapping to mine, his jaw clenching as he noticed the gun staring him in the face.

The rage burned in my chest as our eyes locked, my grip on the gun tightening as the urge to put a bullet in his head for every vile thing he'd done overwhelmed me.

"What's up with that shocked expression, huh? I thought you said you were good at predicting things. You didn't see this coming?" I mocked, and then my gaze hardened. "What do you think is going to happen next, Ksar?"

He huffed out a breath, then let go of his wrist, his face twisting when he placed it on the floor and tried to use it to pull himself up.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," I warned, my aim moving to his hand.

He scoffed. "What do you think you are going to do with that? Are you going to shoot me? I know you don't have the guts—"

My grip on the trigger tightened slightly and he flinched, his eyes squeezing shut.

I burst into a laugh, loving the way he winced at the sound.

"Don't underestimate me, Ksar. If I get mad, I'll really put a bullet between your eyes." I got out gravely, my cold stare boring into his.

His face twitched, his good hand clenching as he managed to sit up.

"Kill me then, but just know that you won't be getting out of here alive. Do you know how far out of the city you are... You'll get eaten alive or kidnapped if you so much as move away from this spot. Your best bet to leave this place alive is me."

I arched a brow "Is that so? I could have sworn you wanted to kill me just a few minutes ago, and now I need you to survive?"

His eyes darkened dangerously. "My only mistake was underestimating you. That bitch should have done a better job—"

"Lena is not a bitch, and she did do a good job. She's such a good actress, isn't she? We had you believing our little stunt and all," I said, smirking as his eyes widened. I could see the wheels turning in his head as he joined the pieces together. "You see, we needed to make sure that Raphael was alive. We also needed to know where you were keeping him," I said, then inched forward, my lips stretching into a smile. "How about that for an encore, huh?"

He shook his head, his gaze darting around wildly.

I laughed. "What are you looking for Ksar? Is it perhaps Riven? How about this? How about I give you a head start to run and save your life? How about that huh?"

"Are you going to take it or not, Ksar" Riven's voice boomed, the dark edge to it sending a chill down my spine.

Ksar's face drained of color, the veins in his eyes bloody as his gaze snapped in the direction where Riven's voice had come from.

I smiled, my blood heating up as Riven stalked toward us.

He looked like a dark Angel, the dangerous look in his eyes screaming of impending violence, his presence a palpable threat that seemed to lessen the air blowing around us.

He stopped by my side, grabbed my hair, and pulled me in, his lips capturing mine in a kiss that stole the air right out of my lungs and left me gasping when he pulled away; then he took the gun out of my hand.

"I'm proud of you, little rabbit, but a princess like you shouldn't be handling something as crude as a gun; that's what I am for." He grabbed my hand, kissed my knuckle, then met my gaze. "Let me be the one to take care of trash like him."

My breath hitched as I stared into his eyes, my pulse racing the longer I held his gaze.

Then all too fast, he looked away, his gaze moving to Ksar, the sudden murderous glint in his eyes making my hair stand on end.

He raised the gun, aimed it at Ksar's thigh, and pulled the trigger.

The loud sound made me jump because I didn't think he was going to shoot.

Ksar's cry of pain rent the air, his eyes bulging out of his socket as he gripped his bleeding thigh, his gaze snapping to those of Riven's.

"What the fuck! You shot me, what the fuck!"

Riven inched forward, his voice was low and dangerous. "That's for gripping her jaw and leaving your dirty prints on her face," he said, then gestured with the gun for him to get up. "Princess here offered to give you a head start, so I am going to oblige. Run; I'll give you a minute. Try to get away from me," he said, his smirk devilish. "If you can."