“Such a pity. A waste, really.” He sidestepped back in front of the door. “I’m tempted to offer you a chance to join us.” He shrugged. “But the boy has to die.”
“You’ll have to get through me first.” I launched at him, the knife steady in my grip.
Men like him underestimated women. He thought us weak and foolish, not worth the time or effort of learning our value. I used that against him and slashed at his face.
He leaped back a split second before the knife carved into his cheek. Rich laughter rolled out. How did a man so vile have sucha pleasing laugh? It soured my stomach to see his pleasure in my perceived pain. “You should have listened to Alessio. This is not the place for you. But if you want to fight, I won’t stop you.”
He crouched and sprang all in one smooth motion. I didn’t have a prayer of meeting his speed, but I did have years of cunning and Dad’s voice in my head from all those self-defense classes to keep me alive. I jumped sideways and blocked the knife with my wrist. The point of the blade tagged my shoulder, tearing through my shirt and drawing blood.
Luca danced out of reach of my returning swipe. Grinning, he held the knife aloft and licked my blood from the blade. “You taste like victory, my dear Lila.”
Renzo’s training had been quick but efficient. I combined it with every move I knew, spinning around and lashing out with a kick that landed square in Luca’s midsection. He doubled over long enough for me to follow up with a second kick, this one landing between his legs. A grunt wheezed out, but he didn’t topple like most men.
Instead, that grin reappeared. He grabbed my leg and yanked, pulling me off balance. I’d been too confident the move would succeed and let him get the jump on me. It wouldn’t happen again.
“I’m on my way, Lila.” Alessio’s voice in my ear gave me courage. “Hold on.”
Luca twisted my leg and pulled again. I hopped forward to keep from falling.
“Where’s the boy?” He cocked an eyebrow. “Make this easy on yourself. You can have more children.”
“Fuck you.” I spat in his face and pushed off with the foot on the ground, twisting upward and kicking him in the side of the head.
He dropped my leg and staggered back.
Taking the opportunity, I dove at him with the knife tight in my hand. But the damned man had to be part ninja. He turned before I reached him and backhanded me from the air, sending me crumpling to the floor and my knife sliding out of reach beneath the desk.
“I suppose playtime is over.” He stood over me and tapped the knife against his thigh. “They really should have warned you about me. I can’t be killed. I’m ‘The Ghost’ and nothing can stand in my way.”
“People who have to give themselves a nickname are looking for validation.” I kicked at both his kneecaps. He might fall on me, but most likely he’d throw himself backward. He wavered, but the knife never shifted positions from where he held it poised over my heart.
Alessio burst through the door, his face twisted and a roar of rage tearing from him. “Get away from her!”
39
ALESSIO
Death rode my body like a second skin. Nothing was going to survive this outpouring of manic fury, least of all the bastard who held a knife on Lila. She rolled sideways as the knife plunged down. I lunged at Luca with all my strength, retrieving my knife as I moved. The space was too confined for guns. The ricochet from bullets was as likely to kill me or Lila as it was to kill Luca.
I’d have to watch him. The man was stupid enough to try it since he considered himself invincible.
“Go.” I barely risked a look at Lila. Luca demanded my attention when he bellowed and leaped up onto the desk, slicing the air with his knife.
I leaned back while making sure I stayed between Luca and the door so Lila had room to run.
Her footsteps pounded past me. The lightest graze of her hand across my back offered thanks as she passed.
Luca smirked at me. “She’s not getting away, Alessio. We have the place surrounded. You’re going down. And so is that demon spawn of yours.”
“You first.” I stabbed my knife toward his foot, expecting him to jump or dodge out of the way.
Maniacal laughter shivered down my spine. Luca threw his head back and kicked toward my chest, forcing me to spin and withdraw the knife before I lost it.
Luca used the few inches of space to jump down and hack at the empty air where I’d been standing. “You still don’t get it, do you?” He laughed again, the madness making a full appearance. “I can’t be killed.”
“Anyone can be killed.”
I grabbed his arm when he swung the knife toward my face, ducked, and twisted his arm up behind his back. The knife blade pressed between us, the tip angled toward my throat. I squeezed hard enough to cut off his circulation, but he maintained his hold. The man was a damned lunatic, but he was strong as fuck and would require every bit of my skill to defeat.
