“Traitors!” Lucian tried to twist out of their grasp, but it was pointless. Every man on that property had marked Lucian as his enemy. The execution was so sad it was almost difficult to watch.
Almost.
They threw Lucian at my feet.
He fell to the ground, lacking the will to rise once again. He stared at the ground, so ashamed that he couldn’t look up to make eye contact. He breathed hard, panicked and covered in sweat despite the winter chill.
I patiently waited for him to meet my gaze. His humiliation was so entertaining.
He finally found the strength to look up, to see the man he’d tried to blow up just an hour ago. “How did you escape? It’s not possible…”
Heath stepped onto the property with Cassini in tow, ushering her on to the estate so she could pull the trigger herself.
I kept my eyes on Lucian, despising this man for everything he’d done to her. I was angrier about that than anything he ever did to me—including when he tried to blow me up.
Cassini came to my side, her head held high as she triumphed over her tormentor. In black jeans and a black top, she looked like the sexiest soldier I’d ever seen. She studied him, savoring this moment. “I deactivated the bomb. I cut the wire and set him free.”
Lucian’s gaze hardened in rage, but then slowly that anger disappeared because he realized it didn’t matter. He’d won a few battles, but he’d lost the war. He tried to keep this woman as a prisoner, but she was like a wild animal—she didn’t belong in a cage. She became bigger and stronger and then turned into an enormous threat.
“I risked my life to save his. You don’t have anyone who would do that for you. No one loves you. Your men aren’t loyal to you. And you’re a man without honor. I’m surprised you didn’t put a gun in your mouth when you saw us crash your gates. But then I realized you’re too much of a coward to do that. You’re weak. You’re pathetic. I never thought I would look forward to being a widow, but I can’t wait. Whatever assets that become mine will be donated to the poor of this city. You lived a despicable life, but your legacy will redeem your evil.”
He lowered his gaze back to the ground. “Just get on with it.”
“With pleasure.” She walked into the house and disappeared.
I had no idea what she was doing, but I kept my impassive expression and watched Lucian. Maybe she went for a kitchen knife so she could butcher him. A stab to the stomach would lead to a long and painful death. Or maybe she wanted to find something heavy to smash his skull in. Her rage was so deep that she probably wanted to make his death as violent as possible.
She returned a moment later, holding a vest identical to the one he’d put on me. Wired with explosives, it would blow him into a million tiny pieces.
I couldn’t keep the pride out of my eyes. She wanted revenge for what he’d done to me, and the idea was so good I couldn’t believe I hadn’t thought of it myself.
She strapped it around his body and locked it in place.
He started to shake. “Cassini, I’m sorry. I’m sorry, okay?”
“Don’t beg,” she said coldly. “It just makes me want to kill you more.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a necklace. On the end of it was the skull diamond, the piece of property Lucian had wrongly taken from me. She held it out to me. “He tried to hide it in the house—but I know where all the good hiding places are.” She dropped it into my open palm.
I grinned. “Thanks, baby.” I placed it in my pocket.
She held up the remote. “Walk into the house, Lucian.”
He stayed on the ground, his limbs shaking with panic. “Please…”
“Did you shit yourself?” I asked, repeating the words he’d said to me. “Because most men shit themselves by now.”
“Don’t do this to me,” Lucian whispered. “I’ll give you anything. Anything at all.”
“The only thing I want is your death—and you will give it to me.” She kicked him in the face. “Now, go. Walk yourself in there with some honor or have our men escort you. These are your final moments. How do you want to spend them?”
He started to cry, crawling at her feet like the biggest pussy in the world. “Mercy. Please, mercy.”
She kicked him again. “You gave Balto no such mercy when you strapped that vest to his body. When the timer stopped, you hit the detonator yourself. You gave me no mercy when you raped me every night. You gave me no mercy when you slugged me in the stomach when I disobeyed you. You’re a man of no mercy, so you will get none from me.” She nodded to two of my men. “Take him inside. Let him burn with the only things that matter to him—things.”