The Enemy Beside Me

Chapter Six

Scar

I can't believe that she actually f*****g took the shot. This woman wasn't like any other woman I'd ever met. Most women I've met were submissive and didn't have a backbone, but Constance was quite the little firecracker. I wasn't typically attracted to that kind of woman, but then again, I've never had a woman like this.

Once she shot me, she tried to run. I wasn't surprised that she wanted to get as far away from me as possible. If I were in her position, I would also try to run. However, now that I got her, she wouldn't be going anywhere. As much as I hated to admit it, my attraction for her grew the longer she fought me. It made me wonder if I could find the strength to end her life for the revenge I'd been waiting on most of my life. It was in my grasp, but Constance was one thing that I wasn't expecting.

Constance didn't back down as she stared right back into my eyes. Even though she tried to keep it at bay, I could tell how scared she was. She wanted it to seem like she wasn't, but I could see past that bullshit. I've been around long enough to know what genuine fear looks like. If I were any kind man, I would apologize and let her go, but that wasn't who I was. Her family took mine away from me. Even though she wasn't the direct cause, she would become the solution. One way or another, I would have to put my feelings aside and do what I had to do to make sure her family paid for what they had done.

My hand gripped her hair as my lips hovered over hers. I was tempted to kiss her again, even though she took another chance to catch me off guard because I wanted her. That little taste I got earlier made me crave her in a way I hadn't experienced with a woman before. Women were always used for my own pleasure. Having a connection with them was nonexistent, but I could tell from the moment my lips touched hers there was something deeper there. Maybe it was simply desire or possibly something much stronger. Either way, I couldn't allow it to pull me under. This woman was the only thing standing between my revenge on her family, and I wouldn't let this opportunity go to waste.

"Get it over with!"

I smirked. Her smart-ass mouth should turn me away, but it only made me want to be closer to her than I already was. "Shut up. I'll do with you what I want when I want. Nothing you say will make a difference in how this will end for you. I'll take my time with you, nice and slow, just because of that little stunt you pulled. Now get dressed before I'm tempted to do something else. You're going to clean my wound."

There was no denying her sassiness. I shouldn't be surprised anytime that her mouth opened. After all, she was a Ricci. "I'm not cleaning s**t! You deserved to be shot, and don't think I won't do it again, given a chance."

I stood up, reached into my drawer, and pulled out a fresh pair of black sweatpants and a white t-s**t. This woman felt like she had a choice. It was cute. "You will clean the wound that you caused. If not, you only have one other option, and I'm sure that you prefer if I keep my d**k in my pants."

The look of disgust was evident. My ego might have been a little hurt if she wasn't the daughter of my enemy. Whatever she did, I wouldn't take it to heart. "You wouldn't rape me if that's what you're referring to. If you tried, I'd cut your d**k off and stick it down your throat to let you choke on it."

I'd never laid my hands on a woman before, but that wasn't because I wasn't capable of doing so. I prefer not to hit women, but this one was testing my patience. "Shut up and get dressed. Meet me in the living room in five minutes. If you're not there, I'll lock you in this room for a week without showering or food."

I walked out of the bedroom, slamming the door behind me. Constance was already getting on my nerves, and she hadn't been here long at all. The longer I kept her here, the more tiring it would become. However, I had to figure something else out now that I knew I couldn't kill her. Something would have to change. I couldn't let the beauty of one woman cloud my judgment. I've killed hundreds of men before. Surely, killing one tiny woman shouldn't be much of a challenge.

Five minutes later, on the dot, Constance walked out into the living room wearing nothing but one of my black t-shirts. It was long on her due to the size but incredibly sexy. Only a woman like her could pull off the look. I should have been pissed that she decided to wear my clothes, but looking at her, I couldn't seem to find the anger. Those long legs of hers would be the death of me. That sweet olive skin had been touched by the Milan sun all her life, making her look like a true Italian woman. Constance walked with confidence, even after shooting me. She should be scared, terrified really, but if she was, she kept it to herself well.

"Sit," I demanded as I looked at the seat next to me. I pulled the cap of the whiskey bottle and downed the brown liquor, letting that slow burn creep into the back of my throat. I had everything laid out on the small table in front of me that she would need to bandage me up. Once she took a seat, I handed her the needle dipped in the whiskey. "Pull the bullet out first. I can tell there is no exit wound. Once you pull it out, stitch up the gap and pour some whiskey on the wound."

Constance cleared her throat, showing her first real weakness. "I've never done this before. I'll probably screw up worse than you are now. You should let a doctor do this, someone, that knows what they are doing."

With a clenched jaw, I turned slightly to her so she could see the aggravation clear on my face. "Just do as you are told, baby."

She squinted her eyes at me, grabbed the whiskey bottle, and downed a good gulp of the brown liquor. "Fine, but if it's f****d up, don't blame me."

It didn't take long for her to fix me up. I let her do her own thing without so much as a wince. I've been shot before, among other things. Pain was a part of my everyday life, so a little gunshot wound wasn't anything. She really should know how to properly handle a gun if she wanted to aim to kill. I'm surprised her father hadn't taught her. Maybe he did, but she wasn't any good at it. The possibility that she wasn't trying to kill me was farfetched. I know from that look in her eyes that she wanted me dead, and rightfully so. If I were in her position, I would be the same way.

Once she was done, I took the whiskey bottle and downed the rest of it in one single gulp. It burned, but whiskey was that type of liquor that made the burn worth it. You needed to be a drinker to understand.

"Okay, we are even. I'm free to go now, right?"

She was joking, right? "Not a f*****g chance. You shot me, tried killing me, and expect to leave? You are here for my gratification, baby. I'll kill you when the time is right and make sure your daddy sees his little girl suffer for his actions."

Constance stood up and slapped me across the face. "I will not be a part of your little revenge fantasy. I did nothing to you. If you hate my family so bad, how about going after the ones that did something directly to you? Oh, wait. You can't! My family didn't do anything to you. They did it to your parents, who I'm sure deserved it!"

That was the last of the patience I had with her mouth. I wrapped my hand around her throat, squeezing enough to cause her airway to struggle to get oxygen. "Let me tell you something. You don't speak to me any f*****g way you want, and you definitely don't talk about my family! For someone that acts so tough and smart, you sure are stupid. The last thing you want to do is to piss off your captor. If you want to live longer, I suggest you sit back and shut the f**k up!"

I threw her onto the floor, hearing her gasps for air. In any other circumstance, I may even feel a little guilty, but not with her. She may not be the direct reason for revenge, but she was the next best thing. Her father, Ambrose, was a tough man to get to. Once he got out of illegal dealings and such, he flew off the radar. No one had heard from him, so tracking him down had become next to impossible until he got too comfortable. The dumb motherfucker thought it was a good idea to get into designing clothes for a living. It was like putting a gigantic neon sign over his head for all his enemies. One would expect this man to protect his family better, but I guess getting too comfortable was his downfall. Ambrose took everything away from me when I was young, and since then, I've planned my revenge. This may not be the exact way it turned out, but it would work out. Ambrose would pay for the damage that he has caused in my life. I'll make sure of it.

"Clean yourself up. There is a guest bathroom down the hall. And before you even try, the only windows in this place are here in the living room, and I assure you that they don't open. There are several guest bedrooms, so pick whichever one you want. If you want to keep your freedom around here, you will listen and do whatever I ask. One false move from you, and I'll move up the timeline of your death."

Still slightly coughing, Constance stood to her feet with a searing look in her eyes. "I'm going to kill you, Scar. It may not be today or even tomorrow, but I will kill you, and I'll enjoy every second of watching your death."

For the first time, a genuine smile spread across my face. "Go ahead and try, baby. Many have tried before you, and many have failed. However, I wouldn't expect anything less from you. You're not the type of woman to submit, and I respect that but don't think that will make me change my mind. I guess we will just have to see who gets to the other first."