The Enemy Beside Me

Chapter Five

Constance

My heart was pounding, knowing this was the first time I had ever stared into the barrel of a gun. While it was a terrifying moment, I wouldn't show my fear to this man. My father always taught me that once I show weakness, my enemies will exploit it. That wasn't going to happen on my watch. I'd rather die knowing I didn't cower than die as a coward. It wasn't how I was raised, and I'll be damned if I start begging now.

We didn't say anything to one another. There was too much friction in the air for either of us to speak. If I said something, he could use that as an opportunity to fire that gun. As much as I wouldn't show him weakness, I didn't want to die.

Leon gripped the gun tighter. I knew he hated that I was staring right into his eyes. He expected me to be more submissive, to bow to him and beg for my life. If he did know my family, he must not know much about us. We don't cower or beg, ever.

"Your father is Ambrose Ricci, and your brother Brock Ricci?"

"I thought it would become obvious once I said my last name. Yes." My smartass mouth didn't earn me any points with him, but I wouldn't change who I was even with a gun pointed at me.

Leon didn't seem to like my response. "On your knees. I want you begging for your pathetic little life while I take what I want from you before killing you. If you think I won't shoot because you're sexy, think again. You have no idea how long I've waited for my revenge."

Revenge? Why would this man possibly want revenge on my family? Wait. It couldn't be. When I was in my teenage years, my father told me about an enemy to our family. Details weren't shared about what happened. I didn't care to ask because my father wasn't someone that shared information if he didn't intend for you to know. It would have been pointless either way. However, he did tell me about a man who attacked our family. My mother barely got away with her life. That's all that I knew. I started to think this man was the man my father was referring to, but that couldn't be right. The man my father spoke of was older and would be twice the age of the man standing naked in front of me. So, who was this man?

When I didn't budge, Leon clenched his jaw. He took one step forward, inserting his dominance into a situation he had complete control over. "I said on the f*****g ground!"

Still, I didn't move. This man could shoot me dead before I would drop to my knees in front of him. "No. Do what you think you need to do, but I won't submit to you. Never will I submit to any man. If you want to kill me, you'll have to do it with me staring right at you."

My eyes stayed glued to his, but I couldn't help but notice the slight twitch of his right eyebrow as if he were a little impressed. It didn't matter even if he was impressed because I royally just pissed him off by refusing what he wanted. He wouldn't let that slide without consequence.

Leon pressed his lips together, forming a tense smile. "Then you must want to die. Stupidity leads to death, and I'm a little disappointed, considering I didn't peg you for being stupid. I'm not afraid to shoot and kill you. Don't give me a reason to end your life before you have a chance to do something for me first. It would be such a waste."

His arrogance was unbelievable. Every single Italian man that I've ever met had this arrogance about them that was unwavering. Why couldn't they all suck it up and be transparent with who they really were? It was my least favorite quality in a man. That's why I haven't settled down with anyone. Not one man I've met in my life has been a man at all. A man can admit how he really feels and isn't afraid to be himself. It was too bad a man who looked as good as Leon had to be just all the other men I'd met.

"I told you no and I stand by that. Shoot me. It makes no difference because I still won't do as you command. I'm not a dog you can order around, and I'm certainly not your property. I'll die with my dignity intact, thank you. You can either shoot me or tell me what this revenge is about because I'm a little confused. Clear it up for me."

Suddenly, my legs gave out underneath me. Leon jumped on top of me and pinned me down using nothing but his body weight. It far outmatched mine. That didn't mean that I sat back and took it. I fought with every single bone in my body, but it wasn't enough. "That mouth is going to be your end. This is what is going to happen. I'm going to tape us while I f**k you, then I'm going to shoot you. Only then will I send it to your father to watch as I take his only daughter away from him like he took my parents away from me."

Oh s**t. Now it made perfect sense. Leon was the son of the man that attempted to kill my mother. Wait a minute. If I remember correctly, the son of the man had a nickname that he was known by in the underground. Damnit, Constance. What was that name? Then, it hit me like a ton of bricks.

"Scar," I said his name without thinking or caring for that matter. The nickname suited him well. From his neck up, he was scar free, but I noticed the small scars all over his body the minute he took off his clothes in front of me. The tattoos covering his body didn't hide those scars as well as he thought.

His lips curled, clearly proud of the nickname given to him. "Oh, so you have heard of me. That's good because now you know my reputation and how serious my threats are."

The fact that he thought his nickname impressed me was absurd. I was anything but impressed. However, I would be stupid to deny the fact that I was terrified. This man hovering over me was a monster. I had indeed heard of his reputation, and it wasn't a good one. He was known in the underground for being ruthless and as lethal as they came. No one crossed him because they would pay with their life if they did.

Scar placed one hand around my throat, constricting my airway enough to show he was serious but not enough to kill me. "There are so many things I can do with a woman like you. The problem is that you think you are invincible because you are a Ricci. Look at how untrue that is. You will die because of the family you were born into, and when it's all over, I won't lose an ounce of sleep over it."

"Go ahead. Do it, Scar." Calling him, Scar made me feel a lot better. Calling him by his first name was giving him respect, but he didn't have my respect, not anymore. "You can kill me, but what do you think happens once my father does see that video? He is a powerful man who will hunt you down and make you pay for what you have done. By killing me, you have signed your own death. I won't beg you to spare my life, but once you put that camera on me, I will tell my father to let my death go. I'm not sure what happened between your father and mine, but my family is everything to me. I'll ask him to stop this war and not to avenge me. If my death is what it takes to make that happen, so be it."

The look he gave me was far different than the others that I'd seen. Scar gave me a look of respect that I didn't expect to see come from him. "You would sacrifice your life to end a war between families even though you have no idea the circumstance? Why would you do that?"

That was an easy question I would be happy to answer truthfully. "My father is a good man now. I can't say he always was, as he is a private man who tells me very little about his past. He is a family man who has lost enough in his lifetime. I'll be happy to be one more loss under his belt if I knew this would allow you all happiness and closure to move on with your lives."

Scar was a man, after all, and I knew my audience. I might not know Scar on a personal level, but he was a man that exploited women for his own gain. If that's what I had to do to wait for my opportunity to take him out, I would.

He blinked a few times, staring down at me, looking into my eyes as if he were seeing me for the first time. Completely out of nowhere, he crashed his lips against mine. From the moment his lips touched mine, my body came alive. My body felt tingly all over, and my heart raced like never before. Without even thinking, I kissed him back. The kiss was explosive, nothing like I had experienced with a man before. It was a strange feeling wanting to kill this man but have him between my legs at the same time.

I let him move his hand from around my neck down between the valley of my breasts and over my stomach. I craved his touch like I hadn't moments earlier. Our lips continued to fight against each other in a struggle for power and dominance. The gun that was in his hand fell lightly onto the floor. He used that now free hand to spread my legs apart, no longer filled with the need to seek out his revenge.

This was my moment. As much as I was enjoying myself, I had to take it. Who knows if an opportunity like this would present itself again. I said I would gladly die for my family, which was true, but if I could take out my enemy first, I would try. I moved quickly, able to grab the gun and point it at him before he had the chance to stop me.

Scar stood to his feet, turned on, and caught off guard at the same time. "Good for you, Constance. Take your shot because I assure you that you won't get another. Better make it count."

I pointed the gun and fired, unprepared for the kickback. The bullet pierced his right shoulder, and Scar took it unfazed. As surprised as I was, I couldn't show it. Instead, I took off running, using this time to my advantage. Even if he was standing strong like he was unfazed, that bullet didn't feel too good right about now. It would slow him down more so than before.

The door was right there. I was so close, but as soon as I grabbed the handle, Scar's arms were around me, pulling me back inside his bedroom. He threw me onto the bed, quickly getting on top of me again, so I was constricted. The blood from his wound leaked out all over his sheets and even onto me a little, but he didn't seem bothered by it. Scar was more focused on me.

"Oh, baby. You f****d up big time."

Now I knew that I was screwed, and the likelihood that I would make it out of this situation alive was almost nonexistent. I had my chance, and I missed it.