“Don’t you walk away from me, you defiant little bitch!”he growled and then struck me with the back of his fist.
Another hook, line, and sinker.
The timing of the swing was a bit of a surprise but all I felt was the whoosh of air against my face since Daniel’s strike was deflected by Sloane’s quick body slam to his side.I capitalized on the moment anyway by crying out as I stumbled back to avoid Daniel’s fist and slipped down the stone steps behind me, purposely scraping my cheek into the railing.
“Daniel, are you out of your mind?!She’s pregnant!”Sloane shouted as she practically threw him a good ten feet away from me before rushing to my side to help me up.“Are you alright, Jaden?”she asked, her eyes scanning my body as I grimaced to a stand.She gently swiped my hair away to reveal the angry scratch against my cheek that I was sure had drawn some blood.
“I’m fine, Sloane.Daniel missed,” I sneered, glaring at Daniel’s scowling face.
Several guards had now swarmed the area, an awkward stand-off ensuing as they all looked between me and Daniel, yet they knew they were expected to only follow Sloane’s orders.Darren was going to be so fucking pissed that he tried to hit me.
“Any contractions?Any pain anywhere?You’ve got a good scratch on your face.”
Pressing my palm to my stinging cheek, I pulled it back to reveal a tiny drop of blood, which would be plenty enough in Darren’s eyes.
I shook my head at Sloane’s question, trying not to smile.“No, I’m good.Thanks.”
She breathed a short sigh of relief before she turned back to Daniel with a bite of fury in her voice.
“Attempt to touch her again, and I’ll remove your hand entirely.Understand?”she warned, echoing his earlier tone.
Daniel scoffed.“Blame Darren.He refuses to teach his bitch proper respect for her superiors.”
“The only thing superior about you, Daniel, is your own arrogance.Now go bother someone else with it,” I shot back.
“That’s it!You little bit—” he stammered and then moved to lunge for me again, but Sloane was ready, grasping her gun, and immediately pointed it at his face.
“Back off, Daniel,” she warned, “or another bullet is going to pass through your skull.”
He huffed a harsh laugh.“You’re not going to kill me, Sloane.”
“You willing to test that theory?”she asked, her hand steady and her voice deadly calm.
“Are you willing to test the consequences of your theory?”
Sloane was steadfast.“Absolutely.”
Daniel chuckled as he swayed back and forth, moving like a lion waiting to pounce for the kill.“You’re so fired after this,” he said, then lunged forward.
Sloane pulled the trigger once, the gunshot cracking through the air as Daniel cried out before slumping to the ground, clutching his hand with the other.Even with my ears ringing, I could hear the guards panicking but calling for a stand-down as reports of the source of the gunshot filtered in through their earpieces.
But, of course, there was no need for alarm.Sloane had only just blown a hole right through the palm of Daniel’s hand.
“You fucking Russian cunt!”he shouted as he stared down at his blood-soaked hand.
“I guess you were right about that theory after all,” she said before reholstering her Beretta.
Daniel struggled to stand, but when he did, his other hand sluggishly moved for his gun.
“Restrain him!”Sloane ordered, prompting the guards to jump into action, grasping his arms and pulling them back.
“Get off me!What the fuck do you think you’re doing?!Let me go!Now!”Daniel shouted at the guards as he thrashed against them.
“Take him to see Sid,” Sloane ordered.“Hopefully, he can get him to calm down.”The guards ripped Daniel away, escorting him inside the house while he continued to fight and shout.
“This isn’t over, Sloane!”Daniel called just as the doorway shut behind him.
As the rest of the guards dispersed back to their posts, it finally dawned on me what Sloane had just done.