Sergei grips a fistful of Langston’s perfect cashmere car coat, and a blade appears at my ex’s throat.
Two other men make sure Pierce’s entourage doesn’t hang around. Even Barron, who maybe knows his brother is banging his wife, leaves Pierce to the wolves.
Mafia 1. Medicine Royalty 0.
Pierce’s gaze shifts and lands on me. “Scarlett,” he chokes out.
I meet his eyes. My voice is steady. “I thought you should meet the woman you humiliated last night.”
Pierce’s eyes and brain catch up as his gaze flicks over Ana. That moment he recognizes the broken woman he used for his shame game last night is priceless. From his vantage point, he also sees the SUVs lined up behind us and the army of men surrounding our car.
“You,” he chokes out to Ana.
“That isBoss,” Sergei says in his accent. “You understand?”
Pierce’s bravado evaporates.
I watch as the enforcer’s knife kisses Pierce’s carotid artery and a little gush of blood beads over the blade.
“That man can end your life in two seconds,” Ana says smoothly. “But you should be more afraid of me.”
Something wild flashes behind Pierce’s expression as he turns to me. “You weren’t supposed to leave me.”
“If that’s your excuse for all the terrible things you’ve done, then you’re even more of a selfish prick than I thought.” I fold my arms.
“More blood?” Sergei mutters, pressing the blade deeper.
Pierce winces, a thin line of red trickling down onto the collar of his pristine starched white dress shirt.
Ana’s head tilts a fraction. Danger signal. A sign that I need to stop talking.
“Pierce,” she says, her tone dripping with cold Russian steel. “Pay attention.”
Pierce licks his lips. “What do you want?”
Ana pulls out a knife of her own and presses it into his nuts. “How dare you use my image in your sick game. You don’t know who you’re dealing with.”
Pierce’s eyes travel around the car and outside. I think he gets it.
“I said,whatdo you want?”
Ana’s eyes narrow at his tone, but she remains coolly in control. “Here’s what’s going to happen. If you do not publicly admit that you lied about Dr. Cormac O’Rourke and that you manufactured all those images?—”
“And why would I do that?” Pierce tries on the old charm like a broken mask.
“If you don’t, I will destroy you,” Ana deadpans.
Pierce’s eyes go wide. “Wait, it was just…”
She leans forward slightly, just enough that the air turns frosty. “Oh, I won’t kill you. That’s too easy. Too quick. Dr. O’Rourke, who is my brother-in-law, comesfrom a family of tough men. Within that family is a world-class hacker, Dr. Langston. He will erase your credentials from every system on the planet. One keystroke, and you are no longer a man in a lab coat. You are a bum with no job.”
Ana gestures lazily to Sergei. “And if that’s not enough? If you think you can outdo my power, my enforcer here will unburden you of one of your hands.”
“Starting with fingers,” Sergei adds.
“You may find a way to keep your license, but I don’t see how you can be a doctor without fingers. Definitely not without hands.” She sits back. “What do you think, Dr. Langston? Admit you told a little white lie because you were jealous of this gorgeous creature.” Ana pets me.
I smile because… Heck, I like it.