Before he could explain what the ex when associated with girlfriend meant, a fist landed square in the middle of his face, and Leo heard another crack. So his back and his nose, then.
Davit released his hold on Leo’s hair, and he fell like a stone to the wooden floor splattered with what he assumed was his own blood.
Fuuuuck.
Someone screamed. He heard the pounding of feet in the hallway upstairs.
“Stop!” That was Shannon’s voice. “Leave him alone!”
Grimacing, Leo glanced up and watched as Shannon propelled herself at Davit, her face contorted, her arms outstretched, her fingers curled like claws. If the look on his face was any indication, Davit was taken aback by her reaction. So much so that he didn’t move, didn’t even lift his arms to protect himself.
She landed like one of those crazy monkeys at the zoo, complete with the screeching, knocking Davit backward. He hit the wall but stayed upright while she managed to drag her nails down both of his cheeks before falling to the floor at his feet.
“What the fuck?” Davit said, lifting a hand and touching his face. His fingers came away coated with blood; he snarled and glared down at her, and Leo was pretty certain—or at least afraid—that he was contemplating killing her.
Somebody came charging down the stairs.
“Get back,” Leo shouted in a nasally voice. “He’s dangerous!” And then he clumsily struggled to his feet and stomped toward Shannon and Davit like Frankenstein, each step sending shards of pain through his lower back.
“What the hell do you think you’re going to do?” Davit asked, his voice loaded with derision.
“Stop you,” Leo said. “Don’t hurt her.”
“I’ll do whatever the fuck I want to her. She’s mine.”
Leo shook his head. “She isn’t an object. You don’t get to own her.”
“Shows what you know.”
“Stop!” someone else shouted. Max. Shit, Leo hoped his brother didn’t try to stand up to Davit, because Max was smaller than him and would get the shit beat out of him.
Worse than Leo was currently faring.
Without waiting for Max to make a move, Davit turned on his supposed friend and punched him in the jaw and then delivered another to his ribs, and Max collapsed to the floor.
And then Davit reared back, like he was about to kick Shannon. Leo fell forward, fist at the ready, and thrust out with all his might, his knuckles making contact with Davit’s gonads.
Davit screamed and fell on top of Shannon, and while she struggled to get herself out from under him, Leo focused on standing. He needed to get Shannon away from this guy. He needed to check on his brother. He needed to call 9-1-1.
A click echoed in the sudden quiet of the room, drawing Leo’s attention to the gun in Davit’s hand.
The gun that was pointed at Shannon’s head.
“No,” she whispered, her eyes huge as she stared up at Davit.
“Get up,” Davit practically growled. But she didn’t move fast enough, and he grabbed her arm and jerked her to her feet. “I want you to watch while I blow your boyfriend’s brains out.”
“No!” Shannon stepped in front of Davit and raised her hands like she was surrendering to the cops. “Stop. I’ll go with you. Just leave them alone. He didn’t know. Do you hear me, Davit? He didn’t know.”
No, he didn’t. If he had, Leo sure as hell wouldn’t have gotten involved with her. Because this feeling in his chest, this hollow pain, it wasn’t from Davit’s beating.
No, it was from the realization that he was losing Shannon.
Davit stood there, staring at her, the gun still cocked while his chest heaved, as he clearly struggled to come to a decision.
There was a part of Leo that wanted to interfere, to tell her she didn’t have to go. That part of him was certainly willing to live dangerously, considering the beating he’d already received.
But another part of him, that part that had been adamantly opposed to all things mob-related ever since he knew anything at all about that organization, kept reminding him that she dated a mob leader. Sure, at some point she had felt trapped, had decided to flee, but she’d still dated the guy in the first place.
He thought about his own situation with Bridgette. Hell, his family didn’t even associate with the mob, and he’d almost married some woman he didn’t want to be with, but that was different. He knew Bridgette’s family, knew their business was on the up and up.
It was different.
It was, wasn’t it?
Even if there were similarities, for fuck’s sake, he’d made a vow when he walked away from Bridgette that he would no longer give too much of himself to please others.
Not that Shannon was even asking him to give of himself. Nope.
She was walking out the door with Davit. With her arm wrapped around his waist.
Like she was fucking escorting him away.
Chapter Fourteen
I’ll kill you if you ever leave me. You know that, right, baby? You know I can’t live without you.
There had been similarities between her relationship with Hayk and the one she had with Davit, undoubtedly a result of Davit’s desire to be just like his father. But those similarities were overshadowed by Davit’s much bigger, much more aggressive personality.
While both men had been obsessed with her, Davit had also harbored an all-consuming fear that he’d lose her someday. Hayk, on the other hand, had been entirely confident in his belief that he’d trained her and brainwashed her appropriately enough that she would never dream of leaving him.
Both men were justified in their individual beliefs.
I’ll kill you if you ever leave me.
How many times had Davit said those words to her? Whispered them over breakfast, while they
