Negotiation: A Mafia Love Story (Triple Threat Book 1) by Kit Tunstall, R. E. Saxton Page B

the money, and I had seduced him. When I tried to tell your boyfriend the truth, Rinaldi refused to listen.”
    Benas held up her hand, his anger visible even through the red haze of agony surrounding Sarah. “Instead, he cut off her fingers and told her she was lucky he was going by the old code. He refused to listen and sent her away, and neither he nor his brothers would meet with us to address our demand for justice and compensation. Now, he’ll meet with us if you mean anything to him.”
    “What do you want from Roman?” she managed to ask as her entire body shuddered. Her hand was on fire, and her hip burned from its collision with the SUV earlier. She hurt everywhere, and she just wanted this agony to end, but she couldn’t suppress the fear of not knowing what they had planned for Roman.
    “I want him to die,” said Audra.
    Benas frowned at her. “But you know that’s impractical. If we go to war with the Cosa Nostra , they’ll wipe us out. This is simply to get compensation for the injustice shown to you.”
    “Haven’t you done enough? Haven’t you gotten your revenge? You’ve taken my fingers, and you’ve hurt me. Why doesn’t that satisfy you yet, Audra?” Her breath felt raspy, and she couldn’t seem to keep from panting. She suspected it was a shock or panic, or perhaps a combination of the two, rather than true respiratory distress, but it only fueled her panic, which made it even more difficult to breathe.
    “I’d like to see Robbie suffer most, but I’ll settle for watching his sister, and Rinaldi’s whore, pay for what they’ve done to me. My cousin wants to find a solution that doesn’t lead to a turf war, but I don’t believe such a solution as possible. This can only end with death—yours first, and then Rinaldi’s, even if it leads to mine and Benas’s later.”
    Benas cursed in a language Sarah didn’t recognize. “I’ve already told you there will be no deaths today, Audra. I’ve contacted Dominic, and he’ll be arriving shortly. I called him before I ever called Roman. He will act as the mediator for our dispute resolution.”
    A strange wave of giddiness swept over Sarah, and she couldn’t help laughing. “Is this the mob or Small Claims Court?” There was a touch of hysteria in her voice.
    “Once upon a time, it was full of strong men who did what was right and necessary, but now they’ve all turned into a bunch of pussies.” Audra suddenly yanked the knife from her hand, seeming to enjoy Sarah’s renewed screams, as though they were the sweetest symphony filling a perfectly designed performance hall that maximized acoustics. “Now, it comes down to us to do what must be done. I will find my own justice.”
    Sarah whimpered and closed her eyes when she felt the kiss of the blade against her neck, certain it would be only a matter of milliseconds before the sharp sting changed from a little pain to the worst anguish she had ever experienced, even worse than having her fingers cut off.
    There was a soft popping sound, and it was nothing like the sound of a knife slicing through flesh, and nothing like she’d expected. In her surprise, she opened her eyes, and her mouth formed an O as blood blossomed on Audra’s shoulder. The knife fell to the wooden floor with a clunk, and the other woman looked down at her arm in shock mixed with outrage before turning to face the direction from where the shot had originated.
    Sarah looked past her, unsurprised to see Roman standing on the deck of the boat. She blinked, realizing a second later that it wasn’t Roman. From his posture and stern demeanor, she immediately recognized Dominic instead. She almost laughed that she had once again mixed them up, after being certain she would never do so again. Of course, she was in a lot of pain and had been close to death just a moment before, so she supposed she deserved a free pass for that one. “Where’s Roman?” she asked in a raspy voice.
    “He’s still on the dock with