I’m afraid I’ll always want him. No matter the evil’s he commits, or the pain he may cause me, I’ll always want him.
Despite being my weakness, he also makes me stronger.
When I’m with him, I don’t feel like I’m just living to get through each day. He gives me a purpose – to be his.
Closing my eyes, I send a silent apology up to my family. I can’t leave him. I need him.
“Good news,” a voice says, startling me out of my thoughts. “You get to go back to him.” The way he says it, though, makes it sound like it’s not strictly good news.
Another man comes out of the shadows and sizes me up like his next meal. “This is who he’s so taken with?” Circling me, he runs a finger around my shoulders, and I flinch away from him. “I can see the appeal. You’re quite beautiful. Especially in this dress.” His finger dips between my breasts and I clench my jaw. There’s only so long that I can stay quiet.
“I know boss said we can’t touch you, but you’re too sweet to not take a little bite of.”
“Touch me and you die,” I spit, and he smiles.
“I don’t think so, honey.”
“He’ll never let you live. Alec will kill you.”
He comes closer, and I take note of the scorpion tattoo on his neck, with its tail disappearing below the neckline of his t-shirt. His eyes are black. They pierce mine, and I feel like the prey – the scorpion ready to attack and sting me, rendering me immobile before devouring me.
“We took you once easily enough. Your friends were all too willing to hand you over to us for a little cash. Everyone has a price,” he says low, his finger now trailing up my thigh.
Jess and Kayla sold me out to these men. No wonder they asked me to go out with them. Jess kept feeding me drinks, probably lacing the last one with something, which is why I can’t remember how I even got here. I remember needing to go to the bathroom, and then there’s just flashes of light before it all went dark.
“Do you have a price, Tessa?”
“I’m not a whore,” I grind out, my jaw clenched.
“Of course you are. Every woman is when they’re with a man like him. A man like me.” He’s nothing like Alec. Comparing the two would be like comparing a juicy steak to a bologna sandwich. “You’re drawn to the darkness. The danger. You eagerly spread your legs, wanting a little taste, and hope he’ll keep you around long enough to get as much as you can out of him.”
Seething, my vision blurs with angry tears.
Who does he think he is? Judging me for wanting Alec. I don’t want him for what he can give me. I’m sure he could buy me whatever I wanted, but it’s him I want. It’s him I crave. It’s him I want right now to come and kill this asshole because I can’t. I’m tied up and can’t move. And if I wasn’t…I think I could kill him myself. I never thought myself capable until this moment, and I never wanted death to greet someone as much as I do this man.
I could do it for Alec. I could take away one life so he doesn’t have to.
These men took me because of Alec and some need for negotiations in their business, but I don’t blame him. I was the one who snuck out the other exit so Tito wouldn’t know. I just wanted a little freedom and to rebel against him so he’d talk to me.
I’m so stupid.
“You’ll get back to him soon enough. I just think you’ll be a little less…pretty when you are.”
Stepping back from me, he nods at the big man with the scar who yanked my hair back earlier, and he steps forward. In his hand is the same dagger as before with a hilt that has a dragon’s head coming off of it as if an extension of his hand.
He’s silent when he approaches me. He runs the edge of the blade down my sternum and then flicks the tip between my breasts, cutting into my skin. Jumping at the prick of pain, I don’t make a sound, refusing to give this man that satisfaction. He clearly enjoys inflicting pain on others.
Looking him in the eyes, I see nothing but evil.
“The Carfanos think they rule everything,” the man with the scorpion neck tattoo says a few feet behind the dragon knife-wielding one, “and it’s time to show them we need to be taken seriously. We’re not going to keep to the territory they say we’re allowed to have.”
“I have nothing to do with their business.”
“But of course you do. If you’re with one, then you’re their business.”
The dragon blade slips inside the rip that’s already present in the front of my dress, and he starts to slide it down, the fabric giving way with ease under the sharp blade.
My chest heaves and my nostrils flare with every breath I take as my heart accelerates to a stammering pace.
I don’t know how I’m going to get out of this. I don’t know how I’m going to stop him from doing whatever it is he wants to do to me.
When the blade cuts through the final inch of the dress, it falls to my sides. The only thing keeping me from being naked are my black lace bra and panties, and I’ve never felt more exposed.
The blade skims down my stomach, circling my bellybutton, then over to my hip, and when I think he’s going to slice the side of my panties off, he instead lifts the blade from my skin and moves to my knee.
My legs jerk under the cold metal, and when he slides it up my inner thigh, he twists the tip near the apex of my thighs to cut into me like he did between my breasts. I flinch and clench my jaw, and he repeats the same move on my other leg.
Flicking my eyes down, I see blood trailing down my torso from the cut on my chest and blood running down my inner thighs, dripping onto the floor beneath me, soaking into the cement.
I pull at my zip ties, but they just bite into my wrists and ankles, and my anger flares. I’m not scared of this man. I’m angry. I want to take the knife from him and slice into him to see how he likes it.
“Such pretty skin. So unmarked,” scorpion tattoo guy says as he steps beside his scarred friend with the dagger. “Well, not so much now.”
Circling me, he brings the blade down the column of my neck, and when he slides it across to the hollow at the base, he flicks the tip to cut me open. The sting is greater than the other cuts, and I know he went deeper. I can feel the blood running down my chest.
Alec is going to kill him. I know he will. No matter if he gets to me before my entire body is covered in cuts and slices, he’ll kill him. And I know he’ll drag it out to torture him for doing the same to me, too.
“Let’s see how Alec will like seeing you covered in your own blood,” scorpion man taunts.
Holding the knife to my stomach, dragon dagger is about to cut into me when a door somewhere behind me bursts open and bullets ring out. The man with the knife jerks up, slicing my arm open in the process, and this time I can’t hold in the cry of pain that escapes me.
Three of the men that were surrounding me are now lying dead on the floor with bullet holes in their chests. The one with the dagger only got clipped in the shoulder, and he staggers back, looking around.
He’s here. I know he is. I can feel him.
“Tessa!” Alec’s voice cuts through every sound around me, and I immediately feel the tension leave my body.
He’s here. He came for me. I knew he would, but I wasn’t sure he’d come in time.
“Leave him alive,” Alec commands to Tito who’s putting a pair of zip ties around dragon dagger’s wrists, hauling him away.
“Tessa,” Alec says, his voice strained, coming around to squat in front of me.
Oh, God, his voice. I’ve missed his voice. Closing my eyes, tears start to slide down my cheeks, and his hands come up to cup my face, wiping them away.
“Mia bella rosa,” he breathes.
Cutting my zip ties from my ankles, he reaches around me to get my wrists, and once I’m free, I throw them around him.
Breathing him in, I start to cry harder. I’ve missed him so much. “Alec.” My voice breaks on his name and he holds me tighter. “You came.”
“Of course I did, bella. I
’ll always come for you. I’ll always protect you. And when I can’t, I’ll always save you, or die trying.”
His words flood my eyes with fresh tears, and he rubs circles on my back soothingly.
Pulling back, he cups my face again, and his eyes hold mine. Two dark pools of endless depth, that for a moment, I thought I’d never get to swim in again.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper. “I shouldn’t have…” I start, but shake my head.
“We’ll talk later. Let me get you out of here first so I can have Doc look at you.” Looking me over, he sees the trails of blood on me and his eyes harden. “What did he do to you?”
“He used his knife on me. That’s it. Please take me out of here, Alec,” I beg.
Taking his pocket square out of his jacket, he presses it to the gash on my arm and then takes me in his arms, cradling me to his chest. I turn my face into him, needing his scent to keep me from breaking down further.
I hear other people all around us, but I don’t pay them any attention. All I care about is Alec.
His arms feel like heaven surrounding me. Two safety lines that I never want to lose touch of again.
Placing me in the back of an SUV, Alec slides in next to me and then brings me back to him, cradling me on his lap.
It’s a silent ride to wherever we’re going, with just Alec and I holding each other like our lives depend on it. Because they really do.
Chapter 32
Alec
Holding Tessa in my arms feels like my world has finally righted itself. She’s my axis. Without her, I’m all turned around, and I don’t know which way is up.
But now I do.
I see everything as it is clearly again.
Nothing else matters but her right now. I’ll deal with the Triads and Tito later. I just want to hold Tessa and make sure Doc looks at her as soon as we get back to The Aces.
Once in the garage, I climb out of the Range Rover and then scoop her up and carry her to the elevators.
“I think I can walk, Alec,” she whispers, though her fingers grip my suit lapels in her fists like she doesn’t want me to put her down, and I don’t plan to.
“No,” I say simply, and she curls into me a little more, satisfied with my answer.
The medical suite is only one floor below mine, and the moment the doors slide open, Joe is there to greet us. The whole floor was converted when I took over the business in Atlantic City, wanting to make sure medical service was always close by in case any of us needed it. The bedrooms are now hospital rooms, equipped with everything you’d find in an actual hospital, in addition to a surgical room and another with MRI and x-ray machines.
“What happened?” Doc asks.
“I don’t know yet. I found her with blood trailing down her but I took her out of there before I could get a better look.”
Laying Tessa down on a hospital bed in the room at the end of the hall, I take what remains of her dress off and then Doc gets to work examining her.
Cleaning off her wounds, the cuts on her neck, chest, and thighs are all shallow enough to not need stitches, but it’s the gash on her arm, the one I heard her scream because of, is deep enough for them and may leave a scar.
Tessa keeps her beautiful hazel eyes on me as Joe works. With her hand in mine, I rub circles across her knuckles, needing to feel her touch in any way I can.
“He didn’t touch you besides with his knife?” Joe asks her, and she shakes her head no, keeping her eyes on me.
“She’ll be fine,” he assures me, leaving us alone after he places bandages over her wounds.
Waiting a few seconds before speaking, she beats me to it.
“I knew you’d come. I’m just glad you did before he…before he…” she doesn’t finish, but I know what she means to say.
“He’d didn’t, though. I’ll never let anyone hurt you again, Tessa. I promise you with everything I am that I’ll protect you with everything that I have.”
“I know,” she whispers. “I shouldn’t have snuck away like that. I was just angry and missing you and wanting to lash out. But Jess and Kayla…”
Squeezing her hand, my vision blurs. “Don’t mention them. I’ll take care of them.”
“No,” she says. “I want to.”
Surprised by her answer, I take a second, and then bring her hand to my lips and plant a kiss there. “If you’d like, you may.”
“I also want to use a blade on the one who did this to me before you kill him.”
The corners of my mouth turn up at her declaration. “Yes, mia bella rosa. Whatever you want, you can have. I’d never deny you the satisfaction of revenge. But you may change your mind after you get some rest.”
“Will you lay with me? I don’t want you to leave me alone.”
“I’m not leaving,” I assure her, leaning in to plant a soft kiss to her cheek. Tessa’s eyes close at my touch and her little sigh makes my chest hurt.
Taking my jacket off, I place it on the chair and then cover Tessa in the blanket that’s at the end of the bed before sliding in next to her. She curls into me and rests her head on my chest, her arm snaking around my waist automatically.
She hasn’t stopped touching me since I came to her, and that gives me hope that she can forgive me.
She brings out all of these feelings I didn’t know I could ever have for anyone, and I don’t plan on letting her go. Not now. Not ever.
“I’m sorry, bella,” I whisper against her temple. “I’ll never forgive myself for causing you pain.”
She doesn’t answer me, and when I hear her breathing even out, I know she’s asleep, so I breathe her in and let myself drift off with her, content at having her in my arms again.
♠♣♥♦
I sense movement to my right and my eyes pop open on alert, seeing Leo and Vinny standing a few feet away.
“What the fuck are you doing in here?” I ask, keeping my voice low as to not wake Tessa.
She stirs next to me though, so I slip from the bed soundlessly, and she curls into the spot I was just occupying as I follow Leo and Vinny out the door. Once I close it and walk a few paces away, I ask again, “What the fuck are doing here?”
“Is she okay?” Vinny asks first, worry etched on his face.
“She’ll be fine. She needed stitches on her arm, but her other cuts will heal on their own.”
“He’s in the basement when you’re ready.”
“Tessa gets him first,” I tell them, and their eyes widen.
“Alec…” Leo warns, and I give him a wry smile.
“It’s at her request, brother. She wants to use the knife on him the way he did on her.”
Their eyes widen momentarily, their surprise evident. Women don’t tend to want revenge the way we do.
“I told her to decide again when she wakes up, though,” I add, and they both nod their agreement.
“And Tito?” Leo prompts, rubbing his jaw.
Breathing out a lungful of air, I rub the back of my neck. I don’t know what I want to do with him yet. I should put a bullet between his eyes, but based off of Tessa’s reaction with Enzo… “I’ll talk to Tessa when she wakes up.”
Both Leo and Vinny remain silent, assessing me. I’ve never been one to consult anyone when making decisions, let alone a woman. But she’s my woman, and I want her by my side, not in the dark. Leaving her in the dark only makes her more of a danger to herself and pushes her away.
“Alec?” I hear Tessa call from the room, and the sound of her voice is enough to make my chest hurt. I told her I wouldn’t leave her and now she woke up alone.
“I have to get back,” I tell them. “Thank you for tonight,” I add.
“She’s family now,” Leo says. “I see that, Alec.” He holds my gaze for a beat, making sure I understand his acceptance.
Nodding, I go back inside the room with Tessa, and her worried eyes meet mine in the dim light coming from the cracked bathroom door.
“You weren’t here. I had a dream…�
�
“Shh, bella. Let me take care of you.”
Carrying her to the adjoining bathroom, I set her down on the bench in the shower and take my clothes off. When the water heats, I remove her bra and panties and lather a luffa with soup. I feel her eyes on me as I gently wash her body, careful to avoid the bandages over her cuts.
As I glide the luffa down her left leg and back up the right, she runs her fingers through my hair and cups my cheek. I look up to see her hazel eyes showing me everything, but neither of us says anything yet. She lets me take care of her first.
When I’ve finished washing us both, I dry us off and wrap her in a fresh robe from the closet and carry her back to bed.
Sliding in with her, I pull her against me and she splays her hand over my chest, curling her fingers against my heart.
“Alec, I…” she starts to say after a minute, but then pauses.
Propping herself up on her elbow, her face scrunches in pain, but she ignores it to look down at me. She traces my jaw with her soft hands, her touch a comfort I’ve never known.
“I forgive you,” she whispers, her words hitting me square in the chest, and I relax for the first time in weeks, with something akin to hope taking root. “It took me facing not having you to realize I can’t live without you. Even knowing the truth about James…I still need you. I can’t give you up.”
Cupping the side of her neck, I rub my thumb back and forth across her jaw. “You’re my everything, Tessa. If I could bring him back for you, I would. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you. Everything I have is yours.”
“I don’t need anything but you.”
“I don’t deserve you. Taking you was the most selfish thing I’ve ever done, and I’ve done a lot of selfish things in my life. But I need you, Tessa. I need you, mia bella rosa.”
Pulling her fully on top of me so I can feel her weight and know she’s here with me again, I bring her lips to mine. Starting out slow, I savor her taste until I can’t hold back, and I deepen the kiss. Holding her against me, I slide my hand into her hair and Tessa moans into me, her hands gripping the sides of my face.
Casino King: A Dark Mafia Romance (Carfano Crime Family Book 1) Page 23