by Penelope Sky
I needed to be straightened out.
She broke the silence. “How was work?”
I slowly turned around and let the water hit my back. “It was work.” My hands slid around her soapy waist, and I looked down into her beautiful face, seeing the clean skin from the lack of makeup. Her eyes were full of sleepiness but also excitement since I was finally home.
“Anything different?”
“The men are serious around me. A little more afraid. Have a little more respect.”
“That sounds like a good thing.”
“It is. I suspect no one will break the law for a while, not when that memory is fresh in their minds.”
She rested her face against my chest and held me under the water. She wanted to touch me so much that she couldn’t wait until I joined her in bed. She preferred to get wet with me then wait until I was dry. “You should try the day shift.”
I chuckled. “No such thing, Beautiful.”
“Well, you should come home earlier. Three in the morning is rough.”
I couldn’t change my hours, not even for her. I needed to make appearances often, to maintain the power over the floor. My schedule was never predictable, so it was impossible for men to plot against me. “You could just go to sleep. Let me wake you when I get home.”
“You think I haven’t tried?” she asked with a weak laugh. “I just lie there, tossing and turning.”
I loved knowing she needed me so much. It was better than listening to one of my lovers beg me to fuck them. “Why is that?”
“I’m not sure,” she said quietly. “I guess it’s everything. I’m freezing cold without you beside me to keep me warm. I don’t feel as safe without you, even if there are twenty-four men in the lobby. I’m worried that you’re okay, being surrounded by all those murderers. And I’m used to listening to you breathe when I fall asleep. The sound of the TV isn’t nearly as similar, but it’s the next best thing.”
It was the sexiest confession I’d ever heard. She’d told me she didn’t need a man for anything, but she’d just poured her heart out to me, basically admitted that she was helpless without me. She needed me by her side just to sleep. It was the strongest form of dependency.
She stared at me as her fingers trickled down my arm, like she expected me to say something.
“All I ever wanted was for you to give me a chance—and you did.”
I made love to her in my bed, moving slowly between her legs until I made her thighs squeeze around my hips in pleasure. Her hair was spread across the pillow, and she moaned in my face as her pussy squeezed me like a boa constrictor. Her fingers dug into my hair, and she bucked against me, her green eyes bright like they were on fire.
I moved deep inside her as I came, pumping my seed into her where it would remain all night long. We were skin on skin, and feeling her warm, wet flesh was the most erotic experience of my life. I couldn’t wear a condom again, not with her. Releasing inside her was the most intimate experience I’d ever felt. There was only one woman I would do it with—Carmen Barsetti.
When I finished, she immediately went to sleep. Feeling safe and satisfied, she finally let her mind slip away. The sheets were pulled to her shoulder, and her lips immediately parted with her deep breathing.
I kissed the back of her shoulder and got comfortable in preparation to drift away, but then my phone rang on the nightstand. No one would call me at this hour unless it was important, so I grabbed the phone and walked down the hallway. The screen showed Drake’s name, the head of my security team. I took the call. “What is it?” I’d just slaughtered The Butcher, so I didn’t expect to have any issues for a while.
Drake didn’t waste my time and got right to the point. “I think there’s something you should know. We’ve been keeping a close eye on him, and I’m certain he doesn’t know we’re following him. I have ten guys on him right now, so if you want us to pull the trigger, we will.”
This sounded like bad news. “Who?”
“Bones.”
I stopped in the center of the living room, hearing his name loud and clear. I hadn’t given him much thought after Carmen and I became more serious. Her family had never been an issue because she kept our secret so well. But the second I heard his name, I knew there would be a problem.
“What’s he doing?”
“He went to Carmen’s flower shop yesterday. Stopped outside for a while even though it was closed. Then he went to her apartment, broke the lock, and went inside. He was in there for a while before he left, then checked her mailbox. He didn’t take anything. Then he made a call.”
My heart started to race in my chest, thud like a drum. Bones was an adversary I didn’t want to cross, not because I was afraid of him, but because he was Carmen’s family. If he told the Barsettis, he could make life difficult for me. Keeping our relationship a secret had made Carmen relax and give me a real chance. When she’d stopped worrying what her family would think of me, she’d finally looked past the deplorable way I made a living. The best solution to this problem was to kill him before he had a chance to say anything.
“He’s still in the city. You want me to take him out?”
“Why is he still here?”
“He’s been watching her apartment. I’m guessing he’s trying to figure out where she really is.”
Shit. He was a smart man, and he would figure it out soon enough if he hadn’t already. “Has he called Carmen?”
“He called her yesterday. The conversation only lasted a minute. The transcript showed that he asked where she was, and she said she was at her apartment. At that time, he knew that wasn’t true.”
“He didn’t say anything to that?”
“No. He also approached the jurisdiction line but didn’t cross it. Looked at your property from a top of a building. We think he was looking for her car. It’s parked outside, so he probably saw it.”
The only reason he wouldn’t confront her was because he’d already figured it out. And if he saw her car, that was evidence enough.
“My guys have a clean shot at him. He’s alone.”
I was tempted to do it. We could make it seem like an accident, like he drank too much and lost control of his truck. It would make all my problems go away. But when I thought about how devastated Carmen would be, I knew that wasn’t an option. It would break her heart. Even if she never figured out I was the one who ordered the hit, she would be upset for a really long time. “Leave him be.”
“You’re sure?” Drake asked in surprise.
“Yes.” He had a wife at home. He was just trying to protect Carmen, and I couldn’t hate him for that. “I’ll take care of this myself.”
I stood outside the large gates to his property and made the call. In the countryside, it was particularly dark, especially when the stars were obscured by heavy clouds. A thin fog had rolled into the area, making the cold bite all the way down to the bone. In my jeans and leather jacket, I was fine. But Carmen wouldn’t survive.
Heavy footsteps approached, the sound of a beefy man coming toward me in the darkness. Even with the metal gate separating us, I could feel his rage as it grew stronger and stronger.
The gates were nearly twenty feet high, tall enough that they would be extremely difficult to climb. Cobblestone walls surrounded the property, lush ivy growing over it. The place was a fortress as well as a historical landmark. The reason he bought it was because of his unique protection out here in the middle of nowhere.
The gates unlocked, and the light flicked on along the wall, illuminating the area near the road.
That’s when I saw him, his blue eyes fierce as he pointed a gun at my face.
I glanced at the barrel pointed at my chest but didn’t react in alarm. “I’m unarmed. And alone.” I nodded to the black car parked on the other side of the road, a two-seater that wouldn’t be able to fit an army or a cache of artillery. “If I wanted to kill you, my army would have destroyed your home and your lives before you even woke up.”
> Bones was just as threatening as his reputation claimed him to be. Muscular, tall, and with a hint of sadistic rage in his eyes, he was the murderer people paid millions to hire. Covered in tattoos all the way up to his neck, he was a nightmare most never wanted to witness in person. He lowered the gun and emptied the barrel of the bullets before he tossed the gun on the grass. “And I prefer to kill a man with my own hands.”
I gave him a lopsided grin. “What a coincidence. I just did the same a few days ago. Good times.”
Bones didn’t drop his hostility, furious that I was on the outskirts of his property. “You crossed a line coming here. This is where my family lives.” His tone deepened. “Don’t come near my family.” Both of his hands tightened into fists like he wanted to break my face cleanly in two.
“I have no interest in hurting your wife. I don’t care about her. You’re the only person I want to see.”
“Then we could have had this discussion elsewhere.”
“Secrecy was the utmost importance. And like I said, I’m unarmed. I don’t go anywhere without my hundred-man army. But I left them behind—as a show of good faith.” I indicated the wide-open spaces around me. “We’re alone, Bones.”
He was still livid, and nothing I said would dim his rage.
“You know why I’m here.”
He didn’t confirm it or deny it.
“Have you told her family?” I’d never met either of the Barsetti brothers in person, but I knew them by reputation. I was certain they knew me by reputation as well. They wouldn’t like me sleeping with one of their own, not when I was rumored to be the cruelest man in the center of the country.
“No.”
“Good choice. I don’t need to tell you they’re no match for me. I’ve warned Carmen what I’d do to her family if she ever got them involved. I’m not the kind of man that kills for sport. I kill for a reason. And the Barsettis have respectable blood that has reigned in these parts for generations. I don’t want to kill them—but I will.”
His eyes narrowed slightly, his blue eyes looking like piercing shards. “Carmen is my sister. She’s my family. I will protect her at any cost. You may be a powerful man, but don’t forget who you’re dealing with.”
I’d always admired Bones. Unlike other men, he didn’t pretend to be unafraid. He truly was unafraid. “Yes, you’re a very talented killer. But you don’t own the world like I do. It’s an unfair match, and we both know it. Round up your boys, and you’re still outnumbered a hundred to one.”
“You’re my only target. Once you’re dead, I don’t need to worry about anything else.”
The threats were rising, the testosterone was brimming. The situation escalated so quickly because neither one of us would back down. “I’ll be frank with you, Bones. I don’t want to hurt any of you because it would hurt Carmen. She loves all of you very much.”
“I know she does.”
“Then the best way to keep the peace is to keep your mouth shut.”
“I’ve never been much of a talker, but that’s unlikely.” His kept his arms by his sides, only wearing a t-shirt despite the nearly freezing temperature. Vapor escaped his nostrils and rose in the light. “Is she a prisoner? Do you hurt her?” He tensed his jaw as he waited for me to answer, preparing for the worst but hoping for the best. Despite our illegal backgrounds, we were both honest men. Truly formidable adversaries never told a lie because they were never afraid of the repercussions.
The questions were fair, but they offended me anyway. “I would never hurt her. Her safety is my priority. I protect her, take care of her, and adore her.” I held his gaze as I gave him the answer, unafraid of the depth of my feelings for this woman. “And she’s not a prisoner. We agreed to a three-month arrangement. She insists I’m not the right man for her, that I’m not the man who will give her a marriage and four children. When our time is over, we’ll walk away from each other.”
Bones’s anger slowly decreased. “You’ll let her go when that time comes?”
I was a man of my word. “Yes.”
He couldn’t hide the relief that swept across his face.
“But I don’t think it will come to that. As hard as it is to believe, that woman wants me. She loves my protection, my power, and my wealth. I’m the kind of man she’s always wanted but never found. I’m the only one who has proved I’m worthy of her. When the time comes, she won’t leave.”
His anger flared up again. “You’ll never be good enough for Carmen Barsetti. I warned you to stay away from her, but you didn’t listen to me.”
“We both know I don’t listen to anyone,” I said coldly.
“Even if she wanted to stay, her family would never approve. I’m sure you’ve noticed how close they are by now.”
“And yet, they accept you.” It was a low blow, but also a valid point. “You killed people for a living. I just make money.”
Bones didn’t rise to the insult. “You’re surrounded by the monsters of the underworld. As long as she’s involved with you, she’ll never be safe. My occupation and my personal life were distinctly separate.”
“But your wife was captured and taken to Morocco.”
Bones didn’t ask how I knew that. “Don’t talk about my wife again.”
Clearly, Vanessa was his only hot button. “I’ll cut to the chase. Are you going to be a problem?” Bones wouldn’t lie to me because his reputation was founded on his honesty.
“Since it’s going to be over soon, I’ll keep it to myself. As long as you aren’t hurting her and she has a way out, then I don’t see the necessity of involving her family. It’ll lead to a war, and lives will be lost. It’s better this way.”
I was glad he wasn’t going to be difficult. “Like I said, she’s not going to leave me.”
“She’s a smart woman. She knows staying with you isn’t an option.”
And he didn’t know she was in love with me. “We’ll find out soon enough.”
11
Carmen
Now that the storm had passed, I opened the shop again. I got a new shipment of flowers and put together arrangements so they could sit in the window. Thankfully, the customers started to flock inside now that the sun was out again. A lot of my clients were restaurant owners, buying fresh arrangements to put on their tables and into their pots outside. They already ordered wine from my father, so naturally, they came to me for their floral needs.
Around lunchtime, things started to slow down. Instead of working the register constantly, I trimmed the flowers and made new arrangements at the island in the middle of the shop. My shop was a workplace as well as a store. When people passed on the sidewalk, they saw me working inside, and that gave the place more character.
The door opened, and someone stepped inside.
I looked up, expecting to see a stranger’s face. “It’s nice that the rain finally stopped, huh?”
Griffin stared me down, his blue eyes so cold they looked hot. Smoke was practically erupting from his nostrils, and he looked like a wild bull about to charge me. He was still as he stared at me for a while, and then he finally crossed the tile floor to my table.
He didn’t need to say a single word to tell me what was on his mind.
He knew everything.
His hands gripped the edge of the table, his powerful shoulders shaking with ferocity.
I was still, actually afraid of him. “You’re scaring me.”
“Good.” He spoke with a tense jaw, his softness no longer present like it was when Vanessa was around. “You should be scared because you’re in the most dangerous situation of your life.”
Yes. He definitely knew.
I set down the flowers and the shears and removed my gloves. He’d called me a few days ago to check on me. That must have been when he’d figured everything out. He must have dug a little deeper and finally discovered the secret I tried to keep hidden.
Shit.
He kept staring at me with that terrifying expression, reminding me of
my father when he was disappointed in me.
I didn’t know where to begin. It seemed like anything I might say would piss him off even more.
When Griffin realized I wasn’t going to say anything, he did. “I warned you about him. I told you to stay away from him. I specifically told you to tell me if he bothered you ever again. So what the hell happened? You just ignored everything I said?”
Thankfully, there was no one else in the flower shop to witness this conversation. I knew Bosco’s men were posted everywhere, probably watching us through the windows. But they would never hurt Griffin, not when he was my family. “It didn’t happen like that.”
“Then how did it happen?”
“It’s a long story…”
“I’ve got all day.” He slammed his fist down. “Tell me how my favorite Barsetti made the worst mistake of her life.”
The word mistake didn’t resonate with me at all because that wasn’t how I felt about Bosco. My life had changed so much, and as bad it sounded, I was actually happy. “He asked me to dinner, and that’s where it all started.”
“And you didn’t say no?”
“I did in the beginning…”
“And then he made you?”
I shrugged. “Not exactly. It was supposed to be purely physical. That’s how it was for a while, but when I realized how deep I was getting, I tried to end it.”
“Tried?”
“He wouldn’t let me,” I whispered. “Said he wouldn’t let me go.”
“Fucking piece of shit—”
“But then he changed. He agreed to three months and promised he would let me go when that time came.”
“And you believe him?” he asked incredulously.
As hard as it was to admit, I trusted that man deeply. “Yes. He’s a man of his word.”
Griffin stared at the counter as he gripped the edge. “This is a fucking nightmare.”
“Griffin, I know you don’t like him—”