by Soraya Naomi
“Where have you been?” Logan asks in a dark tone, seated on the edge of my bed and peering down at a bill he’s twirling in his hands.
His anger is unmistakably palpable.
CHAPTER 30
Logan
I shut the door to my vehicle and cross the street with Henry to a coffee shop where Mykhail was once seen. There are only a handful of customers inside as I scour the tables.
“He probably lives around here,” Henry muses.
I stop at a round wooden table behind him. “Probably.”
Observing the surface, I note an oddly shaped twenty dollar bill and snatch it off to inspect it. I notice burned edges, so I smell the paper: liquor.
Henry looks at me curiously. “What?”
I hold up the bill, clenching my jaw. “A bill with burned edges that reeks of alcohol. Does this remind you of anyone?”
His eyes widen, but before he can respond, I shove the money into my pocket and turn on my heel toward my car.
Inside the vehicle, I instruct him, “Pull up Rosa’s phone records for me. Now. I knew she was lying to me!” I jam a fist into the steering wheel, rearing backward as I unclench my hand.
“Calm down, Logan. What am I missing?” Henry probes, extending his arm to the back seat to grab his laptop. Setting it in his lap, he powers it on.
“Rosa followed me last night to the CIA office. I don’t know what she saw exactly, but I do know it was fucking suspect. And then she flat-out lied to me.”
“Give me her number.”
Yanking my mobile from my pocket, I check her info, reading the numbers aloud.
Henry explains, “There’s been one number besides yours she’s been communicating with daily for months, since November.”
I contact the number, but it goes to voicemail, and a male voice states, leave a message. In the meantime, I receive a notification on my cell that I have a caller waiting, and it’s Rosa, yet I don’t answer. She keeps calling. I keep ignoring her.
“Can you do voice recognition for Mykhail on your laptop?” I inquire.
“Yes, I have a log with tapes from him.”
I hand over my phone, and he gets a black cable from the glove compartment before connecting it to his laptop. He types away energetically, clicking for several minutes.
“It’s comparing both files. Wait a second...Oh, shit. It’s Mykhail. Rosa’s been in contact with him?”
“Apparently,” I grind out, gripping the steering wheel until my knuckles turn white.
Did she use me to get info to keep Mykhail safe?
Doubt is a treacherous emotion that instills rage. Manic thoughts fly through my head. I recall every time I’ve kissed her. Every time I’ve opened up to her. Every time I’ve loved her while she fucking lied to me. Every time she’s refused to let me inside her.
“I’m going to Rosa to get to the bottom of this,” I declare. “Don’t tell anyone about her possible involvement yet.”
“Okay. I’ll go to the club.” He clicks shut his laptop before he gets out to hail a cab.
I shift the convertible into drive and hit the gas. The hardtop is open, but the morning wind blowing through my hair doesn’t cool me off in the slightest.
Livid, I race to her pool house, skating through every red light I come to.
The woman I love and thought I knew has deceived me.
***
I’m still disregarding Rosa’s calls when I break into her pool house and dig around, finding nothing. She’s clever enough to cover any tracks.
Dismayed, I sink down onto the edge of the mattress, taking out the bill from my slacks while the familiar sweet scent of her lingers in the air. Then the glass door skids open as I rotate the burned bill between two fingers and study it. “Where have you been?”
“I’ve been trying to reach you,” she says cautiously, closing the door.
“That’s not an answer.” I meet her gaze as she halts three feet across from me.
She stands uneasily. Her cat-tipped eyes filled with blatant remorse. Her beautiful exterior has been a distraction. Irritation stirs inside, followed by hurt. The stretch of silence sets me off.
“Where the fuck have you been?” I leap up, storming toward her, and she backs away.
Irately, I crumple the bill in my hand and throw it at her chest. She lets it fall to the ground yet remains quiet.
“If I were you, I’d answer with the truth...” I let the threat linger.
As we’re face-to-face, hesitancy blisters across her features before she begins, “What do you know?”
I glare down my nose but don’t touch her. “Have you been in contact with Mykhail?”
Her plump lips tremble. “Yes.”
Disloyalty is a bitter pill to swallow. “Why? And since when exactly?”
Her eyes pool with moisture. Nevertheless, I forbid myself to be persuaded by sympathy.
“Because he’s my friend. And since the night his father kidnapped me.”
That’s the night Cam was taken, five months ago. That’s around the time she and I started growing closer.
“Your friend,” I hiss. “Why have you put yourself at risk to help another man? What’s between you two?” Thoughts of her with another man make me almost lose my shit.
My chest is heaving, and she lifts her arm to touch me, yet my scowl prevents her.
“There’s nothing between us.” A frown wrinkles her brows. “Logan, there’s nothing sexual between Mykhail and me, if that’s what you’re implying. I wanted to tell you, but you told me that the Syndicate would probably kill him and his little brother. Adam’s such a sweet boy.”
There’s the complete truth; she’s gotten attached to the child. “So you’ve been taking care of the kid too?”
“Yes, I’ve helped Mykhail with Adam.”
I’m inclined to believe her; I know how much Rosa loves kids, but my anger is overpowering, so I keep interrogating her. “How many lies have you told me?”
“I haven’t lied to you. I only kept this one thing from you.” She inhales an encouraging breath and inches closer, tentatively resting her palm on my chest. “I helped Mykhail and Adam because Dimitri abandoned them. And he abused his children. I couldn’t not help them. I’ve wanted to tell you so often, but you were getting more involved with the Syndicate. Then Cam woke up and we’ve been so busy. And I-I didn’t want to ruin our happy time.” Her voice breaks.
“So why were you suddenly stalking me yesterday?” I fire my questions at rapid speed, not allowing her any time to cover up with another lie.
“I overheard Dimitri’s name being mentioned at the hospital.”
“What did you see last night?”
“I saw the president.”
“Did you tell Mykhail about that? What does Mykhail know about all the business I’ve told you while you didn’t even let me fuck you!”
She moves back, but I seize her by the arm, easily lifting her onto her tiptoes with one hand – our noses almost touching. “Tell me!”
“He knows some business...and about the president.”
My fury explodes as the enormity of the predicament she’s created dawns on me. And how stupid I’ve been for trusting and confiding in her. “Jesus Christ!” I release her, and she staggers backward.
“What have you done, Rosalia? You’ve been messing with Syndicate business!” Aggressively, I point my finger at her. “I’m starting to think you’re much more cunning than I give you credit for. You have some nerve. I’m not just any Capo, you know that.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Did you seduce me to get intel? Did you fucking use me?” I crowd her again, forcing her against the glass door, meshing my fingers into her hair.
She covers my hands with hers, pleading, “No, Logan, you’re misunderstanding me. I never used you.”
“Maybe you’re not even a virgin and you just lied because you don’t want me at all,” I snarl, relinquishing my hold and glancing away when her expr
ession turns fearful.
“No! It was never like that.” She palms my cheek, wanting me to look at her. “Stop it. You’re not making sense. I fell in love with you. I could’ve gotten the info from my father. I’ve not once used you.”
She holds my gaze bravely, and I still see the love reflected in her eyes. But how do I know she’s telling the complete truth? I’m battling rage and logic. It’s been years since I’ve lost grip of my emotions to this extent. In a dilemma, I plow my hands through my hair.
Rosa nuzzles my throat, saying in an earnest voice, “Logan.”
But tension remains stubbornly in place. “You don’t know what kind of business you’re currently messing with.”
“I do know. That’s why I was going to tell you right before you found out.”
“That’s convenient,” I sneer, not hiding my disbelief.
Surprisingly, she says the one thing that proves she is being truthful, “No, I swear to God, there’s much more at stake here than just Mykhail. Adam’s only three. He’s innocent in all of this.”
She meets my eyes through her wet lashes. Rosa would never use those words unless she meant it. For minutes, I don’t know how many, we stare at each other. In this moment, there’s a change between us. We’ve crossed the bridge from a serene relationship to a mafia-tainted one. Although the mafia probably tainted it from the start. In reality, we’re both Syndicate people. Furthermore, she’s much more conniving than I ever foresaw.
“Where’s Mykhail?” I ask.
“He lives in an apartment near the coffee shop.”
“So what happened earlier? Did you see me going into the shop? And then you started calling me?”
“Yes, I was going to tell you everything. I promise,” she vows, slipping her fingers over the hairs of my unshaven jawline, pulling me out of my negative thoughts like only she can.
Without realizing it, my arm hooks around her middle. I can’t bear to witness her agony, even through my receding anger – her power over me is that strong. “Is there anything else you’re hiding from me?”
“No. I just don’t want Mykhail or Adam to die. They’re not a threat to the Syndicate. Mykhail was kept out of business and had a bad relationship with his father. He just wants to live his life with his brother.”
“He is a threat now, Rosa,” I explain.
She pulls back slightly. “What do you mean?”
I reveal the truth to her so that she can grasp the severity of the situation she’s put us in. “Because the fucking president has ordered the Syndicate to break Dimitri out of jail. And he doesn’t know we are the reason Dimitri got sentenced in the first place. Mykhail does know about our involvement. He’s currently the Syndicate’s biggest problem!”
“But he’ll never tell.”
“Don’t be naïve. The Syndicate won’t take that risk. You know damn well how this world works; that’s why you’ve bent over backwards to keep it a secret.”
She stares at the floor. “I don’t know what to do now.”
“What do you expect from me?”
She’s quiet before she answers, “Help?”
“I don’t even know how to.” I shift back to sit on the mattress and lean forward, dropping my head into my hands. “Where are Mykhail and Adam now?”
“He went to his apartment to get his ID.”
“His address hasn’t been found yet,” I explain, looking up at her. “We only found out he’s been spotted at that coffee shop.”
Since I know Rosa better than she knows herself, and she’s still heartbroken that she can’t conceive, I abruptly ask, “Do you love Adam, Rosa?”
“Yes! He’s like my little brother. Can you help us?”
“I’m not helping Mykhail,” I throw back.
Her face falls, but she knows me well too – knows the core of me. Only she has seen the man I am beneath the agent or Capo.
“Can you help me then? I realize I’ve made a mess, but not one second of our love has been a lie.” As she inches closer, thick tears streak down her cheek, over her alluring dimple, and she rests her hands on my neck, scraping her nails up my scalp in a soothing manner. We stay in that position for seconds, minutes, while I assess the situation.
“Ti amo. I love you so much. Please tell me you believe me,” she implores.
Her regret softens my heart. I can’t bear to think that everything’s been a lie. However, the hurt doesn’t magically fade away, though the seeds of doubt are being quelled by her presence. I’m a man who trusts his gut instinct, and mine is screaming to not lash out and abandon her. I’d murder any other person without a second thought if they deceived me, yet she owns my soul wholeheartedly – there’s no denying it anymore. I simply love her with an intensity that’s unequaled, and love doesn’t need an explanation. Loving Rosa has taught me that and to forgo living in bitterness. I can either stay mad and rant and have more regrets, or I can focus on finding a solution.
Thankfully, the head Capo in me takes the reins and I wrap my fingers around her wrist to make her stop stroking my hair, the touch too pleasantly diverting.
“I hate it that you lied to me,” I grind out in the softest tone, showing my devastation. “But I believe you.”
She bends forward to kiss me, yet I hold her steady by her hips, her nearness drugging me as usual.
“Rosa, there isn’t a way out of this. Do you get that?” I tell her.
“Why?”
“If I help you, I’m betraying the Syndicate.”
“I thought you were going to talk to Adriano or Luca?”
“And then what? Talk is not an option. Mykhail will be eliminated. I don’t know what will happen to Adam.”
She rears back, so I let her go. “What can we do to help them?”
“If you’re asking me to help you, you’re asking me to choose you over the Syndicate. You and I will need to get them out of country and then leave ourselves.”
Her eyes round. “What?”
“This is the consequence of what you’ve done, Rosa. And you’ve involved me. I’ve warned you that you’re too reckless.” It’s a side of her I love and hate. “You won’t be harmed, but what do you think everyone will think? That I helped you from the start; that we kept our relationship a secret because we were working together. You say you want to be with me, then we have to run together; they won’t spare me.”
“Oh, shit. I never considered that.” And she adds without hesitation, “Okay, we leave. I don’t want to lose you, and I’ll do anything so that you don’t look at me like that.”
Wrenching herself between my legs, she snakes her hands up into my hair as I press my nose against her stomach while folding my arms around her middle. We hold each other tightly as I breathe her in, and Rosa bends down and kisses my temple, seducing me successfully.
Then, at last, she offers me the one thing I crave in this world.
“Ti amo. I want to be with you, Logan. To feel you inside me. To take away that last piece of doubt I see in you. I never wanted to hurt you and that’s just what I’ve done. I’m so sorry.”
The little minx is surrendering to me completely.
I groan while rubbing my nose against her belly, bracketing her sides as hunger and gratitude flood through me. Once I take her virginity, there’ll be no going back. I’ve wanted to possess that part of her for so long that I’m torn. I deliberate over choosing the organization that has helped me for the woman in front of me.
I ultimately make the wrong choice, setting in motion a chain of destruction that ruins many lives.
CHAPTER 31
Logan
“Ti amo. I want to be with you, Logan,” I admit, needing to dispel the pain I’m witnessing. “To feel you inside me. To take away that last piece of doubt I see in you. I never wanted to hurt you and that’s just what I’ve done. I’m so sorry.” The panic that surged through me while I thought he might not believe me reinforces my love for him.
He makes an incomprehensible sound, his finge
rs digging into my hips. Eventually, he looks up and I kiss him, attempting to persuade him, and the second our lips touch, he growls, his hands delving underneath my shirt and searching for bare skin. Affectionately, I palm his jaw, caressing the blond hairs, and stare into his stormy blue eyes before I pull my lilac shirt over my head and shimmy my jeans down my legs. Then I unhook my bra, entirely comfortable, even with that trace of hostility still shining through his demeanor, because he’s seen me naked so often, .
His hands shoot out, and he tugs me closer, nosing my crotch over the fabric of my panties and breathing in deeply while I clench my fingers in his hair.
“You will never lie to me again,” he orders, his hands shifting to my behind and massaging possessively.
“I promise. Ti amo.” It’s the third time I’ve said it, and I ache to hear it from him again.
His eyes lock with mine. “I love you, Rosa.”
Not cricket, but Rosa – I’ll take it. I’ll give him that last piece of me, knowing that after this, I’ll be his forever. And I won’t worry about the not-so-distant future.
Logan rips off my panties, kicking my feet wider and using his fingers to explore my mound. His tongue dips into my navel before he kisses his way lower. Guiding my leg up, he places my foot on the edge of the mattress, opening me up to him. As the midday sunlight streams through the curtains, the boundaries of lies, regret, and darkness evaporate.
His mouth cements over my core, sucking and licking. Simultaneously, my hands claw his hair as he teases me, steadying my hips as his lashing tongue fucks me. Ecstasy builds deep within my lower belly, my desire for him igniting like a match striking pavement.
Though Logan stops, presenting a wicked grin as he licks his lips. Luckily, I haven’t failed in making him shake off his anger. He directs me onto the bed on my back and braces himself over me with his body, pulling my lip between his teeth.
Lost in his own pleasure, he says the words I’ve been dying to hear. “My cricket.”
“I’m yours,” I mutter through wild movements, captivated by him.
With one hundred percent certainty, I give myself to him, to love him always. In haste, I sit up and remove his tailored suit before he changes his mind. When he skims his black boxers down his legs, I run my nails down his hard, tanned abdomen. His hard-on swells rapidly, and he grunts when I roughly stroke him twice.
