The dance floor wasn’t as crowded as last time.
Andrei nodded down at me and gave me his back.
Shit. He was here.
I slowly climbed the stairs, trying to bide my time before I had to see his face, before I had to hear the possessive words fall from his mouth. Music pumped around me. It was alive, and free. While I was walking toward a prison. Toward my end. I could have sworn my heart slowed to a depressed surly beat.
Andrei handed me a glass of whiskey, but I was going to need more than one glass after tonight. I took my seat and placed my Glock on the table pointed at Angelo Sinacore.
He wasn’t the boss of the Sinacore family. He was a spoiled second son who was still trying to prove to his own family to get made.
The only power he had came from who his father was.
The only money he had was saved in a trust for when he turned twenty-eight.
He was wearing a gray suit with a red tie, fucking aviator glasses in the dark, and his greasy long black hair draped past his ears. He was everything that was wrong with the mafia.
He was wrong.
All wrong.
He was also considered royalty in Sicily.
“You have the girl?” He grinned, his straight white teeth flashed like he was ready to take a bite out of her.
“We do.” I nodded.
“Thank you.” He leaned forward, clasping his hands together. “For taking care of her until we could make arrangements. It is a rare find.”
“You speak of her as if she’s a lost artifact.” Andrei snorted in disgust.
For once I agreed with the Russian.
“Ah, but to her country she is, dirty Russian.”
Andrei smiled, but his posture stiffened, his eyes zeroed in on my gun. I wish.
“You will bring me to her.” Angelo leaned back and pulled out a cigar.
“The arrangement for exchange is tomorrow evening,” I said in the most bored voice I could muster. “You will wait a day. It states so in the contract, we wouldn’t want that to be void.”
His eyes narrowed a bit and then one nod and a dismissal with his hand. I had more money than his entire trust fund, more guns hidden on my body than he probably had in his entire arsenal.
He’d never seen the bloody side of the mafia.
Only the money.
The power.
You don’t deserve something you never have to fight for. And he hadn’t fought one day of his entire existence.
I stood.
“One more thing…” Angelo leaned forward. “Is she…a virgin?”
I clenched my fists, and lost complete control.
Andrei intercepted my right hand just in time and laughed. “Angelo, now you sound Russian.”
Angelo looked insulted.
“Why does it matter if she’s a virgin?”
“It matters because she will be marrying me, and I want to make sure she hasn’t been spreading her legs for Russian scum.”
Andrei’s smile fell. “Watch it. This is still my club. I have at least seven guns trained on you, and I wouldn’t push the Cosa Nostra’s best assassin when he’s having a shitty day.”
Angelo adjusted his tie. “I can be curious about my future wife.”
I took a deep breath. “We haven’t conducted a medical exam. She’s been in the house ever since we had final documents on her birthright.”
“Ah.” Angelo nodded. “And Nixon does not allow such things under his roof. I feel better now. I think…” He winked at us. “I’ll go find myself someone for my last night of bachelorhood.”
He sauntered off.
I imagined shooting his head off his body.
It didn’t help.
“So…” Andrei shoved his hands in his pockets. “Exactly how many times have you broken your oath to the Family?”
I stared straight ahead. Andrei always was a mind reader. Or maybe my reaction was too violent—I never reacted. Angelo didn’t know that. Andrei did.
“Once,” I whispered. “With her.”
“Oh, I know who you were with.” Andrei chuckled. “My question is more of a…did our little assassin accidentally sleep with the nanny and then apologize for it…or has he been…doing more?”
“What do you want?” I clenched my teeth. Rage settled over my body like a hot blanket.
“Interesting.” He crossed his arms. “Very interesting. I imagine Nixon has no idea, too focused on his family. But the other men, they know. Trust me.”
“Chase encouraged…he baited…Chase is the devil,” I finally admitted.
“That, he is.” Andrei nodded encouragingly. “Was one woman truly worth death, Vic?”
I lifted my head and stared him down. “When that one woman is the only thing that makes you feel alive in this shit universe. Yes. It was worth it. It is worth it.”
“And when you die?”
“Still worth it.”
“And when she suffers because of it?”
I squeezed my eyes shut. “Protect her when I can’t.”
Andrei swore. “Well, that escalated quickly.” A single nod. “I give you my word.”
He held out his forearm. I grabbed it at the elbow and squeezed.
He leaned in as our foreheads touched briefly, his hand on the back of my neck.
“It is done,” he said.
I grabbed my knife from my pocket and slit the palm of my hand. He held out his hand and did the same.
“Sangue en, non Fuori,” we said in unison and parted ways. His eyes saw secrets, they fed off pain.
Andrei was one person I wanted in my corner because when it came down to it, he would burn the entire world to get his way and protect those he called friends—he would kill his loved ones in cold blood, he would laugh as he sent their souls to hell.
The enemy of my supposed ally will always be my strongest friend.
We needed more men willing to do the hard thing in this world, men who had not gone soft.
A few dancers made their way to the VIP section and wrapped their arms around him.
He didn’t stiffen, just turned his head to the right and kissed one of them while the other sucked on his neck.
Anyone watching would see pleasure.
Anyone but someone who knew what it was like to live in a state of constant pain, of constant want—knowing that you’ll never have your heart’s desire.
His eyes were indifferent.
His body language relaxed.
Except for his one tell.
His right foot tapped impatiently on the floor, and his eyes, for one brief moment flashed to the cages on the stage, and burned black.
I didn’t turn to see who held his interest.
Because I didn’t want to feel guilty when she was sold.
Andrei was in deep.
The only way out was death or bringing the rings down.
Which was why he chose to play the part of the bad guy—it came so naturally, why not give in to sin?
So he did.
And I wondered, as I walked out of his club, how long it would be before he just let it consume all the light he had left.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Renee
He never came.
I waited for him.
And he never came.
I finally fell asleep with the lights on, staring at his chair and wondering what was so important that he couldn’t come in and at least let me know he was okay.
It was around three a.m. when I finally got up and flipped the light off only to see light in the hallway and a person’s shoes in front of my door. I frowned down at the small crack and then felt ready to pummel the life out of him for not telling me he was okay.
I jerked the door open.
Vic didn’t move.
He stared straight ahead like the wall was talking to him.
So I smacked him in the back. “You could have told me you were alive!”
He didn’t turn around, just hung his head. “I’m alive.”
>
“Well, I know that…now.” I crossed my arms. “I waited for you…”
He let out a sigh. I couldn’t tell if it was irritated or sad, maybe a mixture of both? “I apologize for your loss of sleep.”
Had I heard him right? “Um, what? You apologize for my lack of sleep? Are you a robot?” I smacked him again. “And turn around when we’re talking!”
Slowly, he turned and faced me. His eyes were dark, his face hardened like he’d just been told that everyone he loved was going to die—and it was his fault.
“Wh-what happened?” I reached for his face, but he pulled away. “Vic…”
He made his hands into fists and pressed them against the wall like he was aiming to punch straight through. “You should sleep.”
“I should also probably stop smacking a guy who’s carrying multiple knives and guns, but I can’t seem to help myself,” I said softly.
He closed his eyes like he was in pain.
“Vic.” I touched him lightly on the arm.
He hissed, then bit down on his lower lip. My eyes traveled up his arm. White gauze was wrapped around his hand and tied on the back.
“What’s that?” I reached for his hand.
He jerked it away. “Renee.” His tone was stern. “Go to bed. Now.”
“Fine, I’ll just go tell Nixon I know what your face looks like when you—” He slammed a hand over my mouth so fast I almost stumbled backwards. And then he was pulling me into the bedroom and shutting the door, locking us in.
Keeping them out.
My chest heaved as his gruff voice sounded in my ear. “You wouldn’t.”
“I wouldn’t,” I admitted. “But you weren’t playing fair, so I upped the stakes.”
“Fuck the stakes.” He laughed sourly. “The game’s already over, Renee.”
“It’s not a game.”
“Then why does it feel like it?” He released me and then spun around and ran his hands over his head. Footsteps sounded in the hall. We both froze, not that we were doing anything wrong. Slowly Vic made his way to the chair and sat just as someone stopped in front of the door and then kept walking.
I exhaled as he leaned back in the chair and stared me down. He didn’t even blink.
“How did you hurt your hand?” I pointed and then crossed the floor to where he was and sat on the bed.
He leaned forward, putting his knees on his elbows. “If I said I hurt it on purpose in order to protect someone I love—would you believe me?”
“Yes,” I whispered, suddenly feeling like this was bigger than us, bigger than something I could even possibly try to understand. “I would…” I licked my dry lips. “Is that what happened?”
“No. Actually, I just slit my own palm with my knife in an effort to confuse the guy holding a gun to my head. It gave me enough time to disarm him and save the world.” His lips twitched.
“Ass!” I threw a pillow at him. He didn’t even deflect it, so I tried hitting him again then ended up being grabbed midair since I was still holding the pillow. I wrapped my legs around him, dropped the pillow, and braced myself against his body.
His eyes fell to my mouth.
“Why do you look angry and sad?” I asked, cupping his face with my hands while he braced my body with his. “Is there anything I can do to make you laugh?”
“I rarely laugh.”
“Your laugh makes me feel real joy,” I admitted.
His face fell. “You deserve all the joy in the world, Renee.”
“Then stop being so stingy with it.” I winked, meeting him halfway for a kiss. He didn’t kiss me back.
I tilted my head. “Do you not…I mean, is this about…” I couldn’t even get the words out before his mouth came crashing down on mine with such ferocity I almost fell out of his arms. He angled his head to deepen the kiss. I moaned when I fell back onto the mattress. His fingers clawed for my tank as he pulled it over my head and feasted his eyes on me. I could see the indecision on his face.
So I leaned up on my elbows and started pulling off his pants, making the decision for him. The bold caress of his tongue only encouraged me more as his hands closed around my breasts, coaxing me with a promise for more. He dragged his mouth from mine when I tugged his jeans down, exposing his hard length. I could have sworn it was throbbing or maybe that was me, I was in physical pain for wanting him so desperately. His body surged toward mine and then with a deep primitive growl, he drove into me as I clutched a fistful of his shirt and held on. An aching tension built between us as a frenzied look crossed his face. I pulled back, cupping his cheeks, slowing the process down. He pulled my hands away and then flipped our positions and pulled me back onto him so I could ride him.
“Renee?”
“Yes.” I slid onto him and couldn’t help but squeeze my eyes shut as a spasm of pleasure hit. I was breathtakingly aware of every movement as he pressed his large hands into my hips and sped up my rhythm.
“Say my name.”
I leaned down and whispered across his lips. “Vic.”
His body convulsed beneath mine as every muscle went taut.
“Vic.” I said it again because I liked hearing it, I liked saying it. I could feel my blood humming in my veins as I took him deep, kept him there. Promised to never let him go. “You’re mine, Vic.”
His glassy eyes looked into my soul. “I’ll always be yours.”
And then he was relentlessly moving with me, pushing us toward completion when I didn’t want to be anywhere but there in that moment with him inside me, telling me that we belonged to each other.
Pain crossed his face when his restraint snapped. I sighed in ecstasy when I felt him inside me, truly making me a part of him. I shuddered limp against his body and prayed he’d stay that way so I could feel our skin pressed against each other.
But he didn’t.
He slowly lifted me off of him, grabbed my clothes, helped me dress, wordlessly tucked me into bed and pulled the duvet over my body.
“You’re not staying?” My chest felt tight, and I had no idea why, why was I sad? Why was he sad?
“Not tonight” was all he said as he leaned down and brushed a soft kiss across my cheek. “But I’ll be watching.”
“My protector,” I whispered, not realizing I was as tired as I really was. He made it to the door and watched me like he promised for a few seconds. My heavy eyelids finally closed just as I could have sworn I heard the words “forgive me” fall from his lips.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Vic
I didn’t sleep.
I would sleep when she was gone.
When I could rage in the privacy of my own room, when I could torture myself with sheets I would never wash.
With memories I would never forget.
“Don’t take this the wrong way,” Chase said as he walked into the room for dinner the next night. “But you look like shit.”
“Don’t take this the wrong way.” I flipped him off and jerked out a chair so I could at least sit and not pace the hallway she was supposed to be walking down any minute.
The exchange was taking place at nine.
Fuck.
I had three hours left.
Three. Hours.
I would not survive this sort of loss.
I had never realized.
And now I did.
A panicked feeling washed over me, making my entire body want to bolt from the room, throw her over my shoulder, and catch the first flight to Mexico.
Let them chase us.
I’d kill them all.
Over her.
For her.
For us.
I ran my hands through my hair and down my face, realizing I hadn’t shaved in a day and probably looked a second away from snapping.
Chase sat down across from me and let out a long sigh. “I didn’t know.”
“Know?”
“That you loved her. I didn’t know this was more than sex. Had I known, I would have done the right th
ing and locked you in the basement.”
I snorted. “You think that would have kept me away?”
“Shit, that’s…” He poured himself a glass of wine. “What if we tell Nixon? See if there’s a way out of this where we don’t have to go to war with the Sicilian families? She’s over eighteen, she can have a say.”
I smiled sadly. “You of all people should know that we rarely get a say in this life.”
His demeanor darkened. “Yeah, well…”
“Thank you, though.”
“Don’t thank me for helping ruin you—I wouldn’t wish the loss of love on anyone, not even my greatest enemy. This isn’t fair to her, we both know that. But her one life keeps us at peace with the Sicilians, it keeps her safe from the Russians and the De Langes.” He lifted the wine to his lips. I could tell he was far away again, thinking of the past. Worrying over the future as any person did when they had a family.
A family.
I almost laughed.
I thought I knew what family was.
Until her.
And now I realized the family I’d always had was missing a pivotal piece, a partner.
We didn’t speak anymore to one another. He was lost in the past.
And I was mourning my future.
My family all slowly trickled in.
Things got louder and louder until the noise just consumed me. And finally Renee made it down the hall and sat at the table across from me.
And then, she lifted her eyes and smiled.
At me.
Her father’s murderer.
She gave me something in that smile.
She gave me hope that it wasn’t going to be the last time I saw her smile.
She made me feel in that smile.
She started a war with that smile.
I stood abruptly. “I need some air.”
I stomped my way down the hall and jerked open the first door that wasn’t locked.
The bathroom.
I opened up the windows and leaned out, inhaling, exhaling. Twisting all possible outcomes until the problem got harder rather than unraveled.
A knock sounded.
“Go away.”
The doorknob turned. I should have locked the door.
Envy: An Eagle Elite Novella Page 12
