Scarless & Sacred (The Chicago War #3)

by Bethany-Kris

  “I dream about dying,” Evelina confessed.

  Theo drew in a slow breath. “Dying.”

  “Usually.”

  “Any particular event?”

  “Being shot. Most times it’s in the chest, for whatever reason, but I’ve had a few where it’s in the face, too.”

  “Like your mother.”

  His tone had dropped to a gentle volume, quieter than Evelina had ever heard it before.

  “I had these nightmares long before she died,” Evelina replied. “But they’re more frequent since the restaurant shooting.”

  Theo’s brow furrowed. “What bothers you the most about the nightmares?”

  “The dying thing isn’t enough?”

  “After you have the same nightmare so many times, you know what to expect, Eve.”

  She refused to look at him again, hating how he seemed to see right through her words to the troubles she truly felt.

  “I don’t like how I feel it, mostly.”

  “Feel it?” he asked. “Like the gun shot?”

  “No, my blood. I always try to reach for it, like I want to hold it or maybe I’m trying to stop it. But when I do, I feel it.”

  “Warm,” he said.

  “Wet, too.”

  Theo didn’t seem as though he found her nightmares odd at all. In fact, he picked up his wipe and small plastic jar of oil and began to clean his dismantled gun without another word.

  “Theo?”

  “Yes, Eve?”

  “Are you not going to sleep at all?”

  Theo stilled, his hands freezing. “Probably not.”

  “It’s not because of … us, right?”

  “No.”

  “Me?” she asked.

  “Partially. Like I said earlier, I don’t usually share a personal space with someone at all.”

  Evelina eyed his tattoo again.

  Owls weren’t afraid of the dark.

  She was pretty sure Theo didn’t like it, for whatever reason.

  Silently, she clamored out of the bed and crossed the space between them. Theo went back to wiping down the gun as Evelina settled into the couch beside him. She tucked the sheet around her shoulders and leaned into his side. He didn’t tell her to go back to bed.

  The quiet sounds of the buffing cloth sweeping over the metal mixed in with Theo’s rhythmic breathing quickly lulled Evelina back into a peaceful state. She barely noticed her eyes turning drowsy, and the sleep edging around her senses.

  Theo leaned back on the couch, and moved Evelina’s head into his lap. She caught the sight of his amused smirk as he worked above her to stick a Q-tip down the barrel of the gun. The cut of his jaw was as strong as ever, but he seemed more relaxed than he usually did. It made his handsome features all the more gorgeous.

  Evelina wondered if Theo realized how sexy he was when he was calm and content.

  “You’re disgustingly good-looking.”

  Theo laughed under his breath. “That’s a first. I’ve heard a lot about my looks, but I don’t think anyone has ever called me disgusting for it.”

  “Well, I’m special.”

  “You are.”

  Evelina grinned, feeling his fingers roll through the waves of her dark hair a second after metal clicked on glass. “Are you done cleaning your gun?”

  “It doesn’t need to be cleaned at all.”

  “Then what were you doing?”

  “Distracting myself.”

  Evelina frowned. Through the shadows of her lashes, she couldn’t help but notice the distance in Theo’s features. “You can turn the light on, Theo.”

  Seconds passed. He said nothing and did the same. Then, Theo leaned over and hit the remote to turn the lights on dim.

  “Eve?”

  “Hmm?” she asked softly, close to drifting off to sleep.

  “I didn’t think we’d end up like this tonight.”

  “Us having sex?”

  “No … this. Talking and shit. I’ve been thinking about fucking you for a while, as far as that goes. Don’t blame a guy for wanting it.”

  Evelina smiled. “I won’t.”

  “Definitely worth the wait. Worth the trouble, anyway.”

  Maybe …

  “This is okay, too, Theo. I don’t expect anything.”

  She wasn’t lying.

  Theo didn’t respond to that. Instead, he said, “I think I’m going to end up being that guy.”

  Evelina struggled to know what he was talking about. “The one who uses me to get what he wants?”

  “Yeah, that one.”

  “Huh. What is it you want?”

  Theo sighed. “I’m not even sure yet.”

  “Ugh, stop moving, pillow.”

  Theo’s dark chuckles rocked Evelina more. “Sorry, but I have to make a call.”

  “God, what time is it?”

  “Six.”

  “Who in the hell do you call at six in the morning, Theo?”

  “People. Go back to sleep, bella.”

  Evelina felt his palm ghost over her cheek. “Did you just call me beautiful?”

  “You can speak Italian.”

  “I can.”

  “Then don’t ask me something you already know.”

  “Asshole.”

  “Sometimes,” Theo agreed. “Let me up and I’ll be back in a few for you to sleep on again.”

  “Okay. Deal.”

  Theo was a hard pillow, but a good one all the same. Evelina had woken up a couple of more times only to find Theo still awake and lost in his own thoughts. She hadn’t bothered him, but simply fell back asleep feeling his hands on her skin under the sheet she’d wrapped up in.

  “You’re still not moving, Eve.”

  “Boo, you suck.”

  Theo laughed. “I’ll be right back.”

  Evelina grumbled and forced herself to wake up just enough to move for Theo. Once he was off the couch, she turned into nothing but legs, arms, and a sheet curled into the couch. Without Theo’s warm form to snuggle with, the coolness of the room wrapped around her body. Evelina didn’t care. She was already halfway to falling back asleep.

  She’d never been much of a morning person.

  “Yeah, hey,” she heard Theo say in the background. “Sorry, I know it’s early.”

  Evelina perked up, but tried not to move. She knew better than to eavesdrop on Theo’s conversation as his voice became muted and the bathroom door clicked shut, but she couldn’t help it. There were only a few times Evelina had heard Theo’s voice turn gentle like it had just then. Whenever he talked about Lily, for one. And earlier, when she’d woken from her nightmare.

  Sitting up on the couch, Evelina strained to hear the muffled, one-sided conversation.

  “Not this week,” Theo said, “and probably not next. I know I said I’d come see him but … Yeah, Karen, I get that, but it’s not smart for me to be running up there right now.”

  Karen?

  Something awful welled in Evelina’s gut, making her feel sick and terrible. She was sure Theo wasn’t involved with any other woman. He’d given her the impression he didn’t have any romantic relationships that were serious. She didn’t want to think he had lied to her, but she didn’t want to be that woman for a man, either.

  “Listen, there’s a lot of shit going on right now, and I don’t want to draw any attention to him or you. I’ll be around … Yeah, I’ll send over a video for him to watch or whatever. He likes that … Okay, later.”

  Evelina barely dropped back down to the couch before the light from the bathroom filtered into the large hotel room. She heard the phone hit the table before Theo’s hands were roving over her sides, urging her up from the couch again. Evelina kept the groggy, half-asleep act up as he took his spot on the couch and laid her head back into his lap silently.

  All of the questions were suddenly burning on the back of Evelina’s tongue. She couldn’t have stopped them from coming out even if she wanted to.

  “Theo?” Evelina whispered.<
br />
  “Sleep, Eve. I’ll have hot coffee and breakfast for you when you wake up again.”

  Evelina gazed up at him, dropping the pretense of sleeping. She was wide awake now. A heat curled in her middle as his palm found the curve in her waist and then moved down to her thigh under the sheet. She said nothing as he fixed the tangled sheet around her legs as the tips of his fingers roamed her skin. His dark gaze traveled over her breasts before he fixed the sheet there, too.

  She felt hyperaware and so fucking alive with this man. It was strange and dangerous.

  “What, Eve?” Theo finally asked.

  Pushing away her nerves, Evelina asked, “Who is Karen?”

  Theo sucked in a hard breath, a warning darkening his features. “Someone you don’t need to worry about.”

  “But—”

  Evelina’s words cut off as Theo’s hand found her chin. He caught her chin and bottom lip between his forefinger and thumb, tilting her head back enough that all she could see was him leaning over her. At the same time, she felt his hand on her thigh snake between her legs. With a little snap of his palm against her skin, she opened her legs to his silent request. Two fingers slid along her sex, teasing and touching. With just a few quick strokes, she was wet and hot, and her breath felt shallow.

  “You-you’re …”

  Evelina couldn’t get the words out. They were swallowed by her moan as his fingers slid inside her pussy and curled hard into her G-spot. His thumb, still pressed to her lip, pushed a little harder. Through hooded eyes, she watched his lips twist into a smirk as her legs began to shake.

  “What, Eve?” Theo asked.

  “Distracting me,” she breathed.

  Theo nodded. “I am.”

  It was good, though.

  So fucking good.

  Theo seemed to know just how to play her body without any prodding at all. Fast, rough strokes of his fingers that stretched her open and hit every goddamn nerve she had. Evelina didn’t know what else to do except open her legs wider for him when he told her to do it, and pant her way through the first orgasm.

  “Oh, my God, Theo.”

  Theo cocked a brow and pressed his thumb hard into the hood of her clit. “Again, Eve.”

  She couldn’t breathe. Sensitivity walked hand in hand with bliss and he didn’t relent for a damned second. If he kept going like he was, fucking her roughly with his fingers while his thumb jarred her clit over and over, she was going to come again and fast.

  “Again, Eve,” Theo demanded. “My name in your mouth while you’re shaking and coming all over my hand.”

  “You’re distracting me,” she accused, still wanting his hands and fingers.

  Anything.

  She’d take anything from this man.

  “She’s not important,” Eve heard him say as the pleasure rocked her for a second time.

  “I—”

  “Stop it, Eve. I told you.”

  “Not important.”

  “Yes.”

  That was enough for Evelina.

  Her throat felt tight and dry as he pulled her up and caught her cry with a kiss that was sure to leave more of his marks behind.

  “Again,” Theo repeated, growling the words against her lips. “Give me that again, Eve. Let me feel it, babe.”

  Everything he did was to feel—wasn’t that what he had said once?

  What control she regained was lost.

  Evelina didn’t mind.

  “You’re not ready yet?”

  Evelina jumped at the sound of her father’s voice. Fixing the curls back around her neck to hide the mark she’d been looking over. It was one of the few reminders of her three days holed away in a hotel with Theo. She pretended like her father hadn’t scared her.

  “I’m ready,” Evelina said, turning to let her father look over the silver, knee-length sparkly dress she’d chosen.

  As the boss of the Outfit, Riley had decided to throw a Christmas party for the families. Maybe it was some attempt at a peace offering, or a way to bring everyone together and try to make peace. Evelina wasn’t exactly sure what games her father was playing with the people around them, but he’d invited everyone as far as she knew.

  Riley looked her over, sighing quietly. “You look …”

  “What, Dad?”

  “Grown up.”

  Evelina tried not to let the sentimental tone her father took on weed its way into her emotions. The last few months couldn’t be ignored, and Evelina had very little trust for her father, now. Not after all he’d done, and how he acted after her mother’s death.

  “Thank you.”

  Riley took another step forward. “Courtney will be on her best behavior tonight.”

  For once, Evelina held back from saying.

  “Okay.”

  “I expect for you to do the same,” Riley finished firmly.

  “I will.”

  No need to piss her father off, after all. There was only so much the man would take, and acting like a fool in front of his people was not one of them.

  “And if anyone happens to mention your little disappearing act last week, you’re not to say a thing,” Riley said.

  Evelina swallowed the lump that lodged in her throat. “I won’t.”

  “I understand your brother’s reasoning for panicking and hiding you away, but it looked terrible on me when I was unable to account for my daughter, Evelina.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  But she wasn’t.

  Not at all.

  “As far as the BMW …”

  “What about it?” she asked.

  “I have a new one ordered, but it’ll take a few extra days what with the holiday and everything. We’ll call it your Christmas gift, I suppose.”

  Evelina didn’t like this at all. Nothing was right about her father’s behavior. He’d been this way ever since Evelina had returned home with no one any wiser about her days away with Theo DeLuca. Her father hadn’t thrown a fit about her disappearance, that she sneaked away from her enforcers, or that she lied to Adriano the night her car was burned. Riley had been nice, good-natured, and had even kept Courtney’s attitude on a leash. It was almost like her father was trying to soften Evelina for whatever reason.

  No, she didn’t like this.

  She didn’t trust Riley.

  “I wanted to have a chat with you before the guests start arriving, which was why I asked you to come here and get ready,” Riley said.

  Evelina stiffened at her father’s admission. “About what?”

  “After your brother’s mess with the Trentini girl—”

  “Alessa, Dad. It’s Alessa.”

  Riley waved her words off. “Whatever. He made a damned fool of me, Eve. And at the worst possible time. I have to fix it. You’ve always understood the rules before; you understand this life and how it works.”

  A sickening sensation washed over Evelina. He couldn’t possibly be talking about what she thought he was. He wouldn’t … right?

  “Groomed and understand are two entirely different things,” Evelina said quietly.

  Riley’s gaze narrowed. “Yes, well either way, you know what is expected.”

  She did, sadly.

  “What is it?”

  “Tonight, I’ll be announcing your engagement.”

  Evelina’s heart stopped. “My engagement.”

  “Yes.”

  “To who?”

  “Tommas Rossi, of course. He’s got the proper name and the best position to back him up. It’ll give my family the appearance of solidarity with another family we’ve had previous issues with, and should hopefully quiet whatever unrest remains. The Rossi crew has always been partial to the DeLuca side of the Outfit. My hope is that the marriage will settle the feuds between everyone. No one wants problems simply because they dislike the Conti boss. It would only add more enemies to their list.”

  Simple, but effective.

  It still didn’t make much sense to Evelina. Someone had still shot at her whil
e Theo walked her to her car. Someone burned down her damned car. People like her father and Joel Trentini blamed Theo and his family for those things, but she knew that just wasn’t possible. Theo had been with her. Her father knew that as well.

  So, if her father was trying to force the crews into peacefully settling down whatever issues they had with someone else, maybe Riley didn’t believe Theo was the actual perpetrator of those incidents.

  “The DeLucas or someone else, Dad?” Evelina asked.

  Riley smirked. “Well, we’ll use young Theo as a stand-in for now. He’s a good example to make to the rest. I don’t mind the sacrifice.”

  A good example? Sacrifice? What in the hell was that supposed to mean?

  “Someone is always waiting to fill in, as the saying goes,” Riley added.

  “Tommas is my cousin,” Evelina said harshly.

  “Through marriage only.” Riley smiled coldly. “It’s well known your mother was adopted into that family through a close friend when she was an infant. There’s no blood to be shared between you and Tommas. Hell, your mother hated Tommas’ mother as well, so even when people were told they were sisters, most wouldn’t believe it. There’s nothing that says it shouldn’t happen.”

  Except the way Evelina felt.

  “I know him as my cousin,” she argued weakly. “Others do, too.”

  “And soon, you’ll know him as something different.”

  Before Evelina could respond, a knock on the bedroom door drew her attention to the man standing there. Tommas Rossi offered Riley a polite, tight smile that spoke of respect and very little else.

  “Boss,” Tommas greeted quietly.

  “Rossi. I’ll give you a second with her to discuss what you’d like.” Riley turned back to Evelina, his lips tight and his expression severe. It was almost like he could see the fight in her eyes and how she wanted to refuse. “What have I always told you, Eve?”

  “Be a good girl.”

  Riley nodded. “Smile for the crowd, Evelina. Make your parents proud, beautiful girl. You were always so good at that. Don’t fail at it now.”

  Never shame me.

  The Conti Principessa.

  Evelina felt sick and cold all over, but she said nothing as her father left. Tommas closed the door behind Riley and took a few short steps into the bedroom.