So it’s not easy when I don’t listen to reason and take calculated risks. They’re all unarmed, stripped of mobile phones, and our location is unknown. The only threats I face are their eyes and ears, but that could easily be remedied at a later date.
“Morales wants a date set in stone for the wedding with Bianca.” Shane lights a cigarette and pockets his zippo. “He’s just on the phone, demanding to speak with you directly.”
“What did you tell him?”
“That you were burying your father and to be fucking patient.”
I laugh, walking the empty corridors with Shane a step behind me. “I haven’t decided if I’m going ahead with it yet.”
Why the hell would I agree to marry a woman who’d never capture my full attention like Carina just did on that staircase? I was spellbound, almost rendered speechless. She’s worn girly dresses before, but nothing like the intoxicating, sexy as fuck layer of gold that spilled over her sexy curves and plump tits.
The woman is as rare as an expensive gold-plated Bugatti Veyron sports car. She’s more powerful than Aphrodite ruling an Empire. Which also makes her priceless and irreplaceable––something of unspeakable value that could be snuffed from existence in a heartbeat.
“You’re serious, aren’t you?”
I shrug, ignoring the tight pain in my chest. “I've got some shit to sort out in my head first. There’s no rush.”
Approaching my father’s office, a shudder jerks my bones. As a teen, I’d spent many a night prowling outside this door, hoping he’d invite me in. It was only after he put a Glock in my hand and told me to pull the trigger that I’d learned about my glitch.
That day, I should have blown a hole in a stranger's head. Papá ordered the assassination without telling me why the man’s life had to end. Instincts told me not to do it, that maybe his crime didn’t deserve death. In that flicker of hesitation, Papá shot the guy in the face instead.
Blood hit me like a slap, the coppery taste hurtling me back to the bomb blast and to Uncle Angelo—the first man I killed. After that, everything went black. Apparently, it took two men to restrain me and three months to find my way back to the edge of darkness.
Until Carina threw me a rope and pulled me to her warm sandy shore where the sun shines on my face and forgiving waves lap at my feet. It’s paradise.
The stench of stale cigar smoke still taints the air, his leather seat unoccupied, and the heavy curtains are respectfully drawn. I switch the desk lamp on and sink into the winged chair beside the bookcase. I might wear his crown, but this room belongs to him. This is the one place where his unsettled spirit still lives.
Shane props his shoulder against the ceiling high bookcase and stares at the Souza family portrait hung beside the framed photograph of Papá’s pet tigers. “The girl... you’re thinking of keeping her, aren’t you?”
“It’s not about that.” I swallow the lie, finding Shane’s incredulous glare. “I won’t be held to ransom by anyone. I agreed to marry Bianca before I took over the organization. Things are different now.” My ribs squeeze. “Anyway, Carina has a family of her own and a life she must return to. One that doesn’t include me, or my world.
“Nothing’s different, Tommy. You were running the show long before Elias entered that fancy ass tomb. From where I’m standing, you’ve fallen for an innocent and you’re trying to figure out if she’s worth starting a war for.”
“She’s worth it.” I confess, the power of my words tingling all over me. “But this life isn’t for Carina. It never will be. I’ll end up falling in love with her and then…”
Shane sighs, expelling a lungful of smoke as the air leaves his nose. “Our enemies will try to kill her.” He finishes my sentence.
“Theywillkill her,” I gnash my teeth at him. “You saw them all eyeing her up in there and those guys are the loyal ones. Carina isn’t safe with me. What good is all this wealth and power when I’m a curse for death?”
“I get the impression she can handle herself.” Shane scrubs his bloodshot eyes. “She’s got Tomás Souza by the balls and that’s a fucking scary thing to deal with.” His laugh echoes in the stillness of Souza history. “The question is, are you ready to put everything on the line... for her, including her neck.”
I lose a few seconds as a black rage plows through my soul. “Stick to the plan. Get Carina out of here first thing in the morning. I’ll call Morales about the wedding when she’s gone.”
28
CARINA
When I saw him at the foot of the grand staircase, my whole life flashed before me.
From the unthinkable mistake I made as a young girl under a shroud of depression, to the second chance I’d been given to find myself. To find the striking man who stared at me like the world was on fire and I was the only thing that mattered.
The pulsating darkness he exuded crept up the stairs with him, stealing my fear of criticism and replacing it with a deep-rooted want. The flaming desire unfurling in his gaze made me wet. Wetter than I could tolerate.
Then his sexy voice rumbled like thunder on a sunny afternoon, thrilling me with its energy and heating me with intense sunshine. He told me I was stunning. It didn’t matter that his mother stood behind me or his brothers were watching with shock etched on their handsome faces.
Hunger seeped out from under his custom designed suit and covered me in a wild shiver. Our connection forged a new strand, where his need for control sprouted into a desire to nurture. He didn’t manhandle me, or leave me to navigate the heights with my heels alone. No, he clasped my hand as a mannerly king and watched my every step until we reached the bottom tread and then the floor together.
I thrived on the sensation of his authority guiding me through the hallway where the crowd parted to allow their ruler passage. But what made me dizzy was the roughness of his trimmed stubble against my cheek when his lips settled by the shell of my ear.