“Love?” he sneers, cocking his gun.
“You won’t get away with this.”
“They’ll never even notice you’re missing.”
“You’re wrong.” Matteo presses the barrel of his gun against the back of Mr. Black’s head, cocking the gun. “She means everything to us.”
Mr. Black curses softly under his breath before raising his gun and pointing it directly at my chest.
“I love you. All three of you, and always will,” I whisper, wanting him to know my feelings before the end.
I close my eyes tightly, ready to accept my fate.
One shot rings loudly, the sound echoing off the walls.
CHAPTERTWENTY-FOUR
SALVATORE
When I woke up without Celia’s warm body pressed against mine, I knew there was something wrong. Holding her in my arms last night, sharing her warmth… it changed me. Everything we did last night altered me.
I’ve spent most of my life keeping a part of myself locked away from the world. I used to believe it was because of my business and being unable to trust someone because it could cost me my life. But since meeting Celia, I know it was something more.
We’ve made no secret of our proclivities to be adventurous in the bedroom, not to mention our tendency to share women. Each of us has our own personal kinks, but there’s no judgment when we enter Club Sin. It’s one of the main reasons for our membership at the club. It’s a safe place for us to explore each and every one of our sexual fantasies, to indulge in the one thing that allows us to be free.
Free from responsibility. Free from judgment. Just free.
Freedom isn’t a gift we have much of, especially me. Uniting the families of Chicago takes time and creates many enemies. Enemies that are constantly trying to find our weaknesses and exploit them. But last night was the first time I found the freedom I’ve longed for all these years from a woman I know nothing about.
Celia is not someone we’d usually cross paths with, sticking out like a sore thumb at the club. When Lyra told us Celia was poking around for information about us, we knew bringing her closer to us was the only option. We needed to know who she was working for and what she was really doing at Club Sin, but somewhere along the line, the lines blurred.
Instead of finding pleasure in her body, taking what we need whenever we want, each of us fell under her spell. She didn’t scoff at our need to control her, tease her, exploring every sexual fantasy she’s ever had. I expected her to be disgusted, labeling us as perverts.
And for a long time, I planned for it. Waiting for the day that we’d push her too far out of her comfort zone, but that time has yet to come. And I doubt it ever will.
Last night, I felt a sense of belonging I’d never experienced before, finally realizing that she’s the glue binding us together. She’s the queen we’ve needed by our side and the final piece to help make our dream of uniting the Chicago families a reality. She has a light inside her that draws people in. They want to bathe in her light. A warmth that no one else in this line of work possesses. She puts people at ease, which is what we need if this is going to work. She will be the foundation for our growing empire.
The moment we noticed she was missing, we sprang into action, not wanting to waste another minute. I expected to find her pressed up against some other man or passing information, not a gun pointed at her chest.
We caught bits and pieces of what was being said as we snuck down the stairs. The heartbreaking sound of her voice as she pleads for information about her sister will be ingrained in my mind for the rest of my life. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t understand her desire to protect her sister. I’d do the same for Antonio. Have done so occasionally, but it still hurts. We all have secrets that we keep from one another. Maybe now it’s time for everything to come out in the open.
My blood is cold in my veins, immediately turning to ice when I hear a single shot echo off the walls.
“No!” I roar, rushing down the stairs, but Antonio is a hair faster, slamming into her side, his arms wrapping tightly around her body. Their bodies skid across the floor before colliding with a pillar.
“Is she all right?” I bellow, wild-eyed, as I storm down the stairs toward them.
My bare feet slap against the marble floor, my chest heaving with rage as I approach them. Every nerve in my body is on high alert, searching the shadows for additional threats to our girl’s life. But everything melts away the moment I see her wrapped tightly in my brother’s arms, his nose buried in her neck, assuring himself that she’s alive.
Tears shine in her eyes as she whimpers his name and mine, our eyes locking with each other over his shoulder. It’s right at this moment that I know I love her.I’ve never allowed anyone in completely, but now, all my walls crumble at her feet.
She could’ve easily found the information she needed to set her sister free, but something held her back. I don’t dare to hope she feels the same way about us as I do, and I’m sure Antonio and Matteo do, as well. I’ve never needed someone so badly in my life. We all do, but she fills a gap in our lives, a gap only she can fill.
She’s mine.
She’s ours.
I drop to my knees, wrapping myself around them both. We rock back and forth, words of apology, praise, and so much more all jumbled together as the three of us fight desperately to maintain control.