Total pages in book: 27
Estimated words: 24774 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 124(@200wpm)___ 99(@250wpm)___ 83(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 24774 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 124(@200wpm)___ 99(@250wpm)___ 83(@300wpm)
Now, he held Evelyn’s life in his hands. His attention was on her because of her association with me.
“Let her go,” I ground out. “She has nothing to do with your vendetta. I’m the one you want to hurt.”
Rocco cocked his head at me. “I’ve seen you with women before, but never like this. I’ve been watching you ever since you landed in Naples. You’re obsessed with her.” He laughed like it was the funniest joke he’d ever heard. “I think you might even love her. It’s more than just a good fuck, isn’t it?”
Confessing my love now would seal her fate. I was toxic to the people I loved most. She’d told me she loved me, and I hadn’t said it back. Because some dark part of me knew this was inevitable: my love for her would kill her.
He licked her pale cheek, and she shuddered in revulsion. Her peridot eyes were wide and wild with terror. With with his blade pressing into her neck, she barely breathed. A small bead of blood welled at her throat, and panic clawed me.
“Maybe I should take my turn fucking her before I give her scars to match mine,” Rocco mused.
I roared in wordless fury, beyond coherent thought. All I could see was the flash of the knife that could end her life and her pinched, fearful features. A sense of powerlessness hollowed out my chest, and it had nothing to do with the weaker men who had me pinned down. I couldn’t so much as flinch without risking her life.
He groped at her chest with his free hand, squeezing her breast hard enough to draw a sharp cry from her.
“I think I want her bleeding when I feel her cunt fighting my cock.” He shifted the blade, moving it from her throat to her freckled cheek.
“Wait!” A new voice boomed through the basement. “This isn’t what we discussed.”
I couldn’t take my eyes off the horrific sight of Rocco’s knife just below her left eye, so I read her lips clearly when she soundlessly said the man’s name.
George.
Chapter 11
Evelyn
My brain stalled out at the sight of my ex-fiancé descending the stairs, rushing into the dank basement. He looked exactly as I remembered him: carefully styled, dark blond hair, cleanshaven, square jaw, and navy blue eyes framed in thick lashes. He looked every inch the righteous federal agent, but he wasn’t here to save me from the Camorra.
“Don’t hurt her,” he snapped at Rocco.
For a moment, my heart leapt. Maybe George had realized the depth of his sins. Maybe he wasn’t here to kill me and keep his sordid secret.
Rocco’s knife remained ice cold against my cheek. The barest pressure would slice into my skin.
“You told us about Massimo’s deal with the cartels to undercut our business here in Naples,” Rocco said to George, his voice even icier than his blade. “In exchange for the information, I promised you I’d handle your ex. She won’t tell anyone about your relationship with Los Zetas. I invited you here as a courtesy to see that the job is done. Shut the fuck up and let me handle my business.”
A muscle ticked in George’s jaw, a warning sign that his anger was mounting.
The man I’d once thought I loved was a stranger to me. I’d planned to spend the rest of my life with this monster, but all he cared about was saving his own reputation.
I found Massimo’s silver eyes, allowing him to look straight into the core of me, to see my love for him. His beautiful features were twisted with rage and terror for me. An odd sense of calm settled over me.
Despite the fact that I faced a painful death, I didn’t regret meeting Massimo. For years, I’d made myself small for George. I’d done everything in my power to make him happy, desperate to earn his love in return.
With Massimo, I allowed myself to be difficult at times. I’d challenged him for keeping me against my will, and I stood up to him when he made demands of me that I didn’t agree with. I felt empowered to express my full range of emotions with him because I felt inherently safe with my dark protector.
He had offered me his love freely and fiercely. He hadn’t said the words to me yet, but he’d proven his love for me so many times.
“I didn’t agree to you torturing her,” George ground out.
Rocco barked a frigid laugh. “She’s fucking your enemy, and you’re trying to spare her some pain? If you’re too much of a pussy to watch, then you can leave. I’ve been waiting to punish Massimo for far too long. You won’t ruin this for me.”
I opened myself to Massimo, allowing him to see my devotion and gratitude shining through my eyes. No matter what happened now, I wouldn’t change one moment we’d shared. He had allowed me to truly be myself for the first time in my life. I would never regret that.