Page 26 of Reckless Games

Chapter 13

Angela

“This will be your room,” Lorenzo said, opening the door to an elegant pearl white suite. It was not much different from the one in his mansion in Italy, except this one was bigger.

“My room?” I asked, marveling at the luxury that once seemed confined to movies. It was astonishing how a single decision had catapulted me into a world of such splendor.

“Why, Angel? Would you rather be in mine?” Lorenzo smirked, leaning in closer. “I wouldn’t mind. In fact, I’d be more than pleased.” His closeness made my cheeks flush, and I pushed him back, my heart racing. The ease with which this man could make my knees buckle was astounding.

“That won’t be necessary,” I replied with a smile.

“Shame.”

“It is, isn’t it?” I teased, turning to take in the room again. “What about your parents? Do they live here with you?” I walked to the window, which offered a breathtaking view of the front yard and the garden. The thought of waking up to such a sight every morning was thrilling.

“Dead,” Lorenzo whispered, suddenly behind me. I gasped, unprepared for his answer. He wrapped his arms around my waist, resting his chin on my shoulder, his light stubble grazing my skin.

“Oh! I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—”

“It’s alright, Angel. It doesn’t matter,” he interrupted gently.

“If you don't mind me asking, when did it happen?” I asked softly. He sighed, turning me around to face him. His hand cupped my cheek, his thumb tracing gentle circles that made me want to purr with delight.

“My mother passed away when I was ten,” Lorenzo said quietly. “And my father died a year ago, at old age. So yes, we saw that one coming.” He took my hand and led me to the bed, where we sat down together.

“I’m sure they must be proud of you. You’ve grown into a strong, respectable man.” I meant every word. Despite everything, the side of Lorenzo I had seen made me believe he was not inherently bad. He just did what he had to do to protect his empire. But instead of accepting my heartfelt words, he laughed—a deep, mysterious, villainous chuckle that, to my surprise, sounded incredibly sexy and made my stomach churn.

“Oh, trust me, Angel. People don’t think of me that way. They’d be anything but proud of the things I do. At least a sane person wouldn’t be proud.”

“So, you’re calling me insane?” I asked, feigning offense and pulling my hand to my chest. His chuckle deepened.

“No. You know what I mean. They respect me, but it’s out of fear. The fear of survival. They know they wouldn’t live to see another day if they crossed me.” His words were intense, each one flaming hot. How did he do that? “What about you?” he asked, meeting my eyes. “Any family?”

“I thought you already knew everything about me since someone told me it’s their favorite hobby to stalk.” I teased, rolling my eyes.

“In my defense, I do know. But I want to hear it from you.” I sighed, not expecting to see a day where I would share mydark times with Lorenzo Martinez. But there is a first time for everything, andthismight be the last.

“My parents died in a car accident when I was eight. I was in the car that night, but I survived. A man tried to take advantage of me, but someone was kind enough to save me. I was traumatized, but he helped me settle into his house. Kinda became my foster father.” My voice softened as I rushed through the end of my story. “Years passed; I turned eighteen, got my inheritance, moved out, and got into medical college to become a surgeon. But I had to drop out because I couldn’t afford it. And here I am.” My parents’ death changed everything. I could not imagine how I made it this far in a world full of vultures. It felt like a miracle, or maybe it was sheer luck when that night... I shuddered just thinking about how horrifying everything was.

“I can’t believe how hard it must have been for you to get over everything at such a young age,” Lorenzo said, taking my hands in his to comfort me. “You are so strong. And I’m so proud of you.”

“You’re one to talk,” I scoffed, knowing his mother also died when he was young.

“No, really. I still had my dad. You had no one.” That was true. I had no one. And I had been scared.Very scared. “But you don’t need to worry anymore now that you have me.” His eyes held a solemn look that made my heart skip a beat. Could anyone believe that Lorenzo Martinez had this side to him?Never.

My emotions took over, and I wrapped my arms around this loving man, falling deeper for him. “Thank you,” I whispered.Yes, I was falling for Lorenzo Martinez. And I could not deny that I was scared. Scared that I was making the wrong decision. After all, it’s the smallest choices we make that could completely change our lives for the better or worse. I just hoped it was not the latter.

Chapter 14

Lorenzo

“He won’t say anything,” Gio announced as he walked into my office at our base. He had managed to capture one of the men left barely alive after the attack and brought him to Sicily on my orders. Nikolai's men were not particularly valuable to him, so using this one as bait was futile. Still, I needed leads on Nikolai's whereabouts. He was not in Russia, as our intel confirmed. He had to be either in Italy or Sicily. So far, we had no traces of him, but that would not last. I would find that bastard one way or another. There is nothing a good old-fashioned torture session cannot reveal.

“Fine then. Looks like we’ll have to do this the hard way,” I said, rising from my desk. Giovanni and my men followed as I made my way to the torture room. I kicked the door open, hands casually tucked in my pockets as I strolled in. The captive flinched at the sound. I dragged a chair in front of him and sat down, leaning my elbows on my knees. A smirk played on my lips as I took in his condition. His left eye was completely swollen, a dark blue bruise obscuring it. He was securely tied to the wooden chair, his lips busted, blood trickling down his forehead. His clothes were ripped, and the red, burnt skin told me Gio had already splashed enough boiling water on him. Pity; he should have used acid.

“Bring me the pliers,” I ordered. One of the men quickly handed me the tool. “It’s a pity you didn’t cooperate when youhad the chance. Look where it got you. I don’t like wasting my time, but desperate times call for desperate measures,” I said, gripping his index finger and ripping off the nail. His screams echoed through the room as I methodically moved to the next finger. One by one, the room filled with the deafening cries of the weakling.

What a totalpussy!

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