Page 31 of Destruction

Keegan follows up. “And this is where I come in. It’s likely you’re facing the same type of planning that I did in my old job.” I can’t see his face right now, but when he first ran this by me, all the blood had drained from his features.

“As an assassin, or an operative?” Hollis asks smugly as he leans back. It sets my teeth on edge, but I pull myself back.

Keegan snorts. “I’m not surprised you know my background. I’ve never hidden it. Back when I was still with law enforcement, we used to play these games. Find a weak spot and press on it. It only works when it’s personal. And yes, that includes when my own team killed my lover.

“Vengeance…it’s a hell of a motivator. We have someone from a law enforcement background using all of their tools, and it has to be personal. Did they lose a loved one? A partner? Hell, maybe they just went batshit crazy and think it’s personal. They most probably don’t know who is pulling the strings, they just want us out of the way. I’d suspect few people would actually know who sits at the top though.”

Hollis waves Keegan’s words away. “Roman already figured out it was another LEO?—”

Jumping up, I cut him off, stalking toward him. “Why the fuck wasn’t I informed? We could have already been investigating!”

Hollis’s bored look enrages me. I lean forward and he calmly stands, not bothering to push me back. We’re a hair's breadth away as he speaks. “It’s a recent development. One he wanted to discuss in person. Had you waited for his next phone call, you would know this already. If you want to be patted on the head…at least you found out the court system is also infested, and confirmed with your lackey. Now, I suggest—strongly—that you back up. You will not like the consequences if you do not.”

Hollis slips a knife out of the sheath at his hip, and I shudder.Fuck. I know Il Padrone accepts my need to use sex as a release. Hell, he taught me to do it. But would he have a problem with me going outside the Family? Right now, I want nothing more than to go to my knees and choke on Hollis’s cock.

“And if I don’t?” I croak out.

The dark chuckle from Hollis causes me to shudder as he presses the knife to my neck. My eyes plead for something I have no right to ask for. Not when he’s already in a relationship. He has his own harem. Maybe that’s why I want him. I’d never waver from Master, and with Hollis, I’d have no desire anyway. I don’t want to reassure my Boys, I want to be controlled instead.

“Ah, I see, Cucciolo. You want what isn’t yours… You need something that no one else is capable of offering you… I can promise you—you’ll regret it.”

I croak out, “Never.”

Keegan hisses behind me, but doesn’t interrupt. At least he’s well trained. All I can do now is balance on a knife’s edge. Either way we go, it’ll change things. Hopefully, for the better…

This boy likes playing with fire. It’s the only thing I can think as I trace along Emilio’s throat with my knife. He doesn’t even hint at going for his, though we both know he’s better trained than I am.

No, he doesn’t want to defend himself from me… He wants whatever I can give him, even if it means he gets a little roughed up.

Flicking my wrist, I let the tip of the blade penetrate his flesh, drawing blood. His emerald eyes darken, the shade a close match to Roman’s own green. Keegan moves, like he’s going to try to stop me, and I meet his steely gaze. His lips press into a line of displeasure, and I decide he’s not a threat.

There are enough eyes on the security cameras, and Elias is right outside the room, so should he decide that he’s going to make himself a nuisance, the guards will take care of it. Though,I have a feeling Emilio wouldn’t take it well should his man decide to interrupt.

Not that there’s anything to interrupt—not yet. The question is: Do I want there to be?

Simple answer: Yes, I want to put this boy on his knees and make him feel everything I have to offer. He only thinks he wants me to put him in his place… He has no idea what he’s asking for. Or does he?

Il Padrone fell for him for a reason; he’s not just a pretty face. That doesn’t mean he knows exactly what he’s getting himself into, though. Unless Roman decided to share how he gets used, and I wouldn’t put it past our Giocattolo to share details. He earns his bruises, and isn’t ashamed of them, so I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that he overshares with his friend.

I should probably feel upset about that, but it’s amusing. Especially if that means Emilio thinks I’m the best person to give him what he needs. Which, I am. Either me or Tennant are the only ones capable of giving this volatile boy what he needs—possibly Jude, too, but I already know his answer, and like hell I’m going to allow Tennant to touch Emilio. At least, not unless I touch him first…

“Voglio vederti rovinato,” I whisper, dragging my knife down his throat, leaving a trail of blood in its wake.

Emilio shudders, his breath catching in his throat as I pull my knife from his skin, but don’t put it away.

“Do you think you’ve earned my cock, Cucciolo?”

Fire still dances in his eyes, not an ounce of his fury banked yet. Hmm. It seems I need to push him more.

I hum. “I bet I can make pretty sounds fall from your lips…” I tease one of his nipples through his shirt with my knife, drawing a breathless moan from his throat. “Strip, Cucciolo,” I order, stepping back.

Emilio is quick to do as he’s told, toeing out of his shoes and shucking his clothes off. He leaves them in a pile and I point my knife at them, forcing him to take a deep breath as he silently huffs but folds the clothing neatly.Much better.

We might be doing this because he asked, but we're doing it my way, and if he doesn’t like it…well, he knows where the door is. “I want you kneeling on the floor, you can grip the cushions if you need to.”

I’d prefer to not kneel for this, but if I get blood on the couch, the maids would kill me. I don’t want to change location, though. Doing this in an office wouldn’t be as comfortable, and I won’t bring him upstairs to our bedroom. As reluctant as I am to bloody the couch, I don’t want to do the same to a random bed either.

Kicking Emilio’s legs apart, so I can kneel between them, I trace the spine of my knife across his shoulders, down his neck and back, to his pretty ass. Goosebumps erupt across his skin, and I like knowing I have such an effect on him.

---