Page 12 of Dark Mafia Heir

No—they’re not just dead bodies. Two of Papa’s men are lying lifelessly on the floor a pool of their own blood. There are holes in their heads, and one of them has his cold brown eyes pinned on me, as if he can see me through those sightless eyes.

My blood turns cold instantly, and a gasp leaves me when I see the gun pressed to my papa’s head.

All heads turn on me, but it’s only one that catches my attention because I recognize those dark brown eyes instantly. Iwould recognize that handsome face and sharp jawline even in my dream.

Standing in front of my father with a gun pressed to his head is the handsome stranger from the club the other night. The same man I considered my hero. The one who’d kept me and Harper safe.

His eyes glint with amusement as they meet mine. “Look who we have here,” he muses. “It’s darling Vivienne.”

“You’re…”

“We meet again,” he says calmly.

I stagger backward, too stunned to come up with any rational thought or even words.

He knew who I was,plays in a loop inside my head.

He’s not surprised to see me, which means he knew who I was. He approached me on purpose, and… my eyes sting with tears.

“Vivienne,” Papa whispers my name. “Leave this place. Leave. Now.”

“Why, Peter? You don’t want your precious daughter to witness your execution?” The man laughs manically. He’s nothing like the gentleman from the club that night.

It all makes sense now. Him pulling out a gun and all. Harper was right about him, but I’d been too horny to think right. Even now, as I look at him, all I can think of is the way he kissed me that night.

Damn, I’ve lost my mind. I’m sick!

“Vivienne, leave!” Papa yells this time.

“The girl stays,” the man insists. “I’ll put on a good show for her.”

My gaze bounces between him and my papa, and a storm of anger rages inside me—one that takes over my entire body and pushes me to do something extremely stupid.

Before I can stop myself, I’m halfway across the room and hitting him repeatedly, yelling at him to leave my father alone.

My fist slams into his back, his chest, and biceps. “Leave him alone, you sick bastard.” I slam my fists into him again and again.

But he doesn’t bulge. It’s almost as if I’m hitting him with a tiny feather. He catches my hand and presses me against the desk, then he lowers his face to mine.

He’s so close that his breath warms my skin, spreading heat all over my body. He presses a finger under my jaw, and his touch burns deeply inside me. My core clenches, and my nipples harden.

I close my eyes, begging my body not to act so foolishly. Who gets turned on in front of a dangerous man, with two dead bodies on the floor and her father being held at gunpoint? I really need to see a therapist.

“Open your eyes,gattina,” he whispers, his voice so dark and husky. His breath so hot against my skin.

I crack my eyes open and glare at him. I hope he can see how much I hate him through my gaze. “Don’t call me that!” I basically spit the words at him. “I am not your kitten,bastardo.”

He tilts my face to meet his, bringing his lips so dangerously close to mine. “But you will be soon enough.”

I try to kick him, but he moves in time, catching my leg and holding it up. He leans in and whispers in my ear, “Easy now,gattina. You don’t want Daddy dearest to find out what you’ve been up to, do you?”

I’m boiling with fury, but I know better than to act rashly. The fact that he is even playing these games with me means I won’t die, at least not today. But my papa, I don’t want him to get hurt. “Don’t kill my papa, please.”

He snorts in derision. “Don’t worry,gattina. Your papa won’t die today. He won’t die until he gives me all the information I need.”

He tosses me away like I’m a pile of trash and shifts his focus back to my father. “You have two weeks to tell me who killed Dante and why.”

My father lets out a shaky breath, but that is as much as he can react to threats. I’ve never seen him show fear, regret, or remorse all twenty-one years I’ve been alive. “Antonio?—”

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