Page 113 of Sinner's Vows

“How do I look at you?” I protest, having done nothing I’m aware of.

His lips slide along my cheek to my ear. “As if you’d like me to fuck you in the backseat of the car…amongst other things.”

Goosebumps spread down my body as his warm breath ghosts over my skin, his lips teasing my ear. That’s exactly where my mind had gone, my core just paces behind. To think he read it all on me like I’m an open book. My nipples harden against my bra, a disconcerting wetness seeping into my panties. How is it that he turns me on with a few select words and then just touches me right?—

He kisses me then, and all logic leaves my mind. I’m in trouble. So much trouble when it comes to this man. I have fallen for the enemy, for a Mafia man with gentle hands, a kindheart, and a dark side he’d loathe to show me, because he hates it. But needs must. This is how he survives his world.

He groans as he pulls away. “Damn. Matteo’s obsession suddenly makes sense, so much sense.”

“What obsession?” I murmur as I look up at him, shy, my hand still on his chest where his heart is thumping wildly, too. I affect him, and it’s somehow the most beautiful thing I’ve ever experienced in my life.

“His obsession with Tasha, and particularly with the fact that he doesn’t want to do anything but, and I quote, fuck his wife.”

“Oh.” The implication of his words leaves me breathless, but then other men appear through the olive grove, and Gus gets back into the front passenger seat. The driver clambers in and meets Dominic’s gaze in the rearview mirror.

“It’s done, boss,” Gus says as he straps in his seatbelt.

“Good.”

“What happened to Antonio?” I ask, not sure I should or want to know.

“We left him feeding his pigs. There’s nothing much else keeping him company here. Let’s get going,” Dominic instructs the driver. “You’ve mapped the directions to the convent in Potenza? Where is this place?”

“Yes, sir,” the driver says. “It’s a drive. Eight hours at least as it’s on the other side of Rome.”

“Fuck. Should have kept the jet on standby.” Dominic reaches for my hand and rests it on his thigh, leaving me buzzing as the driver starts the car, and we head off again.

“Did you kill him? Antonio?” I whisper, scared they went in and let the asshole live.

“He’s been taken care of, sweetheart. He won’t talk about our little visit.”

His phone rings, and he answers, thankfully sparing me the details.

“Benedict. Yep. Fuck it, you’re breaking up. Okay. Yes. What? What the fuck? Okay, send it through, and we’ll have a look.” He kills the call and shoots me a glance as he sweeps open his phone.

“What?”

“Benedict hacked into Franco’s phone. He’s sent us some things to analyze.”

“How does he do it so quickly?” I ask, stunned at how Benedict just seems to walk digitally into any room he wants.

“For starters, he’s freaking smart and has been playing around for years. He’s got a gift for this type of thing and unlimited money to spend on the latest tech, and a team of weirdos just like himself working for him. Plus he’s addicted to the high of breaking and entering where nobody is supposed to go.” Dominic groans and drags his hand through his hair in frustration. “The internet is useless here. We need to go somewhere with better reception. Speed up where you can?”

“Yes, sir,” the driver says, and for the next ten minutes, we bump along old country roads until we connect with a main road.

“Here,” Dominic says as he hands me his phone. “These are transcripts of messages. There are several between different numbers and Franco’s phone. Can you figure out if any of them is from Pietro Garlini?”

“How on Earth…?” I ask as I scan the pages and swipe between them. “How did he know to pick these specific ones?”

“Probably used AI. Asked it to analyze the content and narrow it down to the most likely suspects.”

I shake my head as I read through the short lines of messages on one file, then jump to the next. Franco was a busy man, and even though the messages are clearly coded, it’s obvious he was knee-deep in criminal activity.

“I’m getting car sick,” I say, but it is more than that. I’m sick to my stomach by having access to this information, seeing straight into that sick mind’s workings. Here I have raw evidence the DIA would do anything to get their hands on…except there’s nobody in the DIA I really trust right now.

“Pull off at a gas station and tell the others to stop close by but elsewhere. Ariana needs to work through this before we make any further decisions.”

“Yes, sir.”

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