Page 15 of Possessive Mafia Vows

“…You were trying to control the board without first meeting your opponent.”

Nick’s smile is smug, one corner of his mouth raised, while his eyelids are hooded, hiding what lays behind them. Sienna is listening, open-mouthed. I know that this will require some explanation later, but if I can sow the seeds of mistrust where Mr. Morris is concerned, it will be worth it.

“Opponent in what exactly?” he asks.

“Whatever game you’re playing.”

“Okay.” Sienna stands between us, palms facing outward like she’s the referee at a boxing match. “Will someone please tell me what the fuck is going on here?”

Her eyes have darkened, the flush on her cheeks has vanished, and I have to accept some responsibility for that.

“Sienna, I didn’t get a chance to speak to you at the opening party.”

“So,” Nick steps in, “you thought you’d do some snooping, make sure I file my tax returns on time and check that I wasn’t kicked out of college for inappropriate behavior towards my science professor.”

“Kyle?” Sienna blinks slowly as if she can feel a migraine coming on. “Is this true?”

“I ran some checks. For my own peace of mind.”

Nick squares his shoulders. He’s not about to confess that this is still a power struggle between two men who desire the same woman, but his body language says otherwise. If we were peacocks, he’d be parading his feathers right about now to prove that he’s the cool kid on the block.

“Why don’t you tell her what you found?”

If it wasn’t for Sienna, I’d wrap my fist around his throat and squeeze that smarmy neck until he turned blue in the face, but after what occurred between us earlier tonight, I won’t risk losing her all over again. Especially not for this arrogant asshole.

“Why don’t you explain how you know all this?” Because I’d like to know how a cosmetic surgeon knows who has been keeping tabs on him.

“Seriously?” Both eyebrows are lifted now.Questioning pose number two. “That’s what you’re going with: tit-for-tat?”

“No.”

I ignore Sienna’s pleading eyes and step closer. In this instance, I have to accept that what I’m about to say won’t win me any points with the woman I love, but it will give me a sense of satisfaction.

“I’m going with this.” I keep my voice low and steady. “If I find out that you’ve ever so much as raised your voice to Sienna or touched a hair on her head, you’ll regret it.”

I turn to Sienna, snatching away his opportunity to retaliate. If there’s one thing I learned from my brothers, it’s that you always make sure you have the last word, even if that word is spoken on your dying breath.

“Remember what I said, Sienna. I meant every word.”

Her crushed expression melts my heart but touching her now in front of this asshole will be like claiming a prize, and Sienna isn’t an object to be paraded around by the winner. I have no intention ofwinningher. She’ll come to me of her own free will or not at all.

And I’ll live with it either way.

I walk away.

My car is waiting for me at the corner of the block. I climb into the back seat and slide my phone out of my pocket as Seamus, my driver, puts the car into gear and pulls into the road. The fuzziness in my head has cleared with my renewed determination to do whatever it takes to protect Sienna.

I can’t think about him touching her. If I allow the images into my head, I’ll stop the car, sprint back to the gallery, and give the guy a reason to prosecute me, and I can’t look out for Sienna from a prison cell.

Instead, I call Terry and ask him to put a guy on their tail. Discreetly. If Sienna realizes that they’re being followed, she’ll know who’s behind it, and I can kiss goodbye to her considering my proposal to leave the city and make a life elsewhere.

Together.

But the guy is like toxic gas that has seeped into my nervous system and gotten me rattled. Terry asked how I’d feel if this wasn’t about Sienna. But it’s irrelevant. Thisisabout Sienna, and Nick Morris sets my back teeth on edge—something about him just doesn’t sit right with me, and I will find out what it is.

It’s late. I haven’t eaten. But I can’t face going back to the Wraith.

I could go to Cash and Bash. But I already know how they’d deal with the situation, and my chances of ever having Sienna in my life will shatter to smithereens when she finds out that her cosmetic surgeon has suddenly vanished.

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