Page 276 of Sinfully Savage Mafia

His dark eyebrows furrow but he doesn’t respond. Instead, he reaches for me, snaking his arms around my back.

I swat his hands away. “Don’t touch me, you bastard! I don’t want your hands on me ever again!”

“You’re gonna have a hell of a time getting back on that couch,” he says in a threatening voice.

“I have no intention of getting back on that couch!” I shriek. “I don’t know what kind of sick game you’re playing, but I’m leaving! We have nothing to say to each other! And if memory serves, you were too much of a pussy to say anything to me before we got forced out of Sicily!”

Roman rubs the back of his neck. “Yeah, see, that’s not how the whole kidnapping thing goes. The way it works is that you stay put or I hurt you. And I really don’t want to hurt you, Marchella.”

“Fuck you!” I struggle to make my voice as strong as possible even though panic slithers through my insides. “Why would you need to hurt me? Why am I even here? And why the fuck would you come aftermein the park when you’re supposed to be running your illicit criminal businesses?” I pant, my breathing labored. “I don’t have anything to do with you, nor do Iwantto have anything to do with you! Ever again!”

“Oh, you have plenty to do with me,Chella.” My throat tightens at his use of my nickname. “And you have a lot of power right now, not that you know it. But I know it and that’s what is important.”

My head spins like a top at his words. I can’t make any sense of this whole thing. “I hate you!” I scream. “Your family ruined our lives!”

He captures my chin in his hand and holds it tight so I have no ability to turn my head away from him. “Your father ruined your life,” he hisses. “We did what we had to do to protect ourselves. I don’t know what your piece-of-shit father told you, but he’s the one who destroyed everything because he was a greedy bastard. Still is, from what I’ve seen in the news.”

“You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about!” I scream.

“Don’t I?” He glares at me. “You know exactly who and what he is, Marchella. You always did. And you knew Frankie would turn out just like him.”

“And look at how things played out,” I seethe. “Now you’re the scumbag jerkoff who’s in the business of destroying lives. I always thought you’d turn out a little more civilized.”

“I guess you thought wrong,” he grunts.

I roll onto my other side and claw at the wall for leverage, trying desperately to pull my body to a standing position, but as soon as I manage to get part way upright, my knees wobble and I collapse to the ground with a loud thud. I groan, rubbing my ass bone as it slams against the floor, which thankfully, is carpeted.

This time, Roman doesn’t ask to help me up.

He scoops me into his arms while mine flail about, punching and scratching him with an energy I thought had been completely drained out of me. Tears sting my eyes as I fight to free myself from his grasp. I fail. Miserably.

I curse, scream, and spit, but nothing makes him flinch.

His jaw is tight, and when he shifts me to kick open the door, my face falls against his chest. And despite myself, I drink in his spicy scent, melting into him as it infuses my being. So dangerous and delicious at the same time. I want to breathe him in forever…and hate myself for even thinking that.

Then my back hits the couch cushions again, and my reality slaps the shit out of me.

I glare up at him. “I want to know why I’m here and why you drugged me! What does Frankie have to do with this? And where is that puppy?”

“You really have no idea what went down the other night, do you?” he says in a harsh voice, pinning me to the leather with his storming blue irises.

How is it possible that only a short time earlier, I’d found myself drifting away into those clear, calm pools of blue?

They’re so different now — turbulent and full of rage.

Pure fire.

How the hell didn’t I see the person behind that gaze? Was I that scarred by losing who Ithoughtwas the love of my life that I couldn’t recognize him until he shot me with a tranq dart?

And hard as I try, I can’t make any sense of this whole thing, including my role.

I grit my teeth. I don’t want to give him an inch, but from the sound of things, it seems like I’m the only one behind the eight ball. “Frankie said something about a job,” I mumble. “And when I saw him this morning, he was nervous that it might have gone wrong. But then he got a call and all was well again.” I shrug, glaring at Roman. “That’s all I know!”

“That’s all he said, huh?” Roman leans toward me, his breath hot against my face as he seethes his next words. “Let me set you straight right now, Marchella. Your fucking brother robbed my organization of five-hundred grand worth of blow and I want it back. That’s why you’re here.”

I gasp, pulling away. “No, he didn’t. Frankie would never do that! You were best friends!” But even as I squeak out those words, the truth settles into my mind. I don’t want to believe it, but the look on Roman’s face tells me I have no choice. Suddenly, Frankie’s avoidance of my questions, his unwillingness to give me straight answers…it all makes sense now. The puzzle pieces are falling together and the completed picture makes my gut knot.

Frankie fucking lied to me, that goddamn jerk! He’s the reason why Roman came looking for me and toyed with me in the park! Frankie is the reason why I got snatched! Why I’m about to get?—

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