Page 434 of Sinfully Savage Mafia

It’s time I started making my own, not just allowing myself to be victimized by other people’s expectations of me.

I take a long gulp of the water, feeling more and more empowered as the ideas percolate.

What I’m proposing to myself is dangerous.

The job of bratva assassin is pretty much a lifelong position.

Kill or be killed.

Those are pretty much your only options.

But I’m tired of living by someone else’s rules.

I’m ready to live according to my own.

And good thing I have some lethal, badass bitch skills to help set me up in this big, bad world.

A smile plays at my lips.

I have a list of demands for my life.

And I want to tick off the boxes.

Starting today.

The door clicks and I peek my head around a column to see Heaven and an older woman come into the apartment, their arms laden with bags. I put down my water and hurry over to them to help.

Heaven flashes a grateful smile and hands me some of the packages. “Anya, this is my Aunt Maura. Auntie, this is Anya. Our savior!”

Aunt Maura grins at me, her blue eyes sparkling. “Pleasure to meet you, dear. Heaven has told me such great things about how you’ve been helping with Aisling.” She puts down her bags and clasps her hands together. “I cannot wait to see the little darling! Is she in the nursery?”

“Yes,’ I say in a hushed voice. “But she’s sleeping.” I look at Heaven. “We just got back from a walk and she was exhausted by the heat, I think. She conked out before we even made it back up here.”

“Thank you, Anya,” Heaven says with a big smile.

It never ceases to amaze me that she let me go outside today with Aisling by myself. I figured for sure Dante would be tagging along, but I’m also not naïve enough to think that she would let me take her baby out of the apartment and not have me tracked by at least a handful of security guards who would have this place locked down in a hot second if I so much as made one false move.

Dante…

Where has he been hiding?

Seeing him this morning made me think he’d come back around because he felt the same things I did.

Do.

But then he disappeared again.

Could I have imagined everything that happened between us? The intensity, the chemistry…my God, it was electric.

How could henothave felt it all?

“Why don’t you take a break? You’ve already put in your eight hours since Aisling got up so early this morning. I don’t want to violate the terms of the au pair contract,” she says with a chuckle. “I need you here!”

“Oh, you’ve definitely got me,” I say. “And I’d love a little break. Maybe I’ll go for a run.” I take a deep breath. “Hey, do you know where Dante is? He said he’d give me some of the best jogging routes around here.”

Aunt Maura busies herself with the bags and Heaven folds her arms over her chest, a knowing smile on her face. “Actually, no, I haven’t. He might have gone out for a run himself.” She sighs. “He hasn’t been his normal self lately. I know he feels like something is missing.”

Missing?

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