Page 19 of Obsidian Devotion

My thighs press together, seeking friction as heat blooms between them. I'm wet—embarrassingly, shamefully wet—and all from a fucking kiss.

Lorenzo's hand finds the back of my neck, fingers digging into my hair, holding me in place as he devours me.

And the thought that flashes through my mind shocks even me—I wish those fingers would slide around to my throat instead, pressing, controlling.

The thought shatters something inside me. I wrench away from him, stumbling back, struggling to catch my breath.

His taste is still there on my tongue, and I can't look at him, can't bear to see whatever's written on his face—triumph or confusion or worse, understanding.

I all but run out of the basement, leaning against the wall and panting.

What the fuck just happened?

My phone buzzes against my thigh, the vibration jolting me back to reality. With shaking hands, I pull it out and send a quick text to Carlos:‘I've got something.’

What exactly I have, I'm no longer sure.

7

Lorenzo

It’sbeenthreeweeks.Three weeks since a bullet tore through my flesh and I lost my men.

I trace the puckered scar tissue with my fingertips as I stand before the mirror. It’s still angry and red.

"Fuck," I mutter, dropping my hand.

The memory of that night rushes in vivid detail now. Thanks to Olivia’s inside man, I could locate Gabriel. He fed me information about Gabriel’s movements, his safe houses, the rotation of guards.

I planned the operation carefully. A diversion was necessary to draw the bulk of the protection detail away from Gabriel's location. One of my men called in a false threat related to the case at another site.

With most of the guards scrambling to respond, I positioned my men to secure the perimeter while I went inside to confront Gabriel.

I wanted to face him myself. Somehow, I convinced myself I could reason with him, talk him into coming with me willingly. After all, we had history. I believed that connection might count for something.

But I miscalculated.

Gabriel flinched when I entered his temporary apartment, but his composure returned quickly—he wasn’t the type to be caught unprepared.The fear in his eyes quickly hardened into something else—determination.

"Lorenzo," he said, backing away. "How the hell did you find me?"

"That doesn't matter now," I replied, keeping my voice calm. "You know why I'm here. We can go the easy way or the hard way. Your choice."

"I'm not going anywhere with you," Gabriel hissed. "The things your family is involved in—I can’t stay silent anymore."

"Yet you had no problem profiting from those same things for years," I countered. "Come with me now, and perhaps I will be merciful."

We both knew that was a lie. I don’t forgive rats.

As I moved toward him, Gabriel lunged for what appeared to be a decorative box on the side table. Before I could stop him, he had a gun in his hand—a weapon that shouldn't have been there.

The shot came fast—too fast for me to fully dodge.

White-hot pain exploded in my side as the bullet found its mark. I staggered back, my weapon drawn instinctively, but the commotion had alerted the remaining guards.

Gunfire erupted throughout the safe house.

My men outside were overwhelmed almost immediately—professional hits from the security team. I heard their deaths through my earpiece, staccato bursts of violence ending in silence.

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