Page 40 of Angelo's Vengeance

Closing my eyes, I breathed him in, letting my tears soak his shirt and allowing myself to feel the strength behind the cotton. The heat of the muscles underneath it made my fingers itch to pick up some fabric, thinking about the buttons I could use to craft the perfect shirt for him, wrapping him up the way he deserved, stitching each detail myself. Tilting my face up towards his, I found him already looking down at me, his eyes soft and open.

Maybe it was time for another risk. “Kiss me. Help me forget.”

Our mouths were so close already, we were almost there. It was no effort for him totake that next step. I could smell the heat of his breath as it mingled with mine. I breathed in that cinnamon taste before he settled his mouth, his kiss demanding and hard. Angelo kissed with ferocity, that gentleness leaving him as he took and took, sliding his tongue against mine, cradling the back of my head as he dove in over and over. My core throbbed, and my whole body wanted to twine itself around him.

“That’s my good girl,” he murmured against my lips as he slid to his knees, laying a hand on each thigh. “I’ll help you.”

Oh my God. Was he going to do what I thought he was? I watched under hooded lids with bated breath, liquid pooling between my thighs as he slid off my loungers and my panties. My focus was one hundred percent on the man between my thighs as he pushed my knees even further, massaging and kneading, peppering little kisses as he did.

Almost in a whisper, he said, “You’re already dripping for me, aren’t you?” He circled my pussy lips with his fingers as I whimpered. “So needy.” His eyes fluttered for a moment. “You’ll be the death of me. Fuck. Time to taste, baby.”

Groaning, he licked me, taking his time. He rubbed against my folds with his tongue, sliding it into my channel before he began his assault on my clit sucking it into his mouth as he pushed his whole face up against my pussy while he held my thighs wide. Holy hell. Unable to stop myself, I ground against him the pleasure taking hold of me as he kept up a steady rhythm as he sucked and pulled on my clit. Throwing my head back against the chaise, I allowed my eyes to close as the sensations swept over me.

“Oh God. I’m so close.” Everything hummed inside me as he spread me even wider, pushed even harder into me until I was screaming his name, white stars flashing behind my eyes.

He stroked me gently before redressing me, kissing me again so lovingly it almost brought tears to my eyes. Sitting on his heels, he watched me with satisfaction. “Hmm, that was my favorite meal of the day.” He caught me staring at his obvious hard-on and smirked. “Can’t help how you turn me on, but don’t worry about that right now.”

“I could help you out,” I offered. I wasn’t sure I wanted to take that step. I loved whathad just happened, but if we took another step, then it would get even more complicated.

His eyes banked, and immediately the intimacy that we had been sharing passed. “That was just for you. Let’s get you fed,piccola.” He reached for the pizza.

I nodded, trying to banish the shadows from my thoughts. I was starving. It was hard to feel bad when he was with me. Angelo had always made me feel safe. Shoving a slice of pizza into my mouth, I took a giant bite and was rewarded with an approving grin from him.

Later, when he put me to bed in the guest room, I allowed myself time to wallow in my thoughts. If I gave in and agreed to the inevitable, maybe I wouldn’t be sleeping alone anymore.

CHAPTER 25

ANGELO

Kostas and Veronicahad been searching for a week now, and they concluded that the Salvatore Renzetti we’d stumbled across was a fraud. He was someone who had taken up the name of Cosimo Olivetto’s third cousin and had a passable Italian heritage, so he hadn’t been questioned too much about who he was. Plenty of cash had been flashed about, and people liked that. Still, when Veronica compared facial features from early school photos of Salvatore Renzetti, they didn’t match the ones captured from security footage we’d been able to grab from cameras in the New Orleans area.

Which begged the question … who was he really? Because we had no idea.

What we did agree on was that Carlotta Santelli was at the center of it all. As Veronica and Kostas dug deep, they’d hit on more and more aliases that she used — more people she’d manipulated as she spread her evil around the globe. Each time I learned another piece, it made me sick to my soul.

For now, I needed to focus on ensuring that the Five Families knew Renzetti wasn’t who he claimed to be, which meant meeting them one-on-one, including that fuckface Scarpato.

Earlier, I planned a meeting with the don of the Cardonifamiglia, a family whose allegiance we needed locked down. The Commission couldn’t afford splinters right now, especially with Renzetti crawling out of whatever hole he had been hiding in to light fires on the edges of our territories.

These endless meetings kept me from Theo, and I hated that. It had been days since the moment when she’d let me get close in her studio, and I found myself searching for other opportunities to spend time with her, but she’d been slippery, taking her meals before me and going to sleep early, claiming she needed the rest. I’d seen the moment she shut down in thestudio when she thought I wanted to go a step further. Maybe she thought I didn’t realize that she was still vacillating about her commitment to a marriage to me, but I saw it. I wouldn’t force her into anything. Everything I gave her would come without strings attached.

I had to remind myself that these meetings were just additional steps towards figuring out ways to keep her safe. All of these things I was doing were for her protection.

The lights inFortunewere dimmed, and staff activity was minimal, but Bacco and I agreed it was the best place for a meeting we could control. Since the rebuilding, we had beefed up security, built bulletproof panels into some of the walls, and even added secret back passages and a safe room. The catastrophe atMiragelast year, where Frankie had been kidnapped, taught us all a valuable lesson. We needed to up our game and prepare for the worst eventualities, including other crews coming in and shooting up the place.

I sat in the back of the club, one arm draped across the leather, the other scrolling through encrypted messages—each one more frustrating than the last. Renzetti was still alive, still hiding, and still carving pieces outof our operations like a butcher with a dull blade—messy, deliberate, and personal.

Valentino Cardoni arrived with two guards, exuding enough confidence that I could tell he wasn’t concerned about being in a location over which he had no control. When we spoke, I wondered if he might want to dictate the terms to a more favorable venue; usually, this wasn’t something I would have suggested. Far be it from me to hint that I wasn’t willing to meet on his turf. However, with everything going on with Renzetti, I couldn’t take any chances. There was Theo to think about.

Valentino had taken over from his father just a few years earlier — he was second-generation mafia like I was. Still, he had been a second son not destined to be a don until his brother had died in a skiing accident in Tahoe. He was also the father of a little girl, if I wasn’t mistaken, based on the dossier I had on him. However, there wasn’t much information available on her or her mother, as he wasn’t married.

“Angelo,” he said, shaking my hand. His smile didn’t reach his eyes. “You’ve been hard to reach.”

“Been hunting ghosts,” I said flatly. “But we’re here now. Let’s talk.” I kept my voice even, but I knew I was struggling to maintain my patience.

He didn’t seem fazed as he motioned for his men to stand by the door and moved further into the lounge. “Nice place you’ve got here. I came once before, but this is even better.”

Motioning towards a booth in the back where Bacco sat, I said, “We made some improvements—learned some things last time that I wanted to implement here. Always making notes with each build. I’m sure you understand, but I appreciate the compliment.” Waiting for Oscar to pour our drinks, I leaned against the cushions and observed the other man.

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