Page 57 of Lord of the Dark

"Wait, you were at the party. Why the guesthouse?" He pried for every detail.

"I chased her. She hid in the guesthouse."

Giovanni let out a low whistle, shaking his head in disbelief before barking a rough laugh. "You... why the hell did you chase her? And then she held a knife to your dick?" He snorted. "Fuck, Alessandro... you two are sick. She's blowing every fuse you'vegot," he observed, rubbing his chin.

"No shit. Listen, I texted her after waking up, called her." Fury crackled through me at the memory of her cold dismissal. "I felt like a piece of shit," I hissed.

"She ghosted you?"

„"Like some mangy stray," I growled, continuing.

Giovanni barked out a laugh, dripping with schadenfreude. "After all the shit you've pulled... how many women you've discarded... honestly, it's only fair you finally end up on the other side." He leaned back, shaking his head with a wide grin.

I shot him a warning glare. "And she's not afraid of me. Fuck no, she's not. That little viper—" I closed my eyes, shaking my head at the memory of what she'd done earlier. "The motion sensor in the office tripped today, like I told you. But when I checked the feed? There she was, digging through my drawers like it was her goddamn office." I exhaled sharply, forcing the rage down. "And when I walked in, she was in my chair. Behind my desk. With my gun in her hand. She aimed. And pulled the trigger." I grabbed the water bottle and took a deep swig.

"You're seriously telling me she almost put a bullet in you?"

"Exactly that. Didn't even blink."

"Honestly, at this point, I'm not sure you didn't fuck each other insane." Giovanni dragged a hand slowly over the back of his head, like he needed to confirm he'd heard right. He shook his head in disbelief. "Alessandro... you need help. Or an exorcist."

"I swear, I've never been this close to killing someone and fucking them at the same time."

Giovanni studied me a long moment, then cracked a filthy grin. "Sounds like your dream woman." He froze mid-motion, cigarette halfway to his lips, and stared at me like I'd grown a second head. "Christ." He took a drag, leaned back, and smirked. "She got a sister? Preferably with the same brand of crazy. I could go for that."

I laughed darkly. "You'd be sobbing at her feet before she even got your pants off."

Giovanni chuckled low, flicking ash, and shook his head. "You underestimate me. I don't fold for a woman like you do. She'd break her teeth on me."

"Yeah?" My gaze turned lethal. "I meant to break her today, after that stunt in the office. Held my gun under her chin. Chambered a round just to test her." I shook my head slowly. "She locked onto me immediately. Looked me dead in the eye. Like she enjoyed it. And she fucking did."

He exhaled smoke in a slow, thoughtful stream, staring into space. Then he turned slightly toward me.

"How do you know she enjoyed it? Maybe she was bluffing to deny you the satisfac—" He cut off, realization dawning. His brow twitched, gaze sliding past me like he was piecing the scene together. "Oh. You fucked after. Holy shit..." He shook his head, almost awed. Giovanni inhaled deeply, like his world depended on it, then let the smoke curl from his nostrils. "You're fucked, my friend. She's destroying you, and you're relishing it."

"Not relishing it, Giovanni. Needing it."

He eyed me sidelong, equal parts admiration and concern.

I stood, grabbed the mask from the floor, and surveyed the bloody wreckage we'd left behind.

"Make sure Morales sends Vargas a message he won't forget. We meet by tomorrow."

Seventeen

Fiona Robertson

The candles on the table cast a soft, flickering glow across the polished surface, and the scent of rosemary and garlic hung in the air. It was a perfectly staged dinner, just how Carter liked it. The wine glimmered dark red in our glasses, and the linen napkins lay neatly folded beside the plates. A picture of security and stability. Yet inside me, a storm raged.

Carter smiled as he recounted his day—my thoughts drifted. Here I sat, in the familiar calm of our shared life, yet the echoes of those last hours with Alessandro still reverberated through me.

Meanwhile, an entirely different film played in my mind's eye: the moment I'd pointed the gun at him, and that smile creeping onto his lips because he knew it was unloaded. How I'd provoked him and he'd chased me across his office, slamming me brutally against the door. Or all those twisted details he'd shared about his Colombian captive, and how hot it made both of us. God, the way he'd yanked me against him and fucked me raw. Just remembering it made my deepest muscles clench with lingering pleasure, sparking that familiar, scorching tingle. A shiver raced across my skin, and I tightened my grip on the wineglass to keep from losing my grip on reality. Alessandro was dangerous, terrifying, and utterly irresistible. He was the polar opposite of Carter, who sat across from me now, relaxed and engrossed in his story, completely oblivious to what had happened. It felt almost surreal, sitting here so calmly with candles between us while my body still hummed with the memory of Alessandro.

"Fiona?" Carter's voice jerked me back. I blinked at him. "Are you even listening?"

No, I was just mentally getting railed by your business partner again.

"Of course," I replied, my voice smooth as velvet. I reached for my silverware just to occupy my hands, but the food tasted like ashes in my mouth. I had no idea what he'd been saying - my mind was projecting a frenzied highlight reel of the most depraved, searing moments from this afternoon. And finally, what I'd discovered there.

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