Page 31 of Kiss of Death
“Step outside, Smoke.” Otto wanted Smoke as far away from this conversation as possible. He hated that the asshole had to tag along on this little adventure with him because Sofia didn’t trust Otto to make the right decision when it came to Ivy.
Sofia was right of course.
Otto wasn’t making his decision based on the Council when it came to Ivy. He knew there was more to this than some malicious intent to see him hurt, and once he got the truth, he was going to make sure Sofia heard it too.
Smoke cursed under his breath with a shake of his head. He put his own gun away and moved Ivy before reaching for the door. Otto was waiting for some smart or slick comment to leave Smoke’s mouth, but he left the room with nothing more than a roll of his eyes.
As soon as Smoke left, Otto’s feet had him moving across the room and pushing Ivy up against the door. He crowded her space and both of his hands came on either side of her head, caging her in. He could still smell the faint scent of coconut oil, and it made his mouth water. How he hated her for what she did and was doing to him, and in the next breath, he wanted her laid out on the flimsy hotel bed while he took his time consuming her flesh.
“I should do to you what you’ve done to me,” Otto started and brought one of his hands down to wrap around her slim throat. He angled her face so she looked directly at him as he spoke. “I should slip inside of you, burrow myself so far past all your defenses that when you think you’ve freed yourself of me, I’ll still be there. I’ll be in the taste that coats your lips, in the way you breathe, and in the way your body moves. You’ll only ever feel me and mourn the fact that I’m not there.”
He leaned down so his lips were just above hers. “I should deliver your death slowly, like the poison you’ve given me.”
“Otto,” she whispered his name. He felt her breath against his lips, and her slim hands gently wrapped around his waist, pulling him further into her web. “If you’re going to kill me, kiss me first so your taste is the last thing I get to experience before I meet my death.”
Otto didn’t even hesitate at the request. His lips quickly found hers, and he groaned into her mouth, kissing her with the possession he promised her mere seconds ago. This was madness, but he couldn’t deny her request even if he tried.
Yep, definitely a sucker.
BORIS WAS IN HIS OFFICEwith a wide smile on his face. News of Tres Bellas burning down was all over the media outlets. He hated to admit it, but Bruno’s plan had worked. While he would have preferred to have the club back, he got a sick satisfaction knowing Barbati had lost not only the club to the point she’d have to rebuild but she also lost one of her soldiers. If they kept on schedule, Boris would have Barbati on her knees by the end of the month.
His cell rang. He checked the caller ID. It was one of his captains who distributed his sand storm on the streets. He picked up, but before he could get a word in, his captain spoke. “We have a problem. Six of my guys are dead, and there’s a new product on the street. I haven’t seen it yet, but there’s been some buzz going on.”
Boris gripped his phone. He was seething. His product had been in that part of Brooklyn forever with no pushbacks, no cop interference, nothing. He remembered the phone call from one of his captains earlier in the week. There had been Hispanic men asking around about his product. This had Sofia written all over it. If not Sofia, it was that shithead Ethan.
“What the fuck do you mean? Do you know who did it?”
“We have an idea. We caught someone at one of the houses.”
“Good. Bring him in, I want to talk to him.” Boris hung up the phone, slamming his fist onto the table. “This fucking cunt,” he growled into the office.
So much for his victory.
Ivy cried as she kissed Otto, feeling everything she felt for a man who was practically a stranger, but she felt like she’d known him her whole life. She wished things could have been different for them. She wished this was their beginning instead of their ending. She wished she had a lifetime with him instead of the short week she had. She wished that a lot of things for her life could have been different, but she’d never get the chance to change any of it now.
She pulled away first, knowing she couldn’t spend the rest of the night kissing him. “Was this real?” Otto whispered and his hand fell down to her chest. “Or was this all Bruno?”
Ivy felt crushed that Otto even had to question the attraction and feelings that lingered between them. She couldn’t fake this, even when she wished she could bury the connection they had. “This is real.” Her hand covered his. “It’s crazy, but I felt you inside of me from the moment we locked eyes. I don’t know what it is about you, but what we’re feeling for each other is real.”
Otto stepped back, and Ivy mourned the loss of his heat. Her body tensed when she saw Otto reach into his waistband and pull his gun back out. This was it. He was going to be the one to kill her, and weirdly enough a feeling of peace settled over her. The man who had given her pleasure was going to be the one to take all her pain away.
“Tell me your truth, Ivy. I’d like to believe you were just a pawn in all of this, but I need your truth. I can’t protect you from the man who’s probably got his ear glued on the other side of the door or Sofia.”
“You want to protect me?” Ivy asked in disbelief.
Otto nodded. “If I’m right about you, you’ve been in enough pain.”
Ivy blanched, and she started to sweat. She had wanted to tell Otto before, but now that he was willing to listen, she felt a sense of shame about what she’d been through and what she had put her sister through. Otto would kill for Gia; she wasn’t sure he’d be able to understand how she put Eve in harm’s way. “Why do you need the gun?” she asked instead.
“Because I need to make sure Smoke hears your truth too. You got him and my boss thinking I’d believe anything that comes out of your mouth, so I need him as an ally.”
Ivy nodded, even though she thought it was a bad idea. She had no illusions that Sofia and Smoke would much rather see her dead than believe what she’d gone through, but Otto had a look in his eyes that made her feel safe.
Otto nodded at her to open the door, and Smoke came in with a scowl on his face. “What we doing? You fuckin’ her? I’m killin’ her? You marryin’ her? What?” Smoke sounded disgruntled. “I know you’re incapable of hurting her cause’ you be a little bitch sometimes, Otto. So what’s the game plan?” Smoke crossed his arms over his chest.
Otto let out a sigh, rubbing his beard. “One day, I’m going to shoot you, but for now, sit down and listen to what she has to say. She wasn’t behind what went down in Tres, she was just a pawn in Bruno’s plan.”
Ivy looked over at Otto, wondering how he’d been able to figure it out without her saying anything. He was getting his ass beat when Bruno was talking to her.
