Page 43 of Stolen Kisses
Unlike the prey, I wanted the predator to take me.
Chapter 12
Dante
* * *
Maria had always been a difficult woman to get out of my head.
I couldn’t count the amount of times she popped into my head and the amount of times I struggled to get her out.
I couldn’t wait to see her tonight.
It really was the factor of her getting back to Flynn that stopped me from ripping her clothes off and devouring her fine body right there against the wall last night.
It was that part I couldn’t get out of my head. The anticipation of what was coming next. I’d done the chase all these long years, watching her with one guy after another. Never my girl, when she was always supposed to be mine. Now it was my time to collect and it was all I could think about despite all the shit that was happening with what Gibbs had brought to light. And … the fact that I knew something was going on with Maria.
I couldn’t be like Claudius and Luc, barging in on her demanding she tell me what was up. With women like her, you had to give them time to open up.
Give her time and she’d be completely yours. That kiss was something I couldn’t forget.
Not the one I gave her, that one was a long time coming. I meant the one she gave me.
I saw her soul. She held it before me trusting me with her heart. If only for those few seconds she truly felt like she belonged to me.
So much to think about, I had to push it right out of my mind and refocus as we sat in Claudius’ office downtown—ready for business.
I switched my focus as Claudius laid out what was discussed back at the garage with Marcus.
We hadn’t met like this until now, because we were waiting for Gibbs to check out the files the feds had on Stephen. We also wouldn’t be meeting like this on a Saturday morning if it wasn’t important. Claudius called us in because it was time to take action. Just because we were waiting didn’t mean we couldn’t be doing other things.
Marcus must have been quiet for all of five minutes before he templed his fingers and cleared his throat. He reminded me of Raphael when he did that.
Both of them used to scare me to be honest. You knew in an instant that you should never try to fuck with them.
The minute Claudius mentioned the name Antonella, Marcus tensed.
“Pa, you gonna say something, anytime soon?” Claudius asked.
Marcus shot him a sharp glance and straightened up.
Alex tensed next to me, of all of us he was always the first to get agitated.
He was the youngest and not quite able to hold his own just yet. He was still a bad ass, but he showed too much emotion sometimes. It was different to me and Gio who just sat still and waited out a situation with patience until it was time to act.
“You know what, this is fucking serious shit. You people can’t just expect me to cough up my opinion and be on board just like that without thinking. You know what this means? Sniffing around.” Marcus looked at all of us, but his gaze landed on me. “You.” He pointed at me and I instantly straightened.
“Sir,” I said staring at him.
“Your father was a good friend to me, as was yours Gio. Alex, I know you and I consider you all my sons. This is no mere decision. Last year when shit was going down, I prayed we could contain the situation, but it all said to me that with people like the Antonellas, Manellos, and other big fish resurfacing change was coming.”
I was listening, listening big time.
“Pa, they know not to fuck with us, that’s why things have been under wraps for as long as it has.” Claudius cut in.
“Boy, they know not to fuck with us, but that doesn’t mean they’re scared of us. We turn a blind eye and allow them to do what they’re doing. But knowing they’re definitely involved with Christina’s death means we can’t do that any longer.”
“What are we going to do?” I had to ask because I was ready to plan, had been ready since we last saw Gibbs. I still didn’t know what plans to make that didn’t involve doing something I’d done already.
