Page 47 of The Diávolos: Part One
Even that I don’t do often.
Her presence brings waves of joy that wash my burdens away until I only see her, my muse, the ink to my pen, the pen to my paper, the words to my page. I want to bathe in her essence.
Angelica glances around my penthouse while I drown in my thoughts, and the look of awe and innocence on her face makes me want to bend her over the kitchen counter and pound into her mercilessly. I’m craving to be inside her. My cock awakens and I grunt as I try to wriggle it away without being noticed. I need to get us out of here before I fuck her. Once again, I remind myself this is not the way I want our first time to be.
“Let’s go.” I motion to the door.
“Where are we, anyway?” she asks under her breath.
“Home.Myhome,” I specify.
“Oh. Am I the first woman you’ve brought here too, then?” she asks, her tone snarky. Immediately, I notice her wince at the question. It seems to have slipped out of her mouth before she had the chance to stop it. I snigger internally. She’ll warm up to me in no time.
“Yes, you are,” I reply matter-of-factly.Soon, this will be your home, too.
* * *
I wasn'tready to end the night. I knew I wouldn't get a word out of her if I dropped her home, so I took her to my office at Academia in the hopes of continuing our conversation.
Angelica spent the entire drive looking out the window, her fingers interlaced on her lap. Her chest visibly expanded with every breath. She was no longer experiencing a panic attack, but I could tell her state was fragile. Yet, my angel is strong. She will fight me, I expect her to. But deep down, she knows she can’t deny me, she will let me have her.
Within five minutes of arriving, a loud commotion breaks out outside my office door, and Dion barges in with Xander right behind him, both looking distressed. I recognize the expression on Dion’s face. Trouble is looming. I jump out of my chair and grab the gun I keep hidden in my desk drawer. I quickly check that it’s loaded and remove the safety before I slip it into the waistband of my pants. Angelica’s facial expression changes when she sees me pull out the weapon, but I ignore it.
“Dion, Xander.Ti tréhei?” I ask.What’s wrong?
“There are people outside,” Dion responds.
“We can’t tell who they are yet, but it’s trouble, boss,” Xander adds.
Shit.I’ve been expecting pushback, waiting for someone to strike. But this is the worst possible timing.
“Kripse to korítsi. Tóra,” I order.Hide the girl. Now.
I turn to Angelica. “Angelica, listen to me. Dion and Xander are going to take you downstairs, and I need you to stay there. Don’t come back up until one of us gets you. Can you do that for me? Please,” I plead.
She looks at me with a stunned expression on her face, but I don’t have time to explain. She’s trembling and I can tell she’s worried.
“It’ll be okay,” I assure her. “I don’t know who they are or what they want, but I’ll deal with it. I just need you to stay safe, just in case.” I try to reason with her. She’s no stranger to peril and has been in threatening circumstances over the course of her life. I know she understands the potential severity of the situation, but I can’t jeopardize her safety.
Her gaze lingers on me, reading the plea in my eyes, and she nods. Dion and Xander gesture for her to follow them and they disappear down the side stairwell. Seb and Greg walk into the office seconds later, freeing their weapons from their holsters. We head down to meet our guests in the lobby.
When we reach the bottom of the stairs, three men are standing next to the bar. Leon is behind it, pouring glasses ofouzo. I recognize Jurian, one of Peter Kouvalakis’ cronies.
I curse under my breath as I approach them. Dion finally appears with Xander in tow, and I look back at them. My second-in-command slightly nods his head, a silent confirmation that Angelica is safe. If her father’s goons see her, it would start a war, and my plan would be ruined.
I can’t risk losing her.
The goal is to find out what they want and get them the fuck out of here as soon as possible. The boys and I cautiously walk toward them, prepared for any of them to make a move.
“To what do I owe this pleasure? I knew I had the best ouzo in town, but I would’ve expected a call first,” I sneer, looking at the two other men I don’t recognize. “Where’s your other half, Jurian? Did you leave Gianis at home?” Jurian scoffs and puts his drink down on the bar. “I’m surprised he isn’t here to do your boss’s bidding, since he’s the enforcer, and not you,” I add, knowing the hidden insult would throw him off his game.
“Fuck off, Evander,” Jurian spits, clearly holding back from responding further to my jab.
“What are you doing in Old Cebrene, Jurian? You’re on my territory. That’s pretty fucking ballsy if you ask me. I could put a bullet in your head right now and not bat an eyelash, especially after what your boss did to my uncle. So, I suggest you tell me what the fuck you want before I kill all of you.”
Jurian picks his glass back up and raises it, snickering, and the two others follow. “We were in the area. Thought we’d drop in,” he says, casually.
I ought to kill the son of a bitch for coming all the way here to taunt me. I know what he’s doing. He wants to get a reaction out of me and push me to make the first move to retaliate. That would open the door for Peter and his men to wage war on us. There’s no fucking way I’m letting that happen. Peter already decided his fate when he killed my uncle, but I’m getting back at him onmyterms. It would’ve been easier for us to strike back right after Ignatius’s murder, but it would’ve caused too much bloodshed. Silent but lethal is my tactic.Slow and steady wins the race.
