Page 17 of Hook

He laughs. “I’m not the type to give up, so you better be ready to surrender, because I’m coming for you.” He winks and turns away, slamming the hotel door behind him and leaving me to bask in the shame of what happened. Not to mention, it suggests that this isn’t the last time I’m going to see him, and sickeningly enough that ignites a flush of excitement in the pit of my stomach.

Why the hell did I let him do that? And more importantly, how am I going to face Piero?

I bury my head in my hands, clamping my eyes shut, but all I can see is the handsome stranger’s face in my mind. My captain. I fear that’s becoming a reality.

7

CILLIAN

Smyth paces the entryway of my home. “This is dangerous,” he says.

I roll my eyes. Smyth has always been pessimistic. “What’s so dangerous about it?”

“It’s Piero’s restaurant, and while he’s out of town, his men aren’t.”

“And your point is?” I ask, running my finger over the blade in my hand.

“My point is, you’re running a high risk of getting caught.”

I shake my head, fixing Smyth with a glare. “After all these years of working together, do you not know better than to question me?”

He gulps, his face paling as he realizes his mistake. At times, Smyth oversteps the mark. “Sorry... I just think it’s too dangerous to go into that viper’s den.”

I laugh without humor, a cold laugh full of venom and hate. “Piero is a mouse compared to me. Do you understand?”

My loyal second-in-command has been with me since that start, and he knows what Piero did to me. Everything he took from me and my family. Even so, I’m back in California now, corrupted beyond measure—and Piero won’t stand a chance against me in a one-on-one fight if it comes to it. I’m going to steal back what is rightfully mine.

Smyth looks at me, nodding in agreement. “I understand. When do you want to leave?”

I glance out the front door as my other men bring the van around. “Now. And I don’t want to hear another word about this being a bad idea.”

His brow furrows. “What do you intend to do with his fiance?”

I’m not ready to tell Smyth that I’m going to marry her, so I shrug. “Haven’t decided yet.”

We both get into the back of the van as Tim is driving us to Los Angeles. It’s a long and tedious journey, with Smyth sulking in one corner and my other two men fast asleep. I feel like I’m going insane until finally the van jerks to a sudden stop.

I glance at Tim. “Are we here?”

“Yes, sir,” he says.

This is it.

“Okay, you four stay in the van and listen on radio for anything going wrong. If something does happen, come in guns blazing. Got it?”

Smyth nods obediently, and I glance at the other two men who are with us on this mission: Jeremy and Oliver. Each of them gives me a silent nod in response.

“Good. Now make sure you don’t fuck up this easy job,” I say sternly, keeping my gaze fixed on Smyth, daring him to challenge me again. He doesn’t say a word, pursing his lips together tightly.

I step out of the van and walk from the alleyway toward the main street before turning left toward Piero’s restaurant,Vincenzo’s.

It may have been ten years since I last had a conversation with Piero, but still my hatred of him hasn’t diminished. It only has grown stronger as time passes. If he were at the restaurant, I couldn’t say with certainty that I wouldn’t do something fucking stupid if I came face to face with him. When I saw him at the engagement party, I felt my blood boil and the bloody visions that raced through my mind were desperate to become reality, but I need to buy my time.

According to my men, he’s out of town. They’d better be right, as today isn’t about him. It’s about snatching the leverage I want to use against him, his beautiful fiancée Gwendolyne Tesoro: an innocent lamb caught between two ravenous wolves.

As I walk to the restaurant, the tension rises. The security here is heavy for a restaurant, but I straighten my back and climb the steps, giving the guard a confident glare.

He steps aside, and the tension eases. I slip inside, heart pounding hard. This is my chance to make Piero pay for what he’s done. It’s time to take back control.

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