Heartless Sinner (Empire of Sinners #5)

Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

Micah

Jaxon and I sit opposite each other on the terrace of his manor. We each have a crystal tumbler filled with Scotch from his hundred-year-old collection.

I just arrived and have a ton to tell him. Then I’m meeting with my father to discuss my marriage and my plans. Seeing Jaxon now will at least provide a buffer for whatever clash I expect to have with my father. I guess that depends on what Jaxon thinks of Scarlett. He doesn’t know about her yet.

The last time he saw me, I was heading out to Denver to find her, except I didn’t know her name. All I had at that point was the business card from the Ever After Agency.

It was only hours before I saw Jaxon that Brahm and I had watched the video of her stealing the chip from the hotel. Jaxon doesn’t know what happened next. All he knows is that I went to Denver to chase a nameless girl, but he doesn’t know why. He also doesn’t know Anton has anything to do with her. When I called Jaxon to ask about Anton, I left those parts out.

We’re the kind of friends who tell each other everything. I’ve known him my whole life, and he’s valued my friendship so much that he made me a business partner in his ventures and asked me to be his advisor in his Bratva. Yet I haven’t told him about Scarlett, probably because his opinion matters to me and I wanted to do it in person.

Jaxon tucks his shoulder-length black hair behind his ear and swirls his drink around the tumbler looking like he’s gearing up to dive into a marathon of questions. He’s about to speak when the glass doors on our left open and out comes his wife, Gabriella. She’s carrying a tray with a cheese platter and a pitcher of fresh lemonade.

Instantly, I watch my best friend turn into an ogling teenaged boy who can’t take his eyes off the girl he likes. It’s strange to see him —a tall, hulking man people call the Beast—gawking at his wife in such a way. But it’s good. It shows how far he’s come. It shows his deep love for her. It shows she’s the only woman for him and he wants the world to know.

Dressed in a little summer dress with her long dark waves floating in the wind, she steals Jaxon’s undivided attention.

“Krasota,” he says, endearing her in the same way I do when I call Scarlett bellezza. Both words mean beautiful .

Gabriella smiles, giving him the same look of love. “I thought you guys would like some refreshments.”

“Thank you, Gabriella.” I greet her with a smile. “Good to see you.”

“You too, Micah.” She sets the tray down on the table between us, and Jaxon can’t take his eyes off her.

“Isn’t my wife the absolute best?” He glances at me then pulls Gabriella in for a quick kiss.

“Yes, she sure is,” I agree, but I doubt either of them hear me. They’re too busy staring at each other with that mesmerized newlywed look. They’ve been married for a little over six months now and are obsessed with each other

“Do you guys need anything else? I’m going to head out for a few hours.” She finally looks at me, breaking her stare from her husband.

“I’m fine. This is plenty.” I motion to the cheese platter and smile.

“Okay. Enjoy the rest of the day.” She looks back at Jaxon. “See you later.”

“Hurry back.”

“I will.” She leans in to kiss him again then heads off.

His eyes follow her until she’s back inside the house, and even then, he continues to stare until I clear my throat.

He looks at me and gives me a sheepish grin for being caught out. “Sorry. She always does a number on my mind.”

“Ya think?” I smirk, and the two of us laugh. “I’m just joking. This is a good version of you.”

“Thanks, man.” He takes a swig of his scotch and sets it on the table, then he looks at me with curious eyes. “So, did you find your nameless girl?”

“I did.”

Amusement brightens his eyes. “And what happened? You look like you have stuff on your mind.”

“I do. A lot happened, and I’m also getting married in two weeks.”

Jaxon’s eyes snap wide. “Two weeks? Seriously?”

“Yeah.”

“Who’s the lucky lady?”

“My nameless girl who has a name now. It’s Scarlett.”

He stares back at me like he did in high school when I’d just told him some crazy whacked-up story about my many adventures. Sometimes those stories were real, sometimes not. Jaxon would look at me like he is now, trying to figure out if I was being serious or not.

“It’s the truth,” I confirm for him, and his stare morphs into shock. “I have some stuff to tell you.”

“Yeah, it sounds that way.”

It’s my turn to drink, so I take a big gulp then fill Jaxon in on everything that’s happened over the last eight days. And I leave nothing out.

By the time I finish, he looks even more perplexed than before.

“Jesus, Micah. What the fuck?” He leans forward, elbows on his knees.

“I know. It’s hard to believe it’s only been eight days. So much has happened.”

“And you’re getting married to this girl?”

“Yes.”

"Well, if nothing else, at least she sounds like your type of chaos.”

I smirk and take another sip of my drink. “You think I’m crazy.”

“I’ve always thought that, so that’s nothing new. I get it and you seem really taken with Scarlett, but the situation is messy.”

“I know.”

“You’re sure she has nothing more to do with the Nexxus?” He raises a brow.

“I am a hundred percent certain. However, I know her brother does. I still can’t find the fucker. I have the best men looking for him, yet there’s no trace.”

Jaxon shakes his head. “So, he’s either dead or under someone’s protection.”

“I thought about that, too. But he had a good head start. He could be hiding out anywhere.”

“What about this Anton?”

"I’ll deal with him if he becomes a problem.”

Jaxon chuckles, but it’s not with humor. “Oh, believe me, he will become a problem. It’s not a matter of if, it’s when . Anton Chekov and his father, Dorian, are the pride of the Domascki Bratva, both as unhinged as each other when it comes to killing. Anton isn’t going to let a woman he thinks belongs to him go so easily.”

I place my drink down and mirror his stance by leaning forward. “He’s not getting her back, Jaxon.”

Jaxon's calculating gaze dissects me piece by piece, his eyes searching and analyzing my composure and my defiant declaration. When he sits back and his jaw clenches, I know he realizes just how serious I am.

“As always, I have your back.” He nods.

“Thank you.”

“Do you need me to do anything in the meantime?”

“Not with Anton, yet. I’ll need your help with finding the Nexxus, though, especially because one of my people is working with them.”

“My men and my services are all yours.”

“Thanks. Now that I’m back in New York, I’m going to be investigating everyone in my family and the people who work for us.”

“That’s going to be one hell of a task.”

“I hate traitors.”

“Don’t we all.” His exhale is as sharp as his stare. “I think I have an idea on what we can do for the blueprints. Are they in the same place?”

“Yeah.” The printed version is at my house in the safe in my study. The digital version is on a memory stick in the vault at Delarosa Industries. “What are you thinking of doing?”

“I think I can reconfigure the internal design to work with Brahm’s tracking system. But we need to draw out the Nexxus. Let them come to us.”

“Set up another trap,” I say, seeing where he’s going, and he nods.

“I don’t think there’s any point looking for them. They’re desperate enough to try and steal the blueprints whether they think you’re planning to trap them or not.”

“I agree. I think they’ll do anything.”

“They’re less likely to think it’s a trap if they know you have the print at your house and the company. Whoever is working with them will have access to both places.”

I nod. “I like this, Jaxon.”

“Good. I’ll work on something later. I really want to know who their boss is.”

“Me too.”

“This just may be the way to find that out. Until then…” He picks up his glass again and raises it to toast. “Congratulations on your engagement.”

My smile spreads slowly across my face. “Thanks.”

"I haven't seen you this alive in years. That’s a good thing. I like this version of you.” He borrows my earlier compliment.

“I like this version of me, too.”

"Well, here's to the future."

“To the future.” I raise my glass, too, and we drink

I arrive at my parents’ fortress before lunchtime. It was great hanging out with Jaxon. He really helped to take my mind off things. Now I’m eager to get seeing my father out of the way so I can head back home to Scarlett.

I would have skipped this meeting, but that dinner party is on Tuesday. I need to smooth things over with my father so we both have time to cool off from whatever shit we may unearth today.

He’s already pissed that I didn’t see him yesterday. He’d probably have my head on a platter if I told him I spent the day fucking my wife-to-be.

I park my Bentley on the drive and head up the wide stone steps leading to the front door. The new arrangement of the roses on the porch suggests my mother has been redecorating again.

Most people think she hires a team of decorators to do it, but my mother does everything herself. It’s one of her beloved hobbies.

I open the door and walk into the marble hallway. The moment I do, the air changes. It thickens.

Like a shark, I pick up a scent lingering in the air that I haven't encountered in years— vanilla and betrayal .

Eloise.

I think her name before I find her standing in the hallway near my father’s office admiring the floor-to-ceiling-sized painting of Dante’s Inferno.

She still has her classic signature looks of waist-length black hair that’s bone straight without a hair out of place, and a model-thin body molded in some high-end designer’s latest dress.

When I move closer, her red lips curve into a smile that makes my stomach turn.

Why the fuck is she here?

Fuck. Why am I wasting thoughts? This is exactly the kind of shit I worried about.

I know exactly why she’s here and at this time, too. This is clearly my father’s doing. Just like I knew he would, he’s still trying to set me up with Eloise—he all but told me he wouldn’t stop until I took my vows.

This is just like him, and he would have known I was likely to run into her now because he knew I was on my way.

Things are already bad. I didn’t need them to get worse.

"Micah." My name slides from her mouth like honey-coated poison, and she turns to look at me with those seductive serpentine eyes. "What a delicious surprise."

I keep my face blank, a skill I've perfected in the years since she taught me the true meaning of deceit. "What are you doing here?"

She straightens, her designer heels clicking as she saunters closer. Too close. "Your father's considering investing in my new jewelry store. Isn't that wonderful?"

Damn it, Papà. What are you seriously playing at? “I’m sure it’s great for you .”

“Wow. Is this really how we’re going to greet each other? I haven’t seen you in years. With my new business venture, we'll be seeing so much more of each other."

“Whatever business you have with my father is between you and him, not me.”

“But he’s investing on behalf of Delarosa Industries. That would include you.” She gives me a sweet smile that could sway a hung jury.

“Like I said. Nothing to do with me.”

She bites the inside of her lip and glares up at me. "Come on, Micah. Cut me some slack. You obviously haven’t forgiven me. But maybe that’s because you still want me. I still want you.” Her perfectly manicured fingers reach for my shirt. I catch her wrist before she can touch me, my grip firm enough to make her gasp.

"Don't. And no, I don’t want you.” I can’t believe the audacity of this woman. “I’m sure you know by now that I’m engaged.” I release her hand, and it falls back to her side, but she laughs at my remark.

"I heard. But come on, Micah. We both know your little fiancée from Denver isn't right for you."

Wow, my father must really have gotten in her ear for her to know Scarlett came from Denver. I hope my mother isn’t going to be the same. That said, she’s never liked Eloise. “You don’t know my fiancée like I do, and you don’t need to know her.”

That hits a mark. I can see it from the flash of fury in her eyes. “Look at you talking like the boss already.”

“I am the boss.”

"Your father wanted us to get married. He still does. We make sense. We always did.” She looks like she really believes that.

There’s no point acting surprised. This is what she’s like. She’s not the sort to beat around the bush. She’s always been direct and straight to the point no matter how inappropriate the conversation is.

“This conversation is over.” It’s best not to stay and encourage her.

“I know what you need. She won’t. I know what you like. She won’t have a clue. Don’t you remember how we used to be?"

A cold smile inches across my lips. "What I remember is finding you in Professor Knight’s office with him balls deep inside you."

Her face flushes, anger replacing the seductive mask. "That was a mistake?—"

"No." I hold up my hand to stop her from continuing. "That was a choice."

“It was still a mistake.”

I step closer, watching her shrink back. "Here's what's going to happen. We’re not going to have this conversation again. If my father wants to waste his money on your little venture, that's his business. But you and I are done."

Her eyes narrow, tears gathering at the corners—always her favorite weapon. "You've changed."

"Yeah." I move past her toward my father's office, not sparing her another glance.

She watches me until I go through the door, and even when the door closes, I can still feel her gaze.

I find my father standing at the window. The office is huge, and he’s at the farthest end, but I know he heard every word in the hallway.

His back is turned to me, and I realize he’s doing that thing where he’s deep in thought because things haven’t gone his way.

Above his head hangs the portrait of my nonno—Vittorio Delarosa—his stern eyes watching over every decision made in this room.

Three generations of Delarosa men built this empire on blood and tradition, and my father has never let me forget it. That doesn’t mean he’s going to rule every inch of my life.

"Going to explain why my ex is strutting around our family home?" I keep my voice level, but there's an edge to it that makes him turn.

"I’m sure she told you.”

“We both know your business investment isn’t the only reason she’s here. You’re still trying to set me up with Eloise even though I’ve chosen a wife.”

“Of course, I am." He gestures to the wall where photos of past family gatherings hang like a visual family tree. "Her family and ours have been associates for three generations. Her grandparents and parents were at your birth and baptism. Her father is like a brother to me. These bonds—they're sacred. They mean something. Yet you’ve just picked some woman off the streets who doesn’t even know our ways."

"Papà you are fucking unbelievable." My harsh tone makes him wince. Good . "You’re talking bullshit about bonds and brotherhood to me, forgetting Eloise has no loyalty. She’ll fuck anything that walks, and that means nothing to you."

"People make mistakes, Micah." He waves his hand dismissively, like he's swatting away an inconvenient truth.

“You and Ma have been married for over thirty years, but you’ve been together since you were in your teens. Did either of you make that kind of mistake?”

“Absolutely not. But that doesn’t mean other people won’t. Eloise was young, and she’s changed. Sometimes, tradition and family connections are worth more than past indiscretions. That is the Italian way."

I shake my head in dismay, realizing this conversation must have been brewing from the moment I gave him Scarlett’s name.

"You're choosing to throw away centuries of connection." He points to the family photos again. "Look at this. Every Delarosa man for five generations has married into one of the five families or their allies. And now you're following a different path."

“There has never been a law that said I couldn’t.”

“There didn’t need to be. It should have been a given that you’d know to choose a woman in our circle. This Scarlett James doesn't know how to be a proper Italian wife, let alone one to a mafia boss?—"

"Enough." The word rips from my throat with such force, he flinches. "You want to talk about tradition, Papà? Let's talk about respect, because you have none for me."

“That is not true.”

“Yes. It is.” I lean forward, forcing him to meet my gaze. "Scarlett may not have the right last name or come from the right family according to you, but she’s my choice.”

"Son—"

"No. We’re not talking about this anymore. I did what you said. I found a woman I could marry. I did it, so this is a done deal. You can’t fuck with me anymore." My words hang heavily between us. “I don’t want to be with Eloise, so stop forcing her on me.”

His face hardens and that familiar stubbornness entrenches in his jaw. "Very well."

“Good. And Papà? Eloise's jewelry store. Cancel that fucking investment."

He doesn’t answer. All he does is stare.

That’s fine. Let him hold on to that.

I turn and leave, going right back out the door, that deadly silence following me.

Thankfully, Eloise is gone. I’m about ready to breathe fire, so it’s a good thing she’s not here.

When I reach outside and I’m at my car, I rest a hand on the door and take a moment to breathe in the fresh air.

The way I spoke just now to both Eloise and my father, and even Jaxon, I didn’t sound like a man who wanted a business marriage. I didn’t sound like a man who wanted only a year of marriage.

I didn’t sound like a man who wanted to let Scarlett go.

I sounded like I was in love with her. How in the hell can I be in love with a woman I met eight days ago?

It’s crazy.

But it’s true.