Sinful Pleasure (Sinful #1)

CHAPTER 64

C HAPTER 64

MADDOX

‘’Come to the hidden house. No guards

or weapons with you if you want to see Allyn.”

–

Angelo.

I got out of the car, rage pulsating through every vein in my body as it had been since I received that text.

I walked to the entrance of the house, my eyes scanning the windows. Lights were on inside.

Without hesitation, I kicked the door open with one swift motion, watching it crash to the ground.

Inside, the small living room came into view. And there he was.

Angelo. My cowardly brother, standing with two men behind him. I couldn’t help but crack a twisted smile.

Once a coward, always a coward.

As soon as Angelo’s eyes met mine, I caught the flicker of fear he tried so hard to mask.

Good. He should fucking fear me.

“You’re fast,” he said with a feigned calmness. “She must be special to you, brother. I’ve never seen you so obsessed with someone other than yourself.”

I chuckled darkly, the sound reverberating through the room as I took a deliberate step forward. His guards immediately moved in front of him, their bodies a pathetic wall between us. It only made my smirk widen.

“You always talk big when you’ve got your men to hide behind,” I said. “Why don’t you send them out of the room and repeat those words to me, yeah?”

Angelo’s jaw tightened, his glare trying and failing to mask his hesitation. He didn’t give the command, and his silence was deafening.

It screamed his cowardice louder than any words ever could.

Not that it mattered.

Three of them or thirty, it wouldn’t make a difference.

But where’s the fun in taking them down quickly?

One way or another, I’ll get to Allyn. I may as well enjoy myself with Angelo first.

“I’m not your enemy, Maddox,” he finally said, his voice quieter now, his tone almost pleading. Almost.

“Interesting,” I muttered, leaning casually against the wall. I crossed my arms, my smirk sharpening into something razor-edged.

“Father said the same thing right before I slit his throat. Do you think those words will save you?”

His eyes faltered, flicking away from me. For a moment, the room fell silent. I could almost hear the invisible bomb ticking, the countdown to the moment when I blow this place apart.

Because I am the fucking bomb.

“Where are the bodies of our father and sister?”

“I can take you there if you’d like,” I said, tilting my head. “I’ve even reserved you a spot right next to them.”

His hands curled into fists at his sides, and I saw his eyes darken with a spark of anger.

Ah, there it was. That’s the reaction I wanted. But it was all he could do—stand there, impotent, pretending to have control. He couldn’t handle me, and we both knew it.

“We could have prevented their deaths,” he muttered, his voice heavy with something that sounded like regret.

“Oh, yeah?” I almost laughed in his face, my eyes narrowing into slits. “You and I both know that’s a load of shit. You shouldn’t have worked with our father behind my back, but you did, didn’t you?”

He said nothing, and that silence told me everything I needed to know. My smirk sharpened.

“I know what I did was wrong,” Angelo finally said, surprising me by stepping out from behind his guards. His bravery—or stupidity—caught my attention, but I didn’t let him off the hook. My gaze tracked his every move, unblinking.

“I know I fucked up.”

“Oh, we agree on something,” I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm. “Did you know they were plotting against me? You seemed to know about their deaths awfully fast.”

“I wasn’t part of the plan,” he blurted, his tone defensive. “When I found out, it was already too late. They were both gone.”

I tilted my head, studying him like the liar he was.

“So you’re telling me our father you worshiped like a god left his most loyal dog in the dark? Yeah, I’m not buying it.”

“It’s the truth,” Angelo said, his voice steady, but I saw the flicker of doubt in his eyes. “He knew I would never stand against you, Maddox. No matter what.”

“Then why take Allyn?” I growled, my voice rising with the storm inside me. “That’s a shitty move, even for you.”

“I didn’t take her,” Angelo corrected, his eyes never leaving mine. “I saved her.”

“From who?” I barked a bitter laugh, pointing at myself. “Me?”

“She never made it to your car,” he said, ignoring my challenge. “She was escorted to mine.”

“Why?” I managed to croak, my throat tightening.

Angelo didn’t flinch, his voice cold and steady.

“Do you think our father was going to let Allyn get out of there alive?” He let out a short, bitter laugh. “He had men surrounding the entire building, waiting for her. My men took them down before she could even get out.”

I swallowed hard, the weight of his words sinking in like a stone to my gut. I didn’t know if I should feel relieved, betrayed, or completely fucking lost.

Angelo took another step forward, and his guards mirrored the move- meant, but he held up his hand, signaling them to stop. It was just us now—alone in the thick silence. His eyes never wavered from mine.

“I’m not your enemy, brother,” he repeated. “And Allyn is not a hostage here.”

I looked at him, hoping for some kind of clarity, but nothing came.

“Why is Allyn here? Why am I here?”

Angelo’s eyes darkened, and I knew—before he even spoke—that I wasn’t going to like what he had to say.

“Because Mikael is here too,” he said, the words striking like a slap to my face. My body went stiff, rage coursing through my veins like fire.

The urge to break something, anything, became nearly unbearable.

“He managed to get out of the building. Followed Allyn here.’’ He said. ‘’His people are dead, and he’s captured.”

“You caught Mikael?” I rasped, my disbelief heavy in my chest. I needed to hear it again. I needed to make sense of this sudden shift.

“Yes,” he said simply. “He’s in the other room, locked up. And he’s not going anywhere.”

‘‘Why?’’

For a moment, all I could do was stare at him.

“I lost our family” he said. “I can’t afford to lose you as well”

Angelo. The same man who had tried to stab me in the back countless times. The same man who had been my father’s shadow for so long.

Now, suddenly, he was claiming to be on my side?

I came here to kill him. But here we were, standing like idiots in the middle of the room, neither of us moving.

“Take me to Allyn,” I said, my voice steadier than I felt. “When I’m done with Mikael, I’ll consider having a conversation with you.”

Angelo didn’t hesitate. There was no arrogance in his step this time, no bravado. He looked at me, the weight of his own emotions evident in his eyes.

“Deal.”