Chapter 3 – Vincenzo
Fiore Mio, tu sei miserabile….
Squatting before her, I reached out. It was as if my hand wasn’t controlled by my own mind.
It was that damned scent. Exotic florals.
Moonlight and jasmine. Earthy. Her. I inhaled deeply, grounding myself to the reality that she was real.
And that she was right in front of me. The time wasn’t right for me to come back, and yet, here I was, brushing the hair off her face.
I fucked up tonight.
In a moment of desperation, I’d tried to warn her. Typical Amanda, she didn’t listen. Now I had to fix the mess before something terrible happened, like a judge ordering me back behind bars—this time for life.
If that happened, I could kiss my plan for revenge goodbye.
Two years….
That was how long it took to build myself an empire in the dark. To arrange the pieces on the chessboard in a precise order that my nemesis would never see coming.
And tonight, I reached out, broke the veil, and nearly shattered my carefully laid plans.
There was nothing else to do but come and fix the rash act. Getting into her building was easy, picking the lock was tedious, but pushing into her apartment? Well…that was interesting. It was a wonder she hadn’t woken when I moved the couch to open the door.
The little troublemaker had barricaded herself in her home.
I was almost proud of her, if I wasn’t equally annoyed.
It wasn’t the challenge of breaking and entering, though. It was that she’d slept through it. She didn’t sense the danger. She had no idea a monster loomed over her. She was too exhausted, plus that worrisome concoction kept her comatose.
“What are you doing to yourself?” I growled softly.
The longer I watched, the more I saw. Being this close, the truth was painfully obvious. Cavolo! She looked haggard. Miserable. This sweet girl was utterly miserable.
It frustrated me to no end that I needed to be a helpless observer. My hands were tied. This was New York, not Boston. I was here as a guest. The kings of the city would string me up and feed pieces of me to their dogs if I stepped a toe out of line.
Those same rulers of the underworld were also good for business. I would need them when it was time to strike. Archibald Loring had powerful friends. To defeat him, mine had to be equally fearsome. His reign of terror was coming to an end, and the fucker didn’t even see it coming.
If only I didn’t have a weakness, an enchantress who tempted me to fuck up and risk everything for the smallest of infractions.
It would be so much easier if she’d sided with me upon my return.
But Amanda made it clear two Christmases ago, when I came back from prison, that she wanted nothing to do with me. So I stayed away. I didn’t let myself go near her. Not until the time was right.
It was so close now that I could taste it.
This woman would be mine.
And not a moment too soon. The drained light in her eyes drove me mad.
I kept a close eye on her. Always in the shadows.
Never making contact. It was an addiction.
A form of self-torture. When I wasn’t working, I was following her home from the office.
Or tagging along at a safe distance when she went clubbing with her friends—not that she’d made time to do that often.
When she started to date the man her father set her up with, it took every ounce of strength to keep back. I was forced to watch them share meals, smiles, and a few kisses.
I plotted his death a thousand times.
Soon, I would put a bullet between his eyes.
But killing someone in this city without permission would be an act of war. Our famiglia couldn’t afford that, and our allies wouldn’t stand by us if it came to a conflict. Don Morelli would be forced to hand me over in a futile attempt to make peace, and that would bury my aging father.
Rising, I went to the bedroom and grabbed the comforter off the bed.
Being around her again was fucking with my head.
A month ago, I bought her something because I knew she wanted it.
Simple. I swore it was the only time. But then I did it again two days later.
It felt good—it felt right. Every time I interacted with her, I screamed at myself to stop.
And yet I continued to act without thinking. Like messaging her tonight.
Draping the extra layer of warmth over her body, I tucked the edges under her toes.
The world was mine. I was a free man again.
Every day, and most nights, I toiled to carve out a place for myself.
But the empire always felt hollow. I knew why.
Being near her brought light to the void. It was addictive.
“It’s fucking dangerous,” I muttered.
I should just stick to the shadows, pull the puppet strings, until I was the master of our destinies.
But…she’s suffering. She needed someone to take care of her.
I pushed the blanket under her shoulder. The soft sigh that escaped her lips was music to my ears.
Maybe if she wasn’t working such long hours, maybe if she had a healthy, balanced life, it would be easier to stay away. But she didn’t. Because of the added threat, the one she would refuse to see coming until it was too late, I was here.
She was going to hate me when I revealed myself. When the carefully laid plans fell into place.
But I was happy to play the part of the monster if it gave this girl a better life.
Taking her phone from under her pillow, I sent her a message with a link from mine.
On her screen, I clicked the link, and downloaded the program.
Once it was installed, I deleted every text I sent and returned the device.
Not only would I be able to remotely monitor it, but I would also be able to delete any future messages, leaving no digital trace.
Grazie a dio for the tech guys I kept on my payroll.
Running my fingers through her hair, I let the golden strands flutter onto the pillow behind her.
Torture—pure torment. My heart thudded against my ribs.
Maybe there was a way to get close to her without her knowing it was me.
Have a little fun while we waited for the pieces on the chessboard to make their moves.
I did promise to punish her, after all.
A smirk tipped the corners of my mouth up. This could be a way to fulfill her darkest fantasies…just as long as she learned this wasn’t a game. That wasn’t why I was here. She wasn’t a toy to be trifled with.
Amanda was the ultimate prize.
I clenched my teeth. “When the time is right, I will make you mine.” Per sempre.
After tucking the phone beneath the pillow, I ran a knuckle down her cheek. The temptation to spend time with her was too strong. The urge to take care of her, to do more for her, was stronger. I knew I would cave.
I have to be careful. For all our sakes.