6. Dario
6
DARIO
“ T he next shipment arrives later this month, boss.” Anton’s voice fills my car. “If we don’t want a repeat of what happened the last time...”
“It won’t happen again.” I grit my teeth, turning the steering wheel to the right and entering the quiet street that leads to my house. “I made sure of it.”
Our last shipment of blow had been intercepted by Customs and Border Protection. After our insider in the agency was arrested months ago, a long legal battle ensued. He was eventually released but was stripped of his position. Then the new commissioner in charge made the silly mistake of thinking he could mess with the cartel. Mess with me.
Law and order don’t exist here. Or as far as I’m concerned, we are in charge of what goes and what doesn’t. Unfortunately, he didn’t get the memo and tried to play hero, so I sent him a little gift in appreciation. It was no coincidence that before the case could hit the news, his residential home in Upper East Side was burned to the ground.
With him in it.
That served as both a punishment and a warning to the next appointed commissioner who dared to mess with us.
“Keep your eyes and ears open for any new developments,” I order as I pull into my driveway.
“Yes boss.”
The call ends with a beep before I turn off my phone. It’s a Friday evening, and even though I don’t normally take breaks from work due to the nature of what I do, I just need a little breather.
The familiar sight of my suburban home greets me. Under the evening sky, the house stands tall and modern, its dark glass windows reflecting the fading sunlight. The manicured lawn stretches out like a green carpet, bordered by perfectly trimmed hedges. The environment here is a stark contrast to the chaos of the city.
My penthouse apartment in Midtown Manhattan is at the center of the bustling city. Although the location is perfect for my line of work, sometimes I just crave some peace and quiet.
This is my true home, the place I escape to for a taste of normalcy. I haven’t even installed any security here as not many people know I stay at this location. Unless we’ve had business dealings in the past or share a mutual business partner, this house probably operates under an alias—belonging to an immigrant Asian family just off the boat, courtesy of my efficient assistant.
It’s my way of keeping a low profile and drawing less attention to myself.
As I pull into the driveway, I notice something feels off. That’s when I spot a strange car parked outside my fence—an Audi, glossy and black, its curves sharp and inviting. My curiosity piques. I come to a stop right outside my gate and step out of my car. The gravel crunches under my feet as I approach the Audi, wondering to whom it belongs and why the person is parked outside my house.
My heart quickens when I see her, and I can hardly believe it. She must have gotten my address from her brother. I wouldn’t be surprised—he’s likely been keeping tabs on me over the years, ensuring I don’t catch him off guard.
When you make a lot of enemies on your path to success, paranoia can kill you faster than people ever could.
He’s obviously tried to ensure that I never cross paths with his precious sister. Well, it’s too late for that—his efforts to keep her away from the big bad wolf have been in vain.
Because she’s here. It’s Ginny.
An inner excitement stirs within me, slowly traveling from my pounding heart and rushing through my veins. She doesn’t know I’m here yet. Or if she does, she’s doing a very good job of pretending. I wouldn’t be surprised. Ginny is someone who would never give me the satisfaction of acknowledging my presence.
But I don’t give a fuck about that. She’s here, and I can’t help but relish the anticipation of what this encounter might bring.
I take my time admiring her as she stands by the car, her posture tense and defiant.
She’s in a short, light blue sundress with ruffles at the short sleeves and ends. The color makes her long, dark hair appear even darker. As usual, the soft waves frame her beautiful face.
My eyes trail down to her exposed legs, and I feel the arousal travel straight to my dick. My body heats at the thought of having soft flesh wrapped around my waist.
Her hair is the perfect length to wrap around my wrist as she kneels before me and takes my dick in her mouth. Or to pull roughly as I take her from behind...
Fuck.
Pulling my thoughts from the gutter, I focus on her face. Her plump lips are pressed together into a firm line as if she’s fighting back whatever words she wishes to spit out towards me, and I can’t help but chuckle.
That’s when she turns to look at me.
The evening air is a bit warm, wrapping around us like a blanket. Rays of light from a nearby streetlight catch her hair, making it glow with streaks of golden in it.
There’s a fire in her eyes that makes it clear she’s not here for games, and that only adds to my amusement.
“Is there something I should know?” I ask, letting the soft breeze carry my voice as I draw closer. “Your brother visited me earlier today, and now here you are.” I stop directly in front of her, lowering my voice. “Am I in some kind of trouble? Or is this some sort of covert family invitation to join the Bianchi clan?”
Her nose flares as she raises her head to meet my gaze. Damn. She’s making it hard to focus on anything but her. Her glossy eyes lock onto mine while she?—
“You piece of shit,” she spits, making the mistake of stepping even closer to me.
Now, I can see the sprinkle of freckles across her nose, I can smell her faint vanilla scent with a hint of lavender, and I see her hazel eyes, a perfect mixture of light brown and green.
“How dare you?” Her voice fills the air again, bringing my attention back to her angry face.
“How dare I do what, Princess?” I can’t resist, I reach out, brushing back a strand of her hair. “You’ll need to be specific.”
She lets out a harsh chuckle.
“You think you rule the world, huh? You think you can just go about doing whatever you want to people?—”
“Shouldn’t you be hiding somewhere?” I interrupt, frowning as I pull my hands away and slip them into my pockets to avoid doing something foolish, like pulling her closer.
“Your brother told me what happened. What an unfortunate thing,” I say, my voice dripping with sarcasm.
She glares at me, her expression a mix of anger and determination. I can’t help but chuckle. It’s amusing how she thinks she intimidates me.
“Why are you even out?” I continue, feigning concern. “Someone tried to kill you the other day.”
If someone tried to kill my sister, I’d make sure she was kept safe within the walls of my home while I hunted down whoever the bastard was. But that asshole Lorenzo can’t get anything right. He probably doesn’t even know she’s not home.
“You’re behind that, aren’t you?” she shoots back, her voice sharp like a knife. Her accusation hits me like a bullet.
I smirk, leaning casually against the side of her car. “Trust me. If I wanted you dead, you’d already be gone.”
My smile widens as I watch her throat bob, her hands balling into small fists, as if she wants to punch me in the face and is probably second-guessing her decision to come here. I can see her frustration bubbling over. I thrive on her anger and the way it crackles between us. It’s only a moment before she finally snaps.
After Lorenzo accused me of trying to kill his sister, my curiosity got the best of me. I asked one of my men to look into what happened. Apparently, someone had sent her a bomb package and it had been left beside her car. She barely missed it.
Amateur.
“I, for one, think the whole thing was handled poorly,” I say, leaning closer to her ear to whisper. “Blowing up your car and causing a whole mess—just for what? You’re still here, wearing that pathetic glare and interrupting my time off with your obnoxious presence. Maybe next time I should have a go at it myself.”
I’m not surprised when my words make her even bolder. She steps closer, her face flush with anger.
“I’m not scared of you, asshole?—”
“You should be.” I cut her off. “I can be very, very dangerous, especially when threatened on my own property, baby girl.”
Her chest rises as she takes in a deep, frustrated breath. My eyes drop to her chest. From my height, I can see the top of her cleavage—and the fact that she isn’t wearing a bra.
Cold annoyance fills me. It’s glaringly obvious that she didn’t think this through. How could she be here, standing alone with and challenging the man who she thinks tried to kill her? Is she often this reckless?
The only thing reckless here are your thoughts, a voice in my head mocks.
I hate that my body wants her, that I notice the way her eyes twitch when she’s angry, the way her throat bobs when she’s thinking of what to say.
“Stop messing with my family!”
The fire in her voice thickens the tension already crackling in the air around us.
“No.”
She opens her mouth to speak, but I interrupt her for the umpteenth time.
“Now, what’s the fun in that?” I chuckle. “It’s not like you can do anything to stop me, so why should I willingly comply?” I ask, my words laced with mockery.
I revel in how she gets worked up, how her cheeks flush and her eyes sparkle with indignation. It’s a game to me, and I’m in control.
“You’ll be shocked at what I’m capable of,” she spits, and seeing the pure hatred in her eyes, I know she means it. She would do just about anything to get me out of the way.
I feign a chuckle. “What are you going to do? Send your limp-dicked fiancé after me?”
“Now I see you’re just an unhappy man with no friends or family. You thrive on manipulating others to mask the fact that no one loves you.” Her words strike a nerve.
On another day, she’d be dead, but I’m not that careless. Her last known location would trace back to me, and covering up a murder involving a high-profile name in the city would take considerable time and resources.
For now, she should thank her fucking lucky stars.
“Don’t test me, Princess,” I warn. “You won’t like the outcome.”
“Do you genuinely think your threats scare me?” She chuckles humorlessly before speaking again. “Or that I’ll fall to my knees and beg you to spare my family?”
“Oh, I’ll get you on your knees if that’s what I desire.” I step closer, trapping her against her car. “If that’s what I want, I’ll have you lying wide open on your car right now. Anyone passing by can watch as I make you to beg me with your body.” My voice drops to a whisper, and I hear her breath catch.
“Or with that snappy mouth of yours... But I’m not at all interested in immature kids who’ve just reached puberty. No matter how hard you try or how good you are, my answer will always be no. My taste is far better than wannabe politician’s side piece.”
My words hang in the air, heavy with intent, and I watch her, relishing the way she reacts. Her face goes pale for a heartbeat before it flushes a deep crimson. Her eyes, a mixture of anger and arousal, glare at me.
Then, before I can anticipate her next move, her hand lands across my cheek.