Chapter 3
Chapter Three
COHEN/CASSIO
“ C ohen, wait!” she calls out as I stride toward the front door.
I hide my smug grin behind a tight grimace as I spin around on my heels and turn to face her. Women are so easy to manipulate. “What?” I bark, crossing my arms over my chest, knowing she won’t be able to resist the way the movement showcases my arms and the biceps now straining behind the confines of my black shirt.
“I’m sorry.” Her eyes fixate on my arms, and my lips twitch. Irina drags her gaze up a few beats later, chewing on the corner of her mouth as she stands before me with doleful eyes. She is like the proverbial deer in the headlights, and I have her exactly where I want her. It’s an effort not to rake my gaze slowly over every inch of her gorgeous body. She’s all long legs and smooth skin, and her panties and flimsy tank top aren’t hiding much. Predictably, my dick swells.
I arch a brow, coaxing her to continue. If she thinks I’m letting her off the hook that easily, she can think again. She knows me better than that.
“I shouldn’t have said those things. Thank you for taking care of me.” Some of her fire returns as she lifts her chin and thrusts her shoulders back. “I’m grateful you were there and grateful you were a gentleman.”
“It wasn’t easy,” I truthfully murmur as I step toward her like a hunter calmly approaching his prey. “You’re stunning, Irina. Most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.” I move a step closer, and it’s like she’s frozen in time, rooted to the floor and incapable of moving. “Keeping my hands to myself was a test in self-control, but I could never take advantage of you.” I stop in front of her, and the tips of my shoes brush the tips of her bare toes. I purposely lower my tone. “You know that, right?” Tucking strands of blonde hair behind her ears, I silently fist pump the air when she shivers.
She looks her age as she stares at me with wide, innocent eyes. Vulnerability isn’t something I see in her often, and I know she’s not hiding anything from me now. Guilt lurks in my veins. I hate I have to use her to get to her father. I hate what my plans will likely set in motion. But I have no choice. I will get payback for my mother.
A life for a life.
Nothing else is acceptable to me.
If things were different, I can see myself totally falling for this girl.
But things aren’t different, and I have an agenda to accomplish.
“I want you, princess.” My fingers sweep across her soft cheeks. “I want you more than I’ve ever wanted any woman before.” It’s no lie. “But I would never take anything not willingly given to me.” My fingers move to her neck, and I feel blood rushing at lightning speed through her pulse point. Her nipples are hard, practically waving at me, and it takes considerable willpower not to rip that tank off her body and feast on her tits. “I know you’re attracted to me. I know you feel the same chemistry I do.” My fingers trail across her collarbone, and she sucks in a gasp. “Stop fighting it. Stop fighting us .” The instant my fingers dip to the small swells of her breasts, she breaks out of the spell and jerks back out of my reach.
“I can’t. You know why.”
Fuck me. I wish I’d never gone near her sister. “We’re not done talking about this, but you need to go put some clothes on before I’m forced to eat my own words.” Standing before me half-naked is seriously testing my willpower.
The most forlorn expression washes over her face before she turns around and silently walks off. My eyes are glued to her shapely ass until she disappears into the bedroom. A couple minutes later, when I hear the shower turn on, I leave her apartment in search of breakfast.
I’ve only just placed my order at the deli a couple blocks from Irina’s place when my cell vibrates with an incoming call. I don’t have his number programmed into this phone, but I’d know it anywhere. Internally cursing, I head outside to take Rowan’s call. I could ignore it. Trash this phone and get a new one. But Rowan Mazzone is resourceful, and he’ll continue to track me down until I talk to him. I’d rather have a phone conversation than risk him showing up here. That would be a shit show of epic proportions.
A fake ID works for me because I’m not as recognizable as my longtime best friend. I guess I have her to thank for that. She kept us sheltered from the spotlight, especially after Massimo ascended the throne. My adopted dad was president of The Commission—the governing body for all Italian American mafioso in the U.S.—for years, like Rowan’s dad before him. While they are two of the most powerful men in La Cosa Nostra, Bennett Mazzone is iconic. A living legend. Everyone knows who his heir is.
“How did you find me?” I ask when I pick up the call before it rings out.
“It wasn’t Zayn, if that’s what you’re really asking. That dude has your back.”
“I know.” I owe Zayn Anderson big-time. If it wasn’t for him, I’d never have discovered the truth or possess the intel I needed to come after the man who murdered my bio mom and set in motion a chain of events that led to my bio dad’s death too. Zayn created my fake identity, wiped all trace of my true identity, and carefully cultivated an online background, which verifies my millionaire businessman front.
Like I said. I owe the dude a lot.
Rowan helped me to find him a few years ago when I first discovered the people who adopted me had lied. His dad tried to entice Zayn and his business partners into joining his uber-successful IT business. They turned him down. Turned me down too when I approached them. Conflict of interest. But Zayn sought me out a few days later. He knows what it’s like to need answers, and he agreed to help me on the down-low. Rowan is the only other person who knows, and I trust him with my life. I know he won’t tell a soul. Honestly, I’m surprised he waited this long before tracking me down.
“You need to stay out of this,” I warn.
“Fuck you, man.” His anger is palpable. “Fuck you for disappearing. Fuck you for not telling me your plans. Have you any idea what this has done to your mom and dad? To Armis and Bella?”
Icicles form in my blood. “They’re not my parents. They lost that privilege through their actions.”
“They love you, Cassio. I know it’s killing them letting you go. We both know if I can find you, they could too. The fact they haven’t speaks volumes.”
“I’m not talking about them.” Pain cracks through the ice, penetrating deep. Their betrayal tears strips off my heart every time I think of it.
“At least call your brother and sister. They’re worried.”
“I left a note for Armis. He knows I need to do this.”
“You told him?” Disbelief underscores his tone.
“No. Not yet.” Leaning back against the deli window, I briefly close my eyes. “I want a resolution before I break my siblings’ hearts.”
“I know where you are and why you’re there. Don’t do it. It’s too risky.”
“I’m not stupid,” I snap, rubbing a tense spot between my brows. “I know what I’m doing.”
“He’s untouchable. Even if you could get to him, you won’t survive the fallout. Take the emotion out of this, Greco, and think logically. Come home to New York. We’ll figure out a way to make that Russian prick pay. One that doesn’t tie back to you or la famiglia .”
“I want Mikhailov to know. I want to look him in the eye and ensure he knows who I am when I snuff out his existence.”
Rowan curses. “This is suicide. Don’t do it.”
“I can’t walk away. I have an in, and I’m not going down for this. Trust me. I will pull this off.”
“And then what?” Exasperation mixes with concern down the line. “You think the Bratva will let you walk away if you take out one of their leaders? You’ll be hunted the rest of your life, man. Is it really worth it?”
“Yes,” I hiss as my name is called from inside the deli. “The world has forgotten Maria and Renzo Dutti, but I haven’t, and I won’t rest until I avenge their deaths. I’ll have no peace otherwise. You don’t get it. I need to do this.”
“You’re making a mistake.”
“Goodbye, Mazzone.”
“Wait!”
“I’ve got to go.”
“I’m only saying this ’cause you’re my brother, man. If you’re determined to do this, at least let me help. I can?—”
“No.” I cut across him as I signal to the girl behind the counter through the window. “You have a wife. A family. You are not involving yourself in this. Why the fuck do you think I fled New York and dropped my old identity? I’m protecting those I love, including you. Don’t come here, Rowan. You’ll blow my cover and likely get both of us killed.”
“I can’t do nothing.” Pain is evident in his tone.
“I love you, man. But there is nothing you can do. Trust I have this under control. Promise me you won’t do anything, say anything. If this ends badly, I want nothing tying back to La Cosa Nostra. Swear it, Mazzone. On your kid’s life.”
He emits a heavy sigh. “I hate this, but okay. You better know what you’re doing, Cassio. I won’t say anything. You have my word.”
“Thank you.” Relief oozes out of me.
“Don’t die.”
“Not planning to,” I say, but he’s already hung up.