Chapter 16
MICHAEL
My wife is irresistible. And after those orgasms I gave her, all I can think about in my office the next day is doing it again tonight. The way she gave me her trust. I could practically feel the acceptance as I tasted her.
I could barely sleep after that. My cock refused to soften, thoughts of her invading me all night, wanting to wake her so I could feel her come with me inside her.
But she’s not ready for that. I’m surprised she was ready for what happened yesterday. I could tell she liked me restraining her. She didn’t have to say it for me to understand. It was in her eyes, the way she yanked my hair.
Damn, I loved the pain. I can be as rough as she wants me to be. I can tie her to my bed for hours, torture her until she lets go, until she learns to trust a man again.
But I’m not worthy of her trust, not someone who’s done the kinds of things I have.
But she can use me. I’m okay with that. She isn’t mine, not forever.
This is just sex. That’s all we’ll have.
I’ll help her heal, if that’s what she needs, so that one day she can be ready for some bastard who doesn’t get his hands dirty.
Who won’t end up being the cause of her death.
Every time she’s around, all I want is to kiss her. But I can’t. I don’t kiss the women I fuck. Ever.
That’s what she is. Nothing more. That’s the way it has to be, even when it tears me up inside to see how good she is with my Sophia. But I can’t have Elsie thinking there’s any chance that this could be more. Because it can’t.
My burner vibrates in my pants pocket, and I know exactly who’s calling, because I’m the one who called him first.
Removing the phone, I answer.
“What do you have for me?” I ask Nico, the best freelance assassin in the country. With the price he charges, he’d better be.
“Nothing.” His tone is sharp. Cold. Just the way I like the men who kill for me.
“What do you mean, nothing?” I tighten my hand around the cell. “Where are the girls?”
“They were gone when we got there. Not a sign of anyone in the house. It was empty.”
Fuck!
I loosen the tie at my neck, feeling like it’s suffocating me.
“Any cameras in the house?”
“There were,” he says. “But they were removed. The place was wiped clean.”
I clench a fist on my lap, leaning back into the chair at my desk.
I thought I could do it. I thought I could help Elsie’s friend and surprise my wife. But I failed.
I can’t even tell her. If she finds out her friend is gone, it’ll tear her up inside. And I won’t do that to her, even if it’ll show her that in some fucked-up way, I’m on her side.
Her husband. Her captor. And her fucking savior.
Yeah, so much for that.
“I spoke to some dealer across the street,” Nico explains. “He said the girls left four days ago.”
“Are you sure he said four?”
“Yeah.” He pauses. “Same day his girl broke up with him.”
I scoff.
“What do you want us to do?”
“Clear out.”
“Okay.” The line goes dead.
Four days ago was when Elsie escaped that place. They must’ve taken the girls somewhere else in case Elsie came with the feds. They don’t have them in their pocket. They’re not as easy to buy. We’ve tried, too.
I can’t go to Elsie empty-handed. What the hell else can I do with no fucking leads? We have no way to know which rathole they’re keeping the women in.
I’d have nothing to lose by calling Agnelo and seeing if we could come to some kind of deal for Kayla. I could make him rich.
My father won’t be happy if he finds out, but this is my call. The Bianchis can’t touch Elsie anymore.
Two seconds later, the phone is ringing.
“Michael Marino,” Agnelo snickers. “What can I do for you?”
“You know why I’m calling.”
“Yeah, you have something that belongs to me.”
I drag a sharp breath into my lungs. “She doesn’t belong to you.”
He chuckles. “Is that so?”
“Yeah. Haven’t you heard?” I pause, dragging it out. “She’s my wife now. She belongs to me.”
He laughs wryly. “A man like you would rather have a whore for a wife?”
I slam a pounding fist into my desk, the pen holder tipping over. “Call her a whore again, Agnelo. I dare you.”
The rage fills my veins, and I can almost hear the blood rushing to my head.
“Didn’t mean no disrespect to your wife. But you should know how many have had her pussy in this city.”
I grit my teeth so fucking hard, my jaw aches. “We may have a treaty, Bianchi, but say one more thing about my wife and I will nullify that agreement to shreds, along with your life. Do we fucking understand each other?”
“I have too much respect for your old man to take you up on that offer.” His tone turns threatening. As though I’d ever be afraid of him. “But you’d better listen to me, Michael. You’d better watch that mouth. I won’t stand for no fucking disrespect from you.”
“You’re the one disrespecting what’s mine. And Elsie is every bit mine. You say one more thing about her, and I will kill you. It’s that simple.”
He laughs. “You just met the girl, and you married her? Was this your way of undermining my family? Faro may be dead, but we’re still fucking breathing!”
“Not for too long, I hear.”
“You mean the Cavaleris?” He scoffs. “You think we’re afraid of some little shits from the old neighborhood?
I’ll personally kill those rat bastards.
” His breathing gets heavy. “Faro put a damn bullet in their eight-year-old brother like it was nothing before putting one in their old man. You think we won’t kill those three now? ”
“I’m sure you’ll try.” I roll back and forth in the chair, enjoying the irritation brewing between his words. “But they got one of you already. Doesn’t seem like they’ll have much trouble getting rid of the rest. I’d watch your back.”
“You arrogant prick.” His voice grows shrill.
“I could help you with the war that’s already at your feet. Give you some of my men. More weapons. I only want one thing. A girl named Kayla.”
His laugh is laced with mockery. “Is that why you called? To beg for her friend?”
When I don’t answer, he goes on.
“Tell her she’ll never see either of them again. She’s gonna wonder every day whether they’re dead and never truly know.”
Boiling rage roars inside me. I want to find him, and I want to bury him alive. I knew calling this bastard was a mistake, but I had to try. For her.
“I don’t need help from you. You hear me?”
I end the call. There’s nothing else to say.
I’m going to have to tell Elsie, and she’s going to hate me even more once she finds out I couldn’t get her friend back.