Chapter 40
40
One Month Later
“Sacrifices are inevitable in every life.”
Those are the words my father would tell my mother when he returned home, battered and bloody, asking for her to stitch him up. She’d repeat them when people questioned why she looked the other way when he committed his crimes.
Those sacrifices cost their lives and forever changed mine.
And now, it’s my turn to sacrifice.
I crumple the marriage contract into a ball, strike a match, and watch flames devour it. The words that determine my future bleed into each other. As I toss it in the trash, the paper shrivels up and turns into nothing but a pile of ashes.
The most fucked-up part?
I can set it on fire a thousand times, but the outcome will never change. Cernach saw our desperation when he offered the deal, and now, I have to honor my word and lose everything.
The trash can falls on its side when I kick it. I sit back in my chair, my spine as stiff as a rod.
All hell will break loose today .
The wedding invitations are being sent out, and I know Pippa will come. She’ll pour her anger out on me, and I’ll consume it because it’s what I deserve.
My attention shifts to the door at the sound of a knock.
“Yeah?” I shout, sitting upright.
Julian takes that as permission to enter my office. “We found another one.”
I stand, snag my blazer from the back of the chair, and shrug it on. “Where?”
His lips ease into a smirk. “The stupid motherfucker came into the casino, thinking we wouldn’t notice him.”
“Our prey walked straight to its predator.”
Julian chuckles. “Good day for us.”
At least that’s one positive since it’ll turn into hell later.
For the past few weeks, we’ve been focused on killing Sonny’s henchmen. Sonny is dead, and now, we’re picking off his men one by fucking one. It’s a shame I’m running out of them, though.
In my eyes, it’s Sonny’s fault I signed the contract.
So, every motherfucker who helped him needs to die.
Julian follows me out of Lucky Kings to my new Mercedes GL 550, and we drive to the warehouse.
As I enter the building, slipping on black leather gloves, Emilio greets me while standing in front of a man bound to a chair. My footsteps echo through the large space as I stalk straight to them. Monty, who once pledged his loyalty to Antonio’s father, pitifully stares at me with swollen eyes and a mouth covered in blood, his shoulders hunched in defeat.
When they said may the best man win, he chose the wrong fucking man.
Since I have a business meeting in thirty minutes, I can’t take my time with him. Monty shrinks back in the chair as I raise my Glock, and I catch the sound of a plea before I shoot him in the face .
His head droops, blood dripping on his lap, and I kick the chair. Satisfaction ripples through me when his body collapses to the ground with a heavy thump.
“Take care of the body,” I instruct them before removing gloves and tucking my Glock into my waistband.
Emilio salutes me, and Julian nods.
As I exit the warehouse, I wonder what time she’ll come to me.
Eight hours later, she does.
I’m aware she’s coming before she arrives at Antonio’s. As I sit back and stare at my phone, I watch the pin tracing her path on the screen—compliments of the GPS tracker I planted in her car.
She takes a left.
A right.
Getting closer and closer .
Vito, the gate guard, calls and interrupts my tracking.
“I have one pissed-off dance teacher here,” he says around an annoying-ass chuckle. “Do you want me to allow her through?”
“Yes.” I hang up, push out of my chair, and slip my phone into my pocket while walking toward the door.
Welcome to the shit show.
Her silver Audi’s headlights beam through the darkness as she races down the driveway and abruptly brakes. In a matter of seconds, she’s out of the car.
Leaving the door open, I step backward and wait for her. We have snipers stationed all over the property, and they’re nosy. We’re not having this conversation in the open. It’ll also be easier to trap her inside and prevent her from leaving until she hears me out .
She enters the house like a storm of beauty and madness.
Her face is red and charged with betrayal.
“Pippa—” I raise my palm as she stampedes toward me.
If I wasn’t so pissed and it wasn’t her, I’d find such a petite woman coming for my blood comical. I’d also applaud her for having balls bigger than most men in this city.
“Fuck you, Damien,” she screams, her ponytail swinging with the force of her pace as she comes closer. “I wish I’d never met you, let alone allowed you to touch me.”
People have beaten the shit out of me.
Teased me.
Shot me once.
But the strike of her words hit harder than any of them.
“I’m warning you, Pippa,” I grit out.
“And I’m warning you to never speak to me again.” She slices her hand through the air as if it’ll rip apart all our history. “That’s the last words you’ll ever hear me say.”
I scoff when she turns to leave.
Don’t think so, sweetheart .
I clutch her forearm, yanking her backward, and her back falls against my chest.
“What the hell?—”
I spin her around, pinning her against the wall, and rest my hands against them. She doesn’t jump, and there’s no fear in her eyes.
She huffs, glaring at me as if I’m her worst enemy, not a man she once gave herself to.
Our breathing matches exhale by exhale as I stare down at the most beautiful woman in this world. That belief hasn’t changed since the first time I saw her and chased her down.
I’ve murdered for her.
Spilled my secrets.
Fucked.
Loved .
Now, I’ve killed that with the flick of my signature.
Since her height is nowhere near mine, I dip my head so our faces are level.
“Warning me? Or what ?” She rises on her tiptoes to better square off with me.
“Let me explain.” I work my jaw, clenching my teeth so hard that I’m surprised my face doesn’t fracture.
“Fuck you,” she spits. “And I want the GPS you planted, without my permission , removed from my car right fucking now.”
Instead of answering her, I fixate on her lips.
Wanting to attack them with my mouth.
Suck on the corner like she used to love.
Her smacking my shoulder snaps me back into reality.
“Not happening.” I’d allow someone to skin me alive before I stopped watching her every move.
She attempts to shove my chest, but I don’t flinch.
“Fine. I’ll sell my car or gift it to my cousin for your nuptial gift.”
I inch my hand back and slam it against the wall. “Watch your mouth.”
This demented heart of mine corrodes more when I think about the engagement.
“Why?” she taunts. “Does the truth hurt?”
I glare down at her.
“Who should I bring as my date to your wedding?” She taps the edge of her mouth with her purple nails. “You know what they say? Weddings are the best places to find one-night stands.”
My sweet dancer must’ve forgotten who I am if she thinks that’ll happen .
“Stop while you’re ahead, Pippa,” I bite out.
“Maybe he’ll fuck me better than you did.”
I’ve let her talk her shit, but now, that’s over.
It’s time I set her straight .
“He had no choice, Pippa,” someone says behind me instead.
I separate from her to find Antonio entering the living room—a reminder that we created this scene in his home.
Pippa moves around me, staring at Antonio, wide-eyed. “Everyone has choices.” A long breath leaves her. “You men love to convince us otherwise. I didn’t leave this life because I was stupid. I left it because of this , because I’m smart.”
Pippa doesn’t carry the same level of attitude with Antonio as she does me.
He’d never hurt her. He knows if anyone ever laid a hand on her—boss or not—I’d become his worst enemy.
Her response reminds me why we’re in this situation, to begin with.
Because she fucking left .
I stop behind her, the urge to tug her ponytail and make her drop to her knees in front of me strong. “Maybe if you didn’t, I’d be marrying you instead.”
She waves her hand in the air. “Good riddance I did then.”
I’m so close, and she shudders when I lower my lips to her ear.
My dancer might believe she hates me. Her body says otherwise.
“You left because you’re a fucking coward,” I sneer.
“That’s enough,” Antonio barks. “Pippa, go home.”
Pippa pushes herself away from me while steadying her gaze on Antonio. “Fine. I don’t want one of your men following me.”
“It’ll be them or me,” I say coldly.
Keeping her back to me, she lifts her hand and extends her middle finger over her shoulder.
I snatch her wrist, give it a twist, and turn her to face me. “Flip me off again, and I’ll hold you against the wall and shove that finger inside your pussy until you stop with your fucking attitude.”
She jerks from my hold. “I hate you. ”
When she heads for the door and I attempt to follow, Antonio blocks me.
“Leo will trail her,” he says. “We need to talk in my office.”
Leo is Antonio’s cousin and is just as involved in this life as him.
I might be Antonio’s underboss, but he’s still the boss. So, while I have plenty of freedom, if he says we need to talk, then we need to talk. As long as someone trails her, I’m okay.
Pippa gets into her car, and I call Leo.
“Make sure you watch Pippa until I tell you otherwise,” I instruct while following Antonio into his office.
“On it,” he replies.
Did Pippa actually believe I’d remove her trackers?
I’ll keep one on her until the day I take my last breath.
Hell, I’ve arranged for someone to do it even after my death.
“Do you want me to break off your engagement?” Antonio asks.
I massage my temples. “We can’t. Koglin isn’t a man you breach contracts with. We’re trying to get back on our feet. If we break this contract, we’ll have even more enemies.”
Antonio strolls to the bar cart, grabs two tumblers, and pours double shots of whiskey. When he passes one to me, I drink it in a single gulp. Rather than pouring me a refill, he hands me the entire bottle of Johnnie Walker.
“You’re off for the rest of the night,” he says. “Stay here. Leave. Do whatever you want. If you leave, wait to finish that until you return.”
I’ve been sleeping here lately, watching Amara when he’s working. Now that Pippa no longer lives in the brownstone, it’s lonely as hell, and I have a deep-seated hatred for silence.
I lift a chin in his direction, hold up the bottle in thanks, and stalk outside toward my SUV.
As soon as I start the engine, I call Leo, Antonio’s cousin. “Where are you? ”
“Sitting outside Pippa’s apartment building.”
“Stay there. I’m on my way.”
It takes me twelve minutes to drive to the outskirts of suburbia and another fifteen to the city. Antonio’s home is distanced from the city, hidden behind a high fence and trees. It once belonged to some old asshole president.
The traffic becomes busier the closer I get to Pippa’s, and I parallel park behind Leo’s black BMW.
I call him back. “You’re free to leave.”
Making myself comfortable, I watch Pippa through the window as she moves around her fourth-floor apartment. When she reaches her bedroom an hour later, she closes the curtains, but I keep my eyes on her silhouette behind them.
I don’t care if she broke up with me.
If she hates me.
If I have a marriage contract.
I’m not letting her go.