Chapter 18
Anna
The bastard thought I was lying.
Still.
He thought I was in on whatever stupid crime the bartender asshole had been involved him. I wanted to tell Jaxon what I thought of his beliefs, but I was still shaking.
Violence and murder had been a part of my life since my earliest memories. However, bloodshed had been infrequent unless someone had been out of revenge.
My father had been cutthroat, yet less so than my grandfather.
But in his ability to treat everyone fairly, he’d garnered more respect, which had meant fewer incidents of betrayal amongst his soldiers.
By the time I was ten years old, the soldier who’d followed me everywhere, to school, to the playground, and to my doctor was more like a big brother than my own flesh and blood one.
He’d helped keep the loneliness at bay, especially since my mother hadn’t had the time of day for me.
As I sat hugging Zorro’s neck while staring at the lifeless body of a man I’d barely been introduced to, I was struck by how similar this was to certain events in my teenage years during a time of upheaval when other members of the Five Families and the Camorra tried unsuccessfully to oust my father from the position of Il Capo di tutti Capi. Boss of all bosses.
It was a horrible time I’d never forget.
When I looked away from the bartender, I closed my eyes, trying to make sense of what had just occurred. I was aware of a presence less than a minute later. The moment I allowed myself to open my eyes, the sight of the handsome prince crouched in front of me was both frightening and alluring.
“Would you like to tell me how you met Damien?”
The question was so far removed and so full of accusations that I had to get away from him. Jerking to my feet, I was determined to do just that when he moved quickly in front of the door, preventing me from leaving.
I glanced down at my hands and arms, realizing they were splattered with blood. I rubbed my hands on the stupid shirt, no longer caring if I had the job. The reminder of the very life I’d fought to leave was too much. I’d go work at McDonalds.
His second-in-command was amused at the entire situation, leaning against the wall and watching the two of us interact as if it were a comedy show.
Jaxon also stood, moving directly in front of me. Just then, two other men waltzed into the room. They were huge men, their muscles bulging through their suit jackets. I also knew the type, security guards who would do anything to keep the person they were assigned to protect alive.
They’d obviously handled cleanup duties before and came prepared, ordering a crew of four who were in what looked like Tyvek jumpsuits. They carried huge bags with them and I knew exactly what was inside.
Cleaning supplies to cover up the murder. If I had to guess, I’d say the body would be dumped in the Gulf within an hour.
“Damien? You mean the man you murdered?” My question was laced with acid and Jaxon didn’t like my tone very much.
The others in the room seemed surprised, even shocked that I’d dare talk to the boss that way. I wasn’t here to please the man. I just wanted a long, hot shower.
“He betrayed me.” Jaxon’s chest was heaving, his voice dropping several decibels.
“I’m beginning to wonder why everyone doesn’t.”
I was certain he was about to get very angry with me when he took my elbow into his hand, leading me from the room. He stopped in the hallway, pulling me to face him. “While I understand you’re distraught from having your partner turn against you—”
“Let’s get one thing straight. He’s not my partner. I don’t know him.”
“Then what are you doing here?”
You bet I knew how the methods of interrogation worked.
I’d been forced to watch my father handle one that had turned ugly quickly.
He’d done so to teach me a lesson. But this was Jaxon being an arrogant jerk.
I took a step away, rolling my hand down my outfit.
“While I realize you probably go for the chicks with little upstairs who prefer wearing clothes like this, I’m only doing so because I was given the uniform to wear for my night of orientation.
Remember the second job I mentioned when you cornered me earlier? ”
Jaxon looked at me skeptically.
“She’s right, boss. Ms. Prince asked me to hire Ms. Scavo.” The manager I’d met before had been brought into the room. Even he was terrified.
Jaxon rubbed his eyes and took a few seconds before tipping his head over his shoulder. “Thank you, Danny. I’ll take it from here.”
“Yes, sir.” Danny glanced at me with sympathy in his eyes. I had to wonder how many times the staff had been required to handle a dead body.
We were suddenly at a standstill. I had no idea what to expect from him. Even with the electricity buzzing between us, I was beginning to lose the feeling of freedom. Karma obviously had it in for me.
“Get your things,” Jaxon said in his deep voice.
“Why? Are you firing me? I didn’t do anything wrong, but you know what? I quit.”
His laugh was no longer a perfect method of seduction but a sheer annoyance.
“I’m not firing you, Anna. I’m taking you home. You were just held at gunpoint and you’re covered in blood. You might think of me as an asshole, but I will do everything in my power to protect you.”
He moved closer and I backed away, loathing my body’s reaction to him, the hunger already reaching the boiling point.
“Fine.”
“Don’t try and run. You won’t like what happens if you do.” His jaw was set, his dark eyes flashing and it took everything I had not to slap his face as hard as my strength would allow.
Instead, I stormed past him, heading to the locker I’d been given.
In doing so, I was forced to pass by the hallway leading to the bathroom.
His cleanup crew had worked quickly. The body was already gone, leaving a thick pool of blood that two people in hazard suits were working on with due diligence.
A cold shiver tore through me as I grabbed my things. The moment I returned, he grabbed the duffle from my hand. “What the hell are you doing?”
He wasn’t concerned about my words of defiance, yanking the zipper and driving his hand inside. “I can’t be too careful, Anna. As I told you before and you seemed to understand, I have enemies.”
The look he offered when he finally lifted his head put the fear of God into me. When he found the knife I’d had with me since leaving Italy, a slow and steady smile crossed his face. “Good girl. Very smart.” He slipped it into his pocket, which did nothing more than piss me off.
“I’m not going with you.”
A heavy silence stretched between us and with the hard, cold look in his eyes, I sensed it was by design. When he wrapped his hand around my throat, I was certain it was to scare me, but it didn’t work. “Yes, you are.” There was a finality with his comment, no room for negotiations.
The pressure from his strong fingers was a powerful aphrodisiac, his rugged scent forcing my mouth to water. He seemed to understand how my body was reacting to him, the gleam in his eyes increasing. He abandoned his hold, replacing it with a rough grip on my jaw.
When his thumb skimmed my lips, a soft moan escaped before I could stop it. My hunger exploded, my lips parting and he took full advantage by shoving his thumb inside.
“So very beautiful.” Every touch was a debate, every look in his eyes a question. “Go clean off the blood.”
How fascinating that he knew I’d be fine in obeying his order. This one, anyway.
Seconds later, he placed the bag in my hand.
When he pressed his fingertips on my cheek as he’d done twice before, I didn’t flinch, I didn’t move. I refused to shy away. “Yes, I will protect you. Whether you want me to or not.”
Frustrating as hell.
There’d been no point in fighting him. A man like Jaxon had never accepted no as an answer before. He certainly wouldn’t do so now.
I’d scrubbed my arms and face until they burned, glaring at my reflection as I did so.
The woman staring back at me wasn’t the girl who’d left Sicily all those years ago.
She was older, some might say wiser, and certainly not nearly as na?ve.
My hair was longer and I’d filled out where I’d been a stick before, yet at the end of the day, nothing could alter who I was and no amount of hiding would change facts.
I was a mafia princess and at some point, my precious life would be shattered, forced to return home or worse.
How long would it be before my father called?
Sophia had yet to return my call. Maybe she’d told him I was asking questions.
How long before he sent someone to get me, if he hadn’t already.
Now I was sitting in the passenger seat of a hot Corvette with a huge dog in my lap. After the night I’d had and the whirlwind week I’d experienced, being crushed by an eighty-pound dog seemed perfectly normal.
Especially since he was licking my face every so often even as his daddy dog handled the streets as if practicing for a slalom run at Monte Carlo.
Seeing his hand tightly wrapped around the steering wheel, I could tell Jaxon was still livid about what had occurred.
Maybe that’s why I made up my mind to call my father as soon as I was able.
If the handsome man sitting next to me allowed me to leave his sight.
The silence as he drove was far too unnerving. “What did the bartender do?”
Jaxon exhaled, rubbing his jaw with his other hand while glancing into the rearview mirror, which he’d done several times since leaving Indulgence.
“He was the mule for the drugs that were found at the warehouse yesterday. From what I could tell, he had plans on selling them on the street as well as inside the club. I couldn’t risk the drugs getting in the hands of anyone underage. ”
His answer surprised me. “A man with a conscience regarding the illegal drugs he sells. How novel.”