Declan #3
I stare at Dante's body, and at the blood pooling across the floor. Enzo is already turning away casually, like he didn't just execute a man in cold blood.
"He said you ordered him to spy on me.”
"He was lying." Enzo meets my eyes. "Trying to save his own skin by implicating me. But I give you my word, Declan, I had nothing to do with this. If I wanted intelligence on your organization, I would have asked you directly. We're family now. There's no need for deception."
I want to believe him, that my father-in-law is being honest, that this was just a rogue operative acting on his own. But something about this feels wrong. The way Dante insisted Enzo had ordered him to spy. The way Enzo killed him so quickly, before he could say anything else.
But I don't have proof. And without proof, all I have is suspicion.
"Thank you for bringing him to me," Enzo says. "It's better this way. Clean. No loose ends."
"Yeah." I look at the body one more time. "No loose ends."
We walk back to the main house together. Enzo talks about business, moving on smoothly and carrying on conversation about upcoming deals and territory negotiations. I respond automatically, my mind still on Dante's final words.
I was only ever working for you.
Was he telling the truth? Or was it just a desperate lie, a last-ditch attempt to save himself?
I don't know. And that uncertainty is going to eat at me.
Dinner is tense. Elena sits across from me, beautiful in a dark green dress. She keeps glancing at me, trying to read my expression, but I keep my face neutral. I'll tell her everything later, when we're alone.
Enzo is the perfect host, charming and attentive, making sure everyone's glasses are full, and the conversation flows smoothly. Elena's brother Alessio is here too, along with a few other family members. They talk about business and politics and all the mundane details of running a criminal empire.
I barely hear any of it. All I can think about is Dante's body and the way Enzo pulled the trigger without hesitation. I can’t help but continue to have the nagging feeling that he might be lying to me.
I need to get out of here. I need to be alone with Elena and ease this tension that's coiling tighter and tighter in my chest. I catch her eye across the table and give her a slight nod toward the door.
She understands immediately. "Excuse me," she says, standing. "I need to use the restroom."
"Of course." Enzo smiles. "Down the hall, second door on the left."
She leaves. I wait for a few minutes to pass, letting the conversation carry on around me, and then glance at my phone as if I’ve gotten a call. "I’m sorry, I need to take this. Business."
"Of course." Enzo waves me away. "Take your time."
I follow the direction Elena went, moving deeper into the house. The hallway is dark and quiet, lit only by sconces on the walls. I find her waiting near a window a good distance from the main part of the house, her arms crossed over her chest. "What happened?" she asks immediately.
"Later." I pull her further down the hall, away from anyone who might overhear. "Right now, I need—"
I don't finish the sentence. I don't need to. She sees it in my face, the tension, the need, the desperate desire to feel something other than this gnawing uncertainty. "Here?" she whispers.
"Here." I back her against the wall, my hands on her hips, and I kiss her, hard and desperate, pouring all my frustration and need into it. She responds immediately, her fingers digging into my shoulders, her body arching against mine.
This is reckless. Dangerous. Anyone could walk by and see us. But I don't care. I need her.
I slide my hands up her thighs, pushing her dress up. She gasps against my mouth when my fingers find her already wet. Her hips jerk when my fingertips graze against her clit.
"Declan—"
"I know." I work her with my fingers, building her arousal quickly. "I know, baby. I've got you."
She's panting now, her head falling back against the wall. I kiss her throat, her collarbone, the swell of her breasts above her dress. My cock is painfully hard, straining against my pants, demanding attention.
"Wait." She pushes at my chest. "Wait, Declan—"
I have a feeling I know what her hesitation is, and I pull back just enough to reach into my pocket. I pull out the condom I've been carrying since I left Lachlan’s this morning and swung by a store on my way back. "I came prepared."
Her eyes widen. "You—"
"If you're not ready for children, we don't have to have them." I hold her gaze. "Not until you're ready. Not until you want them. I mean that, Elena."
She stares at me. "You really mean that."
“Yes,” I murmur, kissing her again. I’m already ripping the condom open, desperate to get it on so I can get inside her. “That’s your decision to make. So I’ll wear this, if it means I get to fuck you.”
She lets out a stifled moan, and I unzip my slacks with a jerk, slipping my aching cock out.
I get the condom on quickly, giving myself one hard stroke to roll it on, and then I lift her, her legs wrapping around my waist, her back against the wall.
I push into her in one smooth thrust, and she gasps at the sensation.
I fight back a groan. She’s so fucking tight, even more so this time, when she hasn’t come yet.
She’s not as relaxed as she was last night, and the grip around my cock is almost too much.
"Quiet," I murmur against her ear. "We have to be quiet."
She bites her lip, nodding. But when I start to move, fucking her with deep, hard strokes, she can't quite hold back her sounds. Little gasps and whimpers spill from her lips that make my blood run hotter. I’m going to come hard and fast, and I want her to come with me.
"That's it," I breathe. "Take it. Take all of me. Take my whole fucking cock, baby, it’s all yours.
" She's so tight around me, so fucking perfect.
I can feel her inner walls fluttering, can feel her getting close as I rub her clit beneath her panties with my free hand.
I adjust my angle slightly, hitting that spot inside her that makes her cry out.
"Shh." I cover her mouth with my other hand, using my body to keep her pinned to the wall. "Someone's going to hear."
But the risk of it, the danger of being caught, only makes it hotter. I fuck her harder, faster, chasing my own release while trying to bring her to hers. Her nails dig into my shoulders through my shirt.
"Come for me," I whisper. "Come on my cock, Elena. Let me feel it."
She gasps and shudders, and her whole body goes taut, her inner walls clenching around me so tight I nearly lose it.
I keep moving through her orgasm, prolonging it, until she's shaking in my arms. Then I let myself go, fucking her with abandon until I'm coming too, spilling into the condom with a groan I barely manage to muffle against her shoulder.
We stay like that for a moment, both of us breathing hard, our bodies still joined. Then, slowly, I lower her back to her feet and help her straighten her dress while I deal with the condom.
“Declan—” She looks at me, wide-eyed, and I kiss her again.
“I needed you,” I say softly. “I had to be inside you.”
Her cheeks flush, and she looks away. I pull her close, kissing her forehead. "Are you okay?"
"I'm okay." She looks up at me. "Was that really just because you can't keep your hands off me? Or was it something else?"
"Something else." I take a breath. "You were right about Dante Moretti."
Her expression sobers. "What happened?"
I tell her about the interrogation and Dante's confession, and about watching Enzo execute Dante in that small building on the edge of the property. When I'm done, she's quiet for a long moment. "He said my father ordered him to spy on you?"
"Yes. But your father denied it. Said Dante was lying to save himself."
"And you believe him?"
"I don't know." I run a hand through my hair. "I want to. But something about it feels wrong. The way Dante insisted, the way your father killed him so quickly—"
"My father is a complicated man," Elena says slowly. "He's conniving and manipulative, and he always has multiple plans running at once. But—" She pauses. "I don't think he would betray you. Not like this. Not after giving me to you."
"Why not?"
"Because in our world, that kind of betrayal would make him look like he can't control his own family, can't honor his own agreements." She touches my face. "If my father wanted you dead, he would have found a way to do it before the wedding. Not after."
The words settle something in my chest. Not completely. I'm still wary, but it’s enough. Enough to believe that maybe Enzo is telling the truth and Dante really was acting on his own.
"Thank you," I say.
She frowns. "For what?"
"For helping me see clearly. For being on my side." I kiss her gently. "For being my partner."
She smiles. "We should get back to dinner before they come looking for us."
We straighten our clothes and check each other for evidence of what we just did. Then, hand in hand, we walk back to the dining room.