Chapter 4
The Mask
I watched from behind my mask as the men hurried out of the house, heading to a meeting that wouldn’t be taking place.
I waited, silently watching as they filed into their cars, barking words at one another, and then took off one by one, before turning my attention back to the window.
And there she was. My little bird, nervously fleeing from one end of her cage to the other.
I took note of her clenched hands, the small frown between her eyes, and the way her entire body stiffened at the slightest noise.
She was on edge. Frightened. Nervous.
And goddamn if that didn’t send a jolt of arousal straight to my dick.
Fear looked far too fucking good on her.
But my hands remained at my side, still as a statue, continuing to watch her—just as I always did.
I wouldn’t lower her—or what we had—to nothing more than a quick relief outside her window. I had been patient this long, I could wait a little longer.
Adrien had been an unexpected interruption tonight. I’d need to replay the footage to see what I had missed and how he had slipped past. I wasn’t angry with myself. These things happened, and I’d got on top of it. Rewatching tonight, I’d learn from my mistakes.
Besides, rewatching my little bird wasn’t exactly a hardship. I enjoyed seeing her with her family tonight. I even liked the relationship she had with her brother. I would let her keep that.
Frank was beginning to become a hindrance, but nothing I couldn’t handle. Unlike Adrien, he wasn’t evading my cameras.
The thought of Adrien had my fists clenching.
He never should have been able to get this close to her.
I had prevented it for so long, it was fucking frustrating that he’d got the better of me tonight.
I’d had to order my own goddamn casino burnt, sabotaging his hotel, just to get him away from her.
To get her out from under his gaze. But it had been worth it.
With every passing day, I was more and more set on my resolve that she would not be continuing her relationship with her parents. Not once she became mine. They were throwing her into the lion’s den, without the slightest comprehension of what they were really doing.
Vittorio Carbone had grown greedy. His wife’s spending was out of control. They thought they could partner with The Vescari Empire and not get burnt in the process? They were fucking idiots.
But what had been monumentally stupid was to offer their daughter as leverage. In order to gain access to the drug shipments and earn Adrien’s trust, they had offered their daughter’s hand in marriage and, in turn, sealed their own fates.
Movement from the window had me focusing once more, seeing my little bird angrily tapping away at her phone.
I chuckled beneath my mask.
Her little friendship with Luca was amusing. She could keep that if she wanted, as well. Though I doubt she’d want to when she learned the truth.
And even though the pair of them had gone… further than planned, I wasn’t mad about it.
I wasn’t exactly happy. Especially when I heard her moan his name. Especially when I saw the things she trusted Luca with. The flushed cheeks. The breathless smiles.
Especially when she gave Luca parts of herself that belonged to me.
I’d heard her desires. The hidden, darkest part of her. The side that should have been reserved for me.
But I understood her need for comfort. For affection. Lord knows she wouldn’t be receiving that once she was mine.
However, Luca’s time was coming to an end because my patience was reaching its limit.
It was time to introduce my little bird to her new home.