THE MAFIA’S CAPTIVE ANGEL

SIN POV I left Mani in the bedroom and walked over to the kitchen, the automatic lights coming on as soon as I stepped over the threshold. It was sometime after midnight, but I felt like this night was going on forever, wanting nothing more than to crawl into my bed and catch a few hours of sleep.

Instead, I grabbed the decanter on the sideboard along the wall and poured a healthy swallow of whiskey into the glass, watching as the amber liquid filled the crystal. I was still pissed at the fact that she planned on running away.

I thought things were getting better between us and she was finally warming up to me, but instead I got a call from Jason telling me about her disappearance.

I wanted nothing more than to punish her more for what she had done, and I thought leaving her in need was a good enough punishment. Call me a bastard, but I enjoyed watching her shrink from me.

Picking up the glass, I took a long swallow, feeling the whiskey slide down my throat. I was certain that she was sitting in that room, wondering what was going to happen to her.

Fuck, I had so many options. I wanted her to beg me for my sake. I wanted her to have a flicker of distrust in those gorgeous fucking eyes of hers so that I could play on that distrust.

I wanted Mani to wish she had never thought of escaping from me.

I drained the glass and set it aside, running my hands through my hair. I could already taste her skin on my tongue, drinking in her fear of me intermingled with passion that I would pull out of her.

Adjusting the front of my pants, I forced myself to think of something else for now. If I didn’t, I would be stroking myself in a few minutes.

My cell phone buzzed in my coat, and I pulled it out, holding it up to my ear. “Speak”

“Hello, Nikolai.”

My blood ran cold at the harsh voice. I clenched my free hand into a fist at my side. “What the fuck do you want, Lorenzo?” Lorenzo Romanov was someone I had once considered a dear friend, but his betrayal left nothing but regret and anger.

He was someone I despised with every fibre of my being.

Somehow I wish not to cross paths with because I wasn’t certain if I could stop myself from shooting him dead.

“I’m hearing rumour,” he stated. “There’s a rumour that you fancy a certain blonde hair.”

I chuckled darkly, figuring that word was spreading like wildfire already. “I didn’t think you were interested in my affairs. If I believe correctly, we had taken a pact not to cross each other, but it seems you did not honour it. I won’t be held accountable if you decide to go against the agreement.”

“I have no idea what you mean,” he chuckles. “I only wish to congratulate an old friend for finding love.”

My good humour left my face. “I don’t know what silly game you have up your sleeves, but I advise you to think wisely; you don’t want to start what you can’t finish.”© 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

“So you keep reminding me,” Lorenzo said with clear displeasure in his voice. “I hope you enjoy your trip to Paris.”

“Bastardo!”  I ended the call before he could say anything else and reached for the bottle once more.

I was ruthless, straying on the other side of the blurred line between what I wanted to do and what were unspoken rules. I was unapologetic in my killings and dealings.

Drawing in a breath, I poured another glass and then set the decanter aside on the sideboard.

I threw back the whiskey, letting it burn my throat this time. Placing the glass down, I drew in a breath.

“Sin.”

I turned to find Mateo at the door, his bulky frame filling up the space. “What is it?”

“The CCTV stationed at the front of the hotel room and the staircase were turned off,” he stated, his eyes piercing in the dim lighting.

“Find out what happened.”

♤♤♤♤♤

Luca opened the door for me, and I stepped out, my gaze going directly to Mani’s room as I did so. There was business I needed to attend to here in Paris before we returned to New York City, so I had left Mani in the care of the guards.

Of course, this time the security was heightened, and Mateo had been assigned to watch over her. I couldn’t let yesterday’s ordeal repeat itself.

But she, of course, never knew I was gone, and that was how I wanted it. I wanted her to have that measure of uncertainty to keep her in her room until I was ready for her to cross the threshold. The problem was that she hadn’t strayed far from my mind today.

“She’s been in her room,” Luca supplied as we walked inside the elevator, “and hasn’t caused a scene or even made an attempt to step out from there.”

My grin was quick. “Let’s hope it stays that way and she doesn’t do anything more revolting.”

“I hope so,” Luca mutters. “I’m sure you heard about the CCTV from Mateo.”

I welcomed the cool air in the house. That was one of the many reasons I had thought about Mani today, and the object of my thoughts disturbed me greatly. I didn’t think about anyone like that, especially not anyone with whom I could paint a vivid picture of what I wanted to do to her.

“There might be more to this than we think,” Luca said again, nudging my shoulders to get my attention. “What did Mani say?”

I sighed.  “I was too pissed to listen to any explanation.”

“Well, you should have.” Luca says, giving me a questionable glance. “I mean, someone must have turned off the security camera, which sparks suspicion, and it doesn’t help that one of the guards assigned to watch over her is missing.”

“I’m not stupid, Luca,” I growled at him. “I very much know that something isn’t right here and have already asked Mateo to check out the situation pertaining to the CCTV.”

“Then I guess the missing guard is all that is left.” Luca stated.  “It’s a good thing I asked Samantha to look into it and would be getting a report by afternoon.”

“And get Jason.” Luca nods, making his way out of the hotel room as I walk towards the kitchen, ignoring the newly filled whiskey decanter as I do so. Hell, I no longer wanted to touch the stuff if it was going to have the same effect on my fucking dreams as it had last night.

The meeting had gone well, but my mind drifted back to Lorenzo and my conversation. It was no doubt he was keeping an eye out on my movements-not that I blame him; I was doing the same thing.

Yet the one thing I hated was his interest in Mani. I don’t want that fucker’s attention on what was mine; he knew better than to mess with me and go after family.

But right now, I needed to get to the bottom of yesterday’s event.