to my left hand and take a drink.
Jacob eyes the ring.
“Tell him Scarlett De La Cruz is Scarlett Grigori now.”
“When did that happen?”
“Arrange it on neutral territory. Miami. In the next three days.”
“Of course, Cristiano.”
“Oh, and if Rinaldi should disappear, let your son-in-law know I’ll take his head in the place of Rinaldi’s.”
He pales a little.
“And when I’m finished with Felix, I’ll come after you.” I finish my whiskey and put the glass down. “Let me know when you’ve talked to him.”
I’m fucking done here.
31
Cristiano
Alec greets me at the front door of the house. It’s a small house on a large piece of property rarely used but maintained all the same. Neither the deed to the land nor the house are linked to my family. At least not unless you do some significant digging. Only a handful of people know of its existence, my brother, Charlie, Lenore, and the few soldiers I use when I’m here. Even my uncle doesn’t know. It’s a safe house in so far as the secrecy of its existence. I’ve been here a few times on my own in the last couple of years. It would drive my uncle crazy not knowing where I disappeared to but it’s one of the things I’ve kept to myself, needing to.
As far as anyone knows, Scarlett and I went back to the island with everyone else.
“All quiet?” I ask Alec as I slip off my jacket and loosen my tie.
“For miles around.” Access to the house is via a single road which can be surveilled easily. We have men stationed at checkpoints for three miles out.
“Good. And Scarlett?”
“Also quiet.”
I nod, walk toward the large bedroom picking up the bottle of whiskey from the side table. The room takes up the back half of the house. Opening one of the double doors, I enter to find Scarlett standing at the window. Probably just figured out that it’s locked because she’s looking as irritated as ever.
My wife.
I smile. I like the sound of that. And I like her like this. Pissed off. It fits.
“It’s locked,” I say. Closing the door behind me, I set the bottle down and undo my tie.
“I figured that out.”
“Were you going to climb out and run away?”
“Is Noah okay?” she asks, not bothering to answer my question, probably realizing how ridiculous it would have been to try and run.
“He’s fine.” I toss my tie aside and undo my cuffs, then the buttons of my shirt. I watch her as I strip it off. I walk over to the table and am pleased to see she’s eaten. “Hunger strike over?”
“I wasn’t on a hunger strike. I told you that. Nice note by the way. Very romantic.”
I walk over to her, brush hair back from her face. “Is that what you want? Romance?”
“No.” She pushes my hand away and tucks her hair behind her ears. For all her attitude, what I see in her eyes isn’t quite fear. She’s anxious. “Not from you.”
“Who from then?” I feel myself tense.
“No one. Never mind.” She tries to walk past me, but I block her path.
“Who?”
“I said no one. Who would there be, Cristiano? I haven’t exactly had the opportunity to date.”
I step closer, backing her up to the wall. I set my forearms on either side of her head. Our bodies touching, chest to chest. I can see her pulse throb fast at her neck. She’s barefoot and has to crane her neck to look up at me.
“I like you in black. It fits your usual mood.” I lean my face down, kiss her. Just a quick kiss. A claiming of her lower lip.
Her teeth snap. “You make my mood black.”
“Be nice,” I say, wiping the drop of blood from my lip. “I’m about to make you come.” I kiss her again. She’s not kissing me back exactly, but her mouth is open. When I sweep my tongue across hers, she gasps. Her small hands curl around my shoulders before pushing me away as if she just remembered she should.
I draw back just a little, keeping her caged and our bodies pressed together, my cock rigid between us. “Speaking of, do you know you called me god when I ate your pussy last night?”
Her cheeks flush and she shoves me again. This time I let her slip past.
I pour myself a whiskey as I watch her open the door, see the men just outside our bedroom, and promptly close it again. I take a sip, give her a few