Page 86 of Lord of Punishment

I thought about her question. “If he knew about Dillon, I think his method of attack would have been completely different.”

“So he could take my son then kill me. Right?” She lifted her head and the pain in her eyes was so intent I felt my chest tighten.

“Maybe.” I rubbed the little man’s back, grateful nothing had happened with him. I thought about what Miguel had told me and he’d been right. She’d crawled under my skin and into my life and I couldn’t imagine being without her. “Look, I need to finish this. In order to be able to be able to do that, I need to ensure your safety.”

“What does that mean?”

“That means you’re going with Alicia and Brando to a house my brother just purchased.”

“I feel safer with you.”

I gripped her chin with two fingers, my heart swelling. “You have no idea how good it feels to hear you say that, but I can’t take the risk. I’m headed to Los Angeles for a couple days.”

She paled, pursing her lips. “To track him down.”

“Yes. He’s playing games, sending his men while living in the lap of luxury. I have some folks out there willing to help.”

“His father had plans to take over the East Coast. I found that in what little information I could provide to my friend. I just remembered that. There was an email. Some pictures of some deals. I grabbed what I could find. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any time to look at what I had. I’m sorry.”

“That’s okay, baby. I have no doubt Rico is behind what happened. I will hunt him down and end this.”

“You’ll get yourself killed.”

“I don’t think so. Have more faith in me, my little peach. I’m damn good at what I do.” As I lowered my head, brushing my lips across hers, Alicia cleared her throat beside us. Chuckling, I lifted my head. “You’ll take care of them, won’t you?” I asked her.

Alicia narrowed her eyes, waiting to hand Georgia the refill of wine. “Of course I will. I know how much they both mean to you.”

“More than you could know,” I said after lowering my voice, turning my attention to the insanely gorgeous woman sitting by my side. “You are such a breath of fresh air.”

“Keep your promise, Sabatino. I need you to return. You were right in that I was hiding for so long. You made me feel alive again.”

“What did I tell you before? I always keep my promises. I’ll be back before you know it.” I captured her mouth, longing to feel the weight of her lithe body in my arms, holding her all night long.

Sadly, Rico’s threats were escalating. Because he hadn’t been able to end her life, he would have his men do everything in their power to get rid of her, no matter what it took.

I swept my tongue inside, the taste of her fueling not just a fire of desire but also one of rage. When I pulled away, I took a deep breath, enjoying a few minutes of touching her beautiful face. “My sweet baby. Take care of Dillon and Max.” I rubbed Max’s head before standing.

“I will.” She gripped my wrist, looking away briefly. Her face could hold so many expressions, the way her nose pinched delightful. Seeing her lips purse now what almost heartbreaking. We were still strangers, two people who’d been brought together by horrific circumstances and some bad hands dealt in the world of karma.

Or was it the best situation that could happen?

That remained to be seen.

I would never change my ways with regard to business, just as a zebra couldn’t change his stripes. However, as I’d seen in my brother, when the edges were softened, often better decisions were made for everyone involved. Maybe he was onto something. The old adage that behind every good man was a better and stronger woman was something I wanted to explore.

Only the nagging feeling in the back of my mind that I was missing something continued to eat at me. However, if Rico reared his ugly head, believing he could take her back, then I would stop at nothing to crush him. The thought kept the adrenaline flowing freely.

“I know what you need to do, Sabatino. And to be honest with you, I wish I could be there the moment you end the bastard’s life, but then that would make me just like him. Wouldn’t it?” Her tone was soft, reflective but her eyes were more haunted than I’d seen before. “Remember who you are and what you’re trying to accomplish. But even more important, remember you might have a little family waiting for your safe return. Don’t take any risks that might jeopardize that.” Her agonizing smile nearly broke my heart. How could any man hurt something so goddamn precious?

That took a truly evil person. An ugly question remained in the back of my mind. Was I capable of the same kind of heinous actions?

I rubbed Dillon’s head, laughing softly when his little eyelids fluttered open. He was so angelic, a true innocent lamb in a world of wolves. Whatever happened, I would ensure he had a chance to grow up the way he deserved. With a loving mother in a warm and happy household.

Even if it meant taking my last dying breath.

Backing away, I could tell my brother was watching me intently. I took long strides toward Andres who’d been tasked with continuing the search into discovering everything he could about Rico.

He lifted his head, turning the laptop toward me. “It would seem Rico Garcia has been busy.”

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