Page 42 of Falling for the Enemy

“The mudak betrayed me,” I snap, my face heating, the burning sensation so great steam feels as though it's billowing from my ears. Control slipping, I breathe deeply.

I’ve avoided a mental breakdown thus far. Now isn’t the time to shatter that record. Especially not in front of the company I currently keep.

“By pretending to love me, he wormed his way into my good graces with the hidden intent of taking what’s always been mine.” Temples pounding, I pause. “Of taking what I earned.”

Visceral hatred—for both Papa and Capone—infuses my cold heart, freezing it further. If I had one wish it would be to take their lives a second time. Though bloody, they died too quickly.

As well as too easy.

“So do me a favor, da? Drop the falsehoods and cut the act. We both know what you’re after, and it certainly isn’t the chance to become my protector.” I rip my arm from his hold and force a malevolent smile. “Enjoy your evening, Alejandro. For your sake, I hope this is our last meeting.”

I walk away from him without looking back.

Instead of making a beeline for the mayor’s table, my original destination, however, I head for the back stairs that will lead to the roof, intercepting Casper near their base. Falling into step at my side, he waits for me to tell him what happened.

Only, I’m so flustered I can barely speak.

This never happens to me.

We stop at the bottom step, and I grip the banister, my chest tightening as years of repressed feelings fight their way free. “I need you to handle the mayor,” I tell him, sweat beading on my nape. “Get him on board with the union’s dredging plans at the northern port, no matter the price, and find out what he knows of La Famiglia’s next move.” I resist the urge to peer over my shoulder and seek out the man whose eyes are searing holes into my bare back. “The cartel as well.”

Casper nods. “Is that all?”

“Da.” I look toward the top of the stairs. “Once you’re finished, come and find me. I’ll be on the roof getting some fresh air.”

“Ari—”

I hold up my hand, halting his objection. “I’ll be fine, I always am.” Releasing the railing, I grip the skirt of my dress, lifting it the slightest bit. “And if the Colombian wishes to follow me, don’t allow him to do so. But don’t cause a scene stopping him either. The last thing we need is extra attention.”

The words are the final ones I speak.

Needing space to think, I climb the stairs.

And into the dark summer night I walk.

ELEVEN

Alejandro

For Arianna, there is no escaping me.

The moment she begins to climb the stairs I follow, my need to keep her free of the danger I know looms too strong to ignore. At the base of the carpet-covered steps, however, her second-in-command chooses to flirt with death by stepping in my path.

“If you know what’s good for you, you’ll move,” I tell him, fully aware of the precious seconds that are ticking by, each of them adding to the time that Manzana may be spending alone, completely unprotected.

Mimicking a statute, the fool doesn’t flinch.

Instead, the pendejo stares at me, his jaw repeatedly clenching.

“I won’t allow you to hurt her,” he begins, his heavily accented words strained by what I assume is barely constrained anger, “I’ll destroy you first.” I nearly laugh. If he wishes for my knees to quake with fear, he needs to work on the delivery of his threats. I’ve encountered puppies with more bite. “That’s if Ari doesn’t kill you first.”

His tone causes my ire to rise.

The way he speaks her name, along with the expressions that flash across his face when he does so lead me to believe he isn't just a loyal soldier protecting his boss.

No, there’s something more to his feelings. And if it’s what I suspect it is—obsession, a burden he and I share—it’ll be my blood-stained hands that snap his neck, an action that will undoubtedly bear consequences.

Arianna isn’t his to possess.

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