Page 12 of Revenge Vows

Light suddenly fills the room, and I close my eyes in pain.

I slowly open my eyes as my pupils adjust, and I finally look at the person who entered the room.

My mouth drops open in shock as his face registers.

His face shows surprise, too.

“You?” he asks. The man looking down at me is none other than Viper.

He looks like some kind of avenging pirate from an overblown romance novel with his unruly, dark brown hair, and his tidy, thick beard. This might be the first time that I have ever seen him surprised despite working in his club for years.

His dark eyes are fastened on me with unblinking intensity, and I quiver a little in fear and desire. There’s something predatory and dangerous about him that is even more intense now that I am seeing him illuminated by bright lights for the first time.

His full lips compress into something like a scowl as he folds his arms over his muscular chest, and I notice for the first time that his legs are quite long but clearly muscular beneath the drape of his expensive suit.

I’m terrified and don’t understand why I’m here with Antonio Russo, and for some reason, I feel wetness at my core as he stares at me. If he were to yank me to my feet, press my face against the wall, and fuck me right here, I’d not only let him, my traitorous body would love every second of his attention.

He paces the room, looking down at me as he seems to think. He keeps driving a hand through his hair. I notice in an abstract way that his hands are beautiful, and desire spirals through me again in a dizzying wave. What is wrong with me?

“So, you’re Giovanni’s new girl?” he asks.

I swallow.

“It’s—it’s not what you think,” I say. My voice sounds strange and sharp to my own ears and I swallow.

He lowers himself to my level.

“Go on then, clear things up,” he says.

I close my eyes, pleading for heaven to help me because I am done for.

I asked Ray about Giovanni before his men came to fetch me, and he went into great detail. The most important piece of information he shared with me was the feud between Antonio and Giovanni.

How is a nobody like me caught in a feud between these two powerful men, and how do I escape them?

“I know what Giovanni does at his clubs. He’ll pimp you out for a while, make some money off you. He probably heard you’re a virgin, so I assume he’ll sell your V-card to the highest bidder before he’s through with you. Too bad he won’t be able to do that now,” he says with something that looks a bit like a grin.

I feel angry at his presumption. It hurts to think that my first time being with a man could be reduced to something so transactional.

He moves close to me and grabs my chin in a strong grip. I struggle to break free, but his fingers only dig in deeper. “Unless he sent you to spy on me before he called you back home. Is that why you’ve been in my club all this time?”

No, no, he has it all wrong. I fight to shake my head because I can’t speak.

He pushes me away, and I fall to the floor again.

“Damn you, Giovanni, you bastard!” he shouts, kicking the wall.

He returns his attention to me. “How much do you know?”

“I—I’m not a spy. I swear,” I say, realizing that I am crying. I don’t even know why I’m crying, but I can’t seem to stop.

He laughs. “Of course, Giovanni would pick a convincing liar. He really outdid himself this time,” he says harshly. “He knows my type, too. He picked a girl I would enjoy staring at, enjoy fucking, who would make me feel kindly toward her because he knew I would protect her.”

I shake my head fervently, but I know that nothing I say can help me now. “Please, listen to me, Antonio,” I cry, fighting to stand up.

He glares at me with hate-filled eyes, and suddenly he smiles. “You can call me Mr. Russo.”

“Mr. Russo,” I squeak out, panting with the effort of getting to my feet. The room spins around me a little, but I manage not to fall over.

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