Page 50 of Caged Bliss

I can almost picture it. Gorgeous Serena coming in here and catching the eye of the big boss. But she was smart enough not to give him what he wanted right away—she made him wait for it, made him work for it, and when she finally got a taste, she made sure she was around for when he wanted another. Now she’s got him hooked, the same way he’s got her hooked.

Maybe I’m not being very charitable toward Claudia’s sister, but I’ve seen it before.

“I’m glad you found someone that makes you happy.”

“Every day is like a honeymoon.” He finishes his drink and stands. “I bet it’s just like the way you feel for her sister.”

I sit very still and resist the urge to look at him. “I don’t feel anything for Claudia.”

“Come on, that’s bullshit. You don’t have to pretend with me. We can trust each other, right? I’ll bring you into my blackmail scheme and we can start putting the old crew together again, and you’ll have Claudia all to yourself. Just think about it, right?”

My jaw flexes. Rage runs down my spine. This arrogant motherfucker. He completely misunderstands this situation. I slowly turn to look at him, and he’s got this smug little smirk on his face, like he thinks he’s got something over me.

And the fucker does.

He really fucking does.

“Listen to me. If you get anywhere near Claudia, what happened to Paulie and Vito will be like a mercy compared to what will happen to you.”

His eyes widen. “Threats? That’s beneath you. We’re trying to patch this shit up.”

“You want me working on more shit at the club? I’m interested in that, but keep Claudia’s name out of your mouth. Don’t even look in her direction.”

“She’s my favorite, you know.” His smile wipes away. “That’s always been your problem. You’re a Bianco. You were born with everything you have. While I’ve had to fight for scraps from your fucking table. Now you think you can come back in here, take my club away, and steal my favorite fucking waitress?”

“Careful,” I say because he’s letting the mask slip. If he keeps going, the game will be over, and I don’t think either of us wants to stop playing yet.

He takes a slow breath and plasters a smile back on. “I’m just messing around with you. Think about the olive branch, alright? And have a great night.” He winks and walks off, hands shoved into his pockets, and I watch him go.

The fucker’s got it all wrong. He thinks he’s still alive because he’s useful, because he’s protected. He figures he’s earning too well and he’s untouchable.

He’s absolutely fucking wrong.

The only reason he’s alive is because I want to know where all this money’s coming from. It’s not just the blackmail scheme—there’s a lot more flowing through this place, and I want to know where it’s coming from.

So when I take him down, he comes down hard, and takes all the rats eating from his table with him.

I turn away and look back at Claudia. She’s staring at me, and she must’ve seen my conversation with Tommy, and now I bet she’s wondering what’s going on. But I just give her a nod and finish my beer, and she keeps on dancing with a scowl on her face, which isn’t great for the tips.

But she still looks sexy as hell, even when she’s pissed.

Chapter 26

Claudia

It’s a quiet night. I’m uncomfortable, especially with Angelo sitting at the bar and watching me as I dance. I practically beg Rodrigo to give me some other assignment, but he only shakes his head and says it’s Tommy’s orders, which means I’m stuck in the damn cage the entire night.

At one point, Angelo and Tommy have a conversation, and what I wouldn’t give to be a part of that. It ends, and Angelo stays behind, still drinking and keeping an eye on me, and I’m not sure how I feel about that.

Part of me is grateful, but another part wishes he’d just go away. Before him, I had a good thing going. This job is terrible, but at least it pays the bills and lets me stay close to Serena. Maybe I was desperate to make something happen at first and saw this deal with Angelo as my only option—but what if I was wrong about that? What if waiting around and keeping my head down was the best path forward? Give Serena time to figure her shit out and be ready to help when she inevitably comes asking.

Now it’s too late. I’m tangled in Angelo. Both in his plans, and in him.

After my shift, I head out of the club and angle toward my car. But I’m intercepted by a big shadow in the parking lot, and I nearly jump out of my skin as Angelo puts a hand on my arm.

“Easy,” he says. “It’s just me. Were you expecting some other man in this dark parking lot?”

“Don’t be funny,” I say, punching his arm. “You scared the crap out of me.”

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