Page 35 of The Last Vendetta

Nickolas and Renzo carried on their conversation as I danced with the other woman, but after a while, their conversation dried up. Nickolas’s leery focus was pulled from their chat about some drug business.

He stared at us dancing, and when he beckoned me closer with a curl of his finger, I did my best not to panic.

No. I quickly sidestepped, letting the other dancer mistake his summons and go to him.

“Wait. I want that one,” Nickolas said, shaking his head at me as I backed up toward Renzo. Nickolas patted his lap and spread his legs out. Between his fingers, he held dollar bills. “Come on.”

Renzo grabbed me. His fingers wrapped firmly around my wrist as he tugged me back, but I fell, startled and unbalanced on my feet.

“Yeah, help yourself to the clumsy one,” Nickolas taunted. He grabbed the other dancer’s hair and fisted it as he pushed her to the floor. “Suck me, bitch.”

Renzo caught me, hauling me onto his lap. This close to him again, I was safe. Under his hold, even though he gripped me too tightly, likely furious, I was secure.

I was right where I wanted to belong, but the tic on his face revealed how tense he was.

“What the fuck are you doing?” he whispered into my ear as I danced on his lap, leaning back to his chest.

“I…” I couldn’t speak. Nickolas might recognize my voice. It was a stupid worry. He wasn’t paying attention to me or Renzo. As the woman took his cock into her mouth, he groaned and forced her head to bob over his length faster.

Would Renzo expect me to do the same? Here? Like this? I hadn’t counted on having to get this physical. And while I wanted Renzo so badly, I didn’t want to risk taking my mask off. Nickolas had already removed the other dancer’s.

“I… I need to go.” I didn’t wait for permission. Scared of all the guards in here, and so near Nickolas, I succumbed to the churn of anxiety and fear in my gut.

Even though Nickolas seemed appeased, what if he turned to me next? What if?—

No. Panic claimed me, and after I scrambled to my feet, stuck with the pressing feeling that I couldn’t breathe fast enough, I ran out of the room.

Breathing hard, I shoved my hair away from my face and ran.

Pounding footsteps chased after me. I should’ve counted on it.

They all rushed after me, and I whimpered with terror as I sprinted.

Renzo was right on my heels, but behind him were the furious Romano guards. They must have alerted others, because another man ambushed me around the corner, holding me captive.

The two guards with Renzo were no longer there. Nor were the original two Romano guards who’d been in that private room.

Captured and pulled outside to an alley, I struggled and kicked to get free.

“Release her,” Renzo ordered.

The metal door clanged shut, and the guard dropped me. I fell to the pavement roughly. My knees stung. My palms ached. But I stopped my fall before getting hurt any further. On my knees, I stared up at Renzo as he stood between me and the two Romano guards.

“What the fuck is going on?” one demanded.

“Is she a spy?” the other asked, pointing his gun at us.

Renzo wasn’t slow on the uptake. He brought his gun out, aiming it right back at him. “Leave her to me.”

“She’s a fucking spy.” The first, taller Romano, sneered. “Bringing extra backup to a confidential meeting with the Boss, huh?”

“She’s not a spy,” Renzo growled, countering the guards as they tried to approach me around him.

“Take off your mask, whore,” the second one ordered.

“Just grab her,” the other said, waving his gun to gesture for his partner to pull me off the ground.

I scrambled closer to Renzo, hiding behind him.

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