Page 66 of The Price of Power

I rubbed at my temples for a second, trying to think.

Tony was right. This was serious. Not just because we needed to get that black market Xanax out on the street but also because those docks were D’Angelo territory. The idea of anyone swooping in to take our business away needed to be made an example of.

“All right,” I said after a couple of long breaths. “I’m sure I don’t have to tell you to get rid of this punk. We can’t have anyone thinking they can make a name for themselves by stealing from the D’Angelos.”

“Of course, boss,” Tony agreed.

“After that’s done, I want you to bring the body to the Giordanos yourself. Say I’m doing them a favor and assuming this guy was acting without their blessing, but if any other of their guys fuck around on our island, we won’t be so forgiving.”

“Understood,” Tony said with a nod.

“As for this new captain,” I continued. “We’re going to make things real simple for him. You’re going to take the shipment. You’re going to torch his ship. And as he watches it burn, you’re going to tell him the next time he takes money from another family, he’ll be on the boat when you light the match. Got it?”

“Got it, boss.”

“Good, now get out of here,” I said, opening the door again and letting rushing them out. “I’ve got plans for the evening.”

At least, I did.

As I closed the door, I spotted movement out of the corner of my eye. Turning my head toward the bathroom, I saw Liv—just a sliver of her, wrapped in a fluffy white towel—behind the partially cracked door.

Even though her hands were up, covering her wide open mouth, I could still see her wide eyes and wrinkled brow.

And that’s when I knew she’d heard every word.

Chapter Twenty-One

OLIVIA

Icouldn’t breathe. My heart pounding in my chest, I tried again and again, but it just wasn’t happening. My lungs were too constricted. The muscles around them clinched so tight that I couldn’t pull any air in.

All I could do was stand and stare. My eyes fixed on the man whose hands had just been running all over my body. Tangling in my hair. Pulling me close as he pounded into me again and again until we’d broke apart in pleasure.

The man who had purred playful words against my ear. Who had teased me. Who had riled me up beyond my wildest imagination.

The same man who had coldly ordered the death of a stranger right in front of me.

My vision started to go fuzzy at the edges. My knees went weak. Wobbling, I reached out to steady myself on the door or the sink—anything—before I crashed to the ground.

“Liv.”

Gabriel was there in the next heartbeat. His strong hands wrapped around my back, and he swooped me up into his arms.

At the grounding feel of his touch, breath came back to me—and along with it, my voice.

“Put me down.”

“No.”

“Gabriel, please.” My voice was shaking along with the rest of me. “I want you to put me down.”

“I said no.” His tone was so much harder than mine. Deeper and more powerful, too—and every bit as unrelenting as his hold on me. “You nearly collapsed. I’m not letting you go until we get to the bed.”

I tensed up, grinding my back teeth together as he carried me across the room. I knew there was no point in arguing with him. There was nothing I could say that could change his mind.

As angry as he’d sounded, I half-expected him to toss me down on the mattress like a piece of discarded trash. But instead, he laid me down gently, almost delicately. The care of his touch was at total odds with the horrible things I’d just heard him say.

“Liv—“ he started as I sat up.

---