Page 69 of Strictly Forbidden

All because the man was a brooding guy who refused to allow me to know anything more than his hunger and amazing sexual prowess. That made me angry. I deserved to know what the hell was going on detail by detail.

I was a detail girl after all.

When he walked into the room with a glass and a bottle in his hand, I snapped my head up so fast I was surprised I didn’t get a pinched nerve. “Talk to me, Kage. Tell me what’s really going on.”

“Why do you care?”

“Why do you act like that after what we just shared?”

“I never said this was…” Kage sighed, glancing at the fireplace before placing the bottle on the coffee table in front of me. It seemed we were both drinking whiskey. Maybe we thought it would help soothe our nerves. I watched as he moved closer to the fire, planting one forearm on the mantel and staring into the flames.

If they’d given me any answers, I wouldn’t be bothering him at this point.

The silence continued, time holding no real meaning in this place. Finally, I’d had enough, tossing back the blanket.

“Some shit happened when I was in my twenties. Bad shit. You know better than most the kind I mean. I lost almost everything, including part of my mind on one dark and rainy night.”

There was so much sadness in his voice and while I could only see one side of his face, it was enough to tell how much of a shell whatever he’d endured has caused him to become.

Much like me.

I eased back down, curling up as I’d done before.

He huffed and took a sip of his drink. His hand was shaking but it had nothing to do with anxiety. The same anger I’d seen flash in him more than once was right there at the surface. “I changed, no longer a decent human being. I wasn’t entirely certain there was anything human left inside of me. Some would say I’d succumbed to my demons, but I knew better. I just wanted revenge and I was willing to do anything to gain the power and the backing to succeed.”

While I wasn’t certain what he was talking about, I knew better than to interrupt.

“I was drinking in a bar one night, doing my best to pick a fight.” Now he stopped to laugh at himself. “Some guy told me if I was looking for a way to vent my rage and frustrations, I could also earn some money.”

I was intrigued. I couldn’t tell a lie.

“I said what the hell? I couldn’t feel anything any longer. I didn’t care about anything or anyone at that point and honestly, I had nothing to lose, so I agreed. Turns out it was some illegal MMA fight.”

“Mixed martial arts?”

“Yeah. Before you ask, I’d never engaged in a boxing match let alone something so dangerous and rough. However, the guys in charge had a lot of money on the line. Even though I couldn’t care less about money, things, whatever, it lured me in. I think it was more about the rage. I need to spill blood more than almost anything else in my life.”

“Wow. That’s terrifying.”

“The experience was a complete rush and I found myself enjoying every fight. Six weeks later I was some underground champion with a reputation as a badass. That led the owner of the club to call me into his office one night. I was a damn fool to go but I was too far gone by then, nothing like the man I used to be. Saldono Rinaldi I knew by reputation, larger than life. He was considered one of the most dangerous crime syndicate Dons west of the Mississippi. The funny thing was that meeting him was a disappointment. He stood maybe five foot four, a bald head and a fat belly. I learned quickly not to judge a man by his exterior though. Anyway, he asked me point blank if the fighting had released my rage. I told him no, only one thing would.”

“Killing people.”

“Well, not just anyone, at least that’s what I thought at first. I had specific assholes in mind, although I couldn’t prove their responsibility. He offered me a job. I didn’t care about anything, including my grandfather’s company any longer. I accepted, shoving aside my entire life to become a fucking hired hitman. I worked up the ranks becoming his second in command, which his two fucking sons didn’t appreciate, although we were friendly, even drinking buddies at times. Saldono had and still has many enemies. I’d taken a vow to protect his family. For a while, everything was good. Until it wasn’t.”

“What happened?” I was now sitting on the edge of the couch, studying his face. The sadness had disappeared, his features hardened. I wasn’t certain what to think although I wasn’t as appalled or disgusted as I thought. I’d guessed what kind of life he led from what little I’d been able to piece together. Did that make it right? Hell, no, but whatever the reasons his life had been shattered, the way he’d decided to live afterwards had crushed him further and still was.

Even if he’d worked hard to deny it from everyone including himself.

“I was working alongside his two sons, Antonio and Gio and another soldier, a guy I thought was a true friend, doing what we thought was a simple hit. The information had been wrong and everything got botched, bodies strewn everywhere. Saldono’s oldest son Antonio was killed by a stray bullet. Or at least I thought that’s what it was at the time. I took the fall. Because the shit was messy, all Saldono’s connections with the police were useless. I was railroaded into prison so fast even I was shocked.”

“Who did you take the fall for?” I wasn’t certain he would answer me.

He shook his head, gulping down half his drink.

“For Saldono’s other son.” As soon as I connected the dots, he turned toward me. Everything about the expression he wore terrified me and I wasn’t certain why.

“Yeah, and I thought I was doing the right thing because Saldono needed an heir. Gio duped all of us, acting as if he didn’t want the throne. He is a world class manipulator, and I misjudged the shit that happened. I could be wrong, but I think the soldier and Gio plotted together, knowing I had honor. But somehow, they convinced Saldono I’d intended to kill Antonio that night.”

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