Page 37 of Wicked King

“There’s twenty-four-hour room service. Isn’t that reason enough?”

“Then take him with you, and I’ll stay here.” I plant my heels into the old wood floorboards. Despite all the chaos in my life, I still need to work on my designs and the grand opening of CityZen. There are still glass shards to be picked up and the pungent odor of smoke clinging to the walls. I may have been forced into this new role as head of the Four Seas, but it didn’t mean I was giving up all my dreams.

“Cazzo, woman, why are you so stubborn?”

“I need to be near my boutique!” I shout.

Marco’s dark brows knit as he attempts to process my outburst. He apparently didn’t do all his research on his new fiancée.

“You know, my boutique downstairs? I’m supposed to open in a few weeks, and everything is a disaster.” Ari was supposed to come help this morning, but I’d lied and told her I wasn’t feeling well. The last thing I needed was my best friend finding me with the gorgeous but infuriating Italian.

Oh, God, Ari. I’d have to tell her about the engagement…

Marco drags a hand through his mess of dark locks. “How do you expect to plan a wedding, exact your revenge, and launch a new business in the same month?”

“Clearly, I hadn’t expected the first two,” I hiss.

He blurts out a string of Italian curses that I can barely follow. I’ve already learned the basics, but he throws in some new ones this time.

“Fine, spitfire,” he growls. “I guess we’re all going to get to know each other pretty damned well in the next week.” He steps closer, dappled orbs locking to mine, and his musky scent invades my senses. “But when my penthouse is ready, we’re moving in, even if your boutique isn’t.”

We’ll see about that.

CHAPTER 18

ALL AN ACT

Marco

I crack my neck, tension radiating up my spine as I stare at the weekly report Jimmy just sent out. Despite having bought Jia a pullout couch with a queen-sized mattress, the stubborn woman refuses to share the bed. I’d hoped by giving her the bed like a gentleman, she would have invited me back in it. No such luck. So I’ve been forced to sleep on the floor for the past three days. Every muscle in my body aches, and the fog in my brain from sleepless nights just won’t lift.

Heaving out a breath, I sink into the soft leather of my desk chair and scan the document on the screen. Red Dragons, Russians, La Sombra Boricua… The dark print blurs, and I simply can’t focus. Reaching for my phone, I shoot off a quick text to my right-hand man. I don’t see any of the information I’d asked for on this report; namely, who the fuck attacked my future wife?

That unfamiliar pinch in my chest returns at the grisly image of Jia’s cold, lifeless form. I blink quickly, burying the dark thoughts. I got there in time; I saved her. Not like with Isa… I slam down the wall I’ve fought so hard to build to keep the crushing weight of her loss from devouring me whole.

I can’t let the rush of emotions free, or I’ll never survive in their wake.

A sharp knock on my office door jerks my thoughts from the past, and I blink through the sharp sting in my eyes. “What?” I bark.

“It’s me, boss.” Jimmy’s voice seeps through the door.

“Come in,” I call out.

Maybe he finally has answers for me.

My colleague creeps through the open door, his footfalls silent as always. The man is a ghost, which is exactly why we hired him. He’s also brutal and ruthless, but those were just added perks.

“Did you find out who sent the bastard to kill my wife yet?” I snap.

“Not exactly. But I did find out who didn’t…” He slips into the chair in front of me and practically disappears into the black leather which matches his head-to-toe attire.

“What the hell does that mean?”

He flips up the bill of his dark cap so that his eyes meet mine. “I’m ninety-nine percent sure it wasn’t Lei.”

“How is that possible?”

“I’ve had eyes on him since the day he sent his guys to trash her boutique. I’ve questioned our inside guy, and I even snatched up one of Lei’s men, and after hours of torture that would have had any man spilling his guts, he still swore they had nothing to do with it.”

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