Page 31 of His Stolen Princess

Nico ignores me. “You can’t keep her alive. You should have let me kill her and leave her body there for them to find.” I think he’s starting to get scared.

“We’ll fake her death.” The man puts his cigar down. “Think of it, Nico. His own child could kill him. Now that is fucking revenge!” he bellows.

He stands and comes around his desk toward me. He’s shorter than I thought he’d be. I will myself to not scramble back, to not show weakness in front of these hyenas. All I can do is wait for my love to find me.

Oh God. I’m in love with Cato. Why didn’t I realize it sooner? I might never get to tell him that. A tear escapes. I wipe it away quickly as the man towers over me. I will not show him weakness, because these types of men get off on it.

“I could even have some fun with you. Record it and send it to Cato. He’d go insane.”

The need to vomit pushes up again. This can’t be happening. “Why are you doing this? What does this have to do with the Lantinos? They died. Cato killed them and took their holdings.”

“You haven’t figured it out yet?” He leans down over me. “I’m Antony Lantino. The son and heir to everything my father built. And I’m here to claim it.” His gaze flicks down my body. “To take everything I’m owed.”

I clench my jaw as I start to see red. Now I know why he looks familiar. He has his father’s eyes. Black with no soul behind them.

“You killed my family.”

He smiles, almost looking gleeful about it. “Cato killed my father and brother.”

I’m sure it was a slow painful death. I’m sorry I missed it. “That was after your family killed mine. My mother did you no wrong. And you killed her.” I can’t keep the tremble out of my voice. “And Carter? Was it you?”

He shrugs. “It had to be done.”

It’s like another gut punch, one that knocks the wind from me.

“I tried to talk him into seeing things my way. But both your parents and Cato’s bastard father agreed to a union that would make the Davincis unstoppable, and Carter refused to listen to reason.”

“What does that mean?” I have a feeling I already know.

“They were going to give you to Cato. The Simonettis and the Davincis. It would bind you by blood. We couldn’t let that happen.”

Still, somehow I ended up with Cato. Or maybe he knew the whole time? He took me to honor his word to his father. More tears spill free. Thinking Cato is only with me to uphold his father’s bargain is a dagger to my soul. It had felt so real. I’d planned to break his heart but instead he broke mine.

“Those Davincis are always snatching up pretty wives. As if they own all the good pussy in the world.” He shakes his head and stands back up. “Take her to my room. We’re going to have a little fun.”

I scream when Nico grabs me by my hair and pulls me to my feet. My whole body goes numb before a loud boom shakes the whole house. The window shatters into a million pieces.

“Cato’s here,” I whisper.

“How did they find us?” He shouts and runs over to his desk to pull out a gun. He’ll need a lot more than that to stop Cato.

This time it’s me who gets to give the wicked smile.

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