Page 122 of Sinful Sacrifice

“I’ll get you out of it.”

“Maybe I want a husband.”

He steps forward, causing me to hit my back against the wall again. “You ever let another man touch you, I’ll gut him from the inside out and make you watch me. This is one thing you should know not to test me on.”

“We’re no longer together. It’s time we both move on.”

He wipes the side of his mouth. “I love it when you’re wrong—because I get to punish your mouth for it.”

He stares back at the door when a group appears.

One person attempts to tug at the door handle to come in.

The dancers for my next class.

“I’ll handle Cernach. We’ll talk soon.”

“We’re done, Damien,” I say to his back. “Have a nice marriage.”

He shakes his head while looking at me deeply. “We’ll never be done.”

42

Per my GPS, the drive time from New York to Boston is a little under five hours.

I make it there in less than three.

No one manipulates what’s mine and gets away with it.

Cernach might’ve used my weakness to play games with me, but I’ll be damned if he does with Pippa.

I turn down the dark street that leads to the estate’s steel gates. There’s a risk that he or one of his men will shoot me. Men like Cernach, like me, don’t like surprise visitors.

It’s a risk I’m willing to take if it stops him from marrying Pippa off to some rat bastard of his choosing.

As expected, a guard stops me at the gate and radios Cernach, who instructs him to allow me clearance. Arm guards line the length of the drive, and I resist the urge to give them the finger as I pass. Or shoot them.

Given how flashy Cernach is, his home is what I’d imagined. His estate spans at least ten acres, and trees conceal his home from any main roads. When I reach the front, a fleet of expensive cars line the circular drive.

A tall man who looks like he hasn’t seen the sun in ages is waiting for me in the open doorway. I’m surprised he doesn’t search me for weapons before waving me inside. Without saying a word, he leads me straight into an office where Cernach sits behind his desk, surrounded by a thin cloud of smoke.

There are many ways I’ve imagined killing this man.

Antonio told me I couldn’t carry out any of them.

I’ve moved up as the underboss of the Lombardi family and his partner at the casino. But at the end of the day, he makes the rules. Every action we take creates a ripple effect throughout our organization.

Even if I killed him, it wouldn’t void the contract. His underboss could insist it remain in effect. No matter what, I’m in debt with the Koglins.

“Damien,” he greets as if we’re old friends. He signals for the man to leave, settles his cigar on an ashtray, and offers me one as the door shuts.

I shake my head.

He stands, strolls to the bar in the corner, and offers me a drink next.

I decline again.

He could offer me an extra heart, and I’d also decline that.

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