Page 25 of Promised Vows

“I had to play a part for months to keep my father from figuring out I was making a move against him. I wasn’t going to allow him to do it. I pushed Anna away. We were close, and I knew my actions would bleed onto her. Michael would figure out what I was doing and use her against me.”

“You think Anna would have helped him?”

“No, she was my weakness. I love her, and Michael knew it. He would have had me by the back of the neck.”

A much clearer picture formed in my head. Michael, Benny, Marco. They were working together to build an empire. Three families: Greek, French, and Italian. They would have had the city locked. Money would have not only boosted their coffers, but it would also have increased their number of soldiers. They would have had an army, and anyone going against them would have been cut down at the knees.

I understood why Jason had buried the truth. A perception of weakness would have left them vulnerable. With what I knew about Marco, Jason and his entire family would be dead.

“Why didn’t you tell Anna once it was all over? Michael was gone.” That seemed an obvious question to me, and it made no sense to keep her distanced and uninformed if their father was gone.

Shaking his head, Jason sighed. “By the time everything went down, I’d pushed her so far away, I didn’t think it would matter. She needed to stay away from me. I’m still unsure who I can trust. I have dissenters. Otherwise, Michael wouldn’t be in the country without my knowledge.”

I tapped my fingers on my knee. “Lorenzo Moretti is hanging around her. He’s made direct contact twice.”

He worked his jaw. “I’ll kill him.”

“Get in line.” I looked him in the eyes. “You need to attend the meeting. It’s a big ask, but trust me, you want to be there.”

Nodding, he exhaled, “All right. I will.”

“I’m not sure why Moretti is hanging around Anna.” He cursed under his breath. “What I do know is that Michael thought I was too weak to take him down, and he was wrong. He will use anyone and anything to get back at me, including Anna. I’m not surprised he contacted her. I suspect he’s told her lies about me, and based on what happened with us, there’s a chance she’ll believe him.”

Leaning forward, I set my elbow on my knee as I soaked everything in. “She needs to stay with me. I’ve got a tenth-floor penthouse.” I smiled. “It would be easier to get into Fort Knox than my home. She’ll be safe there.” That’s if I could convince her to go, which knowing her, wouldn’t be easy. It was more likely she’d test my patience and I’d have to be the bad guy.

I would be testing how far I could get with please.

Chapter Eleven

ARI

The limo pulled alongside the curb, and I rolled down the window as Ares parked the car. “Hey, beautiful.”

We’d texted since I last saw her, but it was conversational. Playing tennis with our words as we asked about our days and how we were doing. It wasn’t nearly the same as laying eyes on her. I’d missed her much more than I realized. Now the little box I picked up an hour ago was burning a hole in my pocket.

Anna stopped mid-stride and stared at me. “Still following me, huh?” She wiggled her ample derriere at me and laughed. “Can’t get enough?”

Her effect on me was instant. Blood flow reversed course and settled below my belt. There wasn’t an inch of her I didn’t want to taste. In fact, there were several I wanted to taste multiple times.

“Never.” I winked. “Get in, and I’ll give you a ride.”

Her gaze lowered to her sandaled feet. “Yep, still got two legs and two feet, so no, I can walk.” Her eyes caught mine and one corner of her lips tugged up. I knew exactly what she wanted.

“Will you please let me give you a ride?”

Her bottom lip was caught in her teeth as she grinned. “I thought you’d never ask.”

Ares had trotted around the front of the car and pulled the door open. I stepped out, greeting her. As she walked past, I snaked my arm around her waist and pulled her close. It’d been a little more than a day since I’d breathed her in, and I needed to fill myself with her essence. Tucking my face against her neck, I took a deep breath. “I needed this.”

Her arms circled my neck, surprising me. “Needed your fix, huh?”

I laughed and leaned back, cupping her cheek with my hand. "Is that a problem?"

She trapped her bottom lip between her teeth, nodding. “Not at all.”

I made like I was going to kiss her and at the very last second, pressed my lips to her cheek.

The little growl of frustration was amusing. Her nostrils flared, and fire flickered in her eyes. “I’m not going to beg.”

---