Page 31 of Ruthless Vow

No.I am not that man.

I cannot be that man.

Especially not with a woman who betrayed me.

With a snarl, I push to my feet, grab my jacket, the laptop, and my empty gun and get the fuck out of that room.

11

Nicole

Cruelty isnothing new to me. I am Bruno Moretti’s daughter, after all.

But Leo walking out after giving me the most intense sexual experience of my life is a new level of cruel. I tell myself he planned it that way. That he used my desire as a weapon.

Then I think of the look on his face and I can’t make myself believe it.

Maybe I’m the one who’s cruel, trying to trick myself into believing I saw something in Leo’s expression, something more than he meant for me to see. Maybe I’m just a fool.

I’m sitting in lotus pose on the floor, in the dark, trying to meditate and keep my mind clear of any anxiety or distress, when I hear the door open, and the lights flick on. Slowly, my eyes open and adjust painfully to the light as my heartbeat kicks up a notch.

I hope to see Leo, but can’t say I’m surprised that it isn’t him.

It’s Vito.

He brings in a stack of clothing and toiletries and sets them on the chair.

Then he stares down at me and rubs the back of his neck.

“I, uh, thought you might be bored. So I got you this.” He points to the pile and I realize there’s a book of crossword puzzles on top, along with a pen. “I like doing them. You can learn stuff, you know?”

“Thank you,” I say, my throat suddenly thick with genuine gratitude.

He nods and leaves.

The next day, I’m dressed in an ivory sweatshirt and sweatpants, taken from the stack of clothes Vito brought me, sitting on the floor with my back pressed to the wall, doing a crossword puzzle, when the door opens.

My heart gives a little kick before I see that, again, it isn’t Leo. It’s Luca.

“Nicole,” he says. “How’s it going, gorgeous?”

“It’s going,” I reply, wary.

My guard won’t ever be down with Luca, no matter how friendly his tone. I ignore the smile on his face, since I know it’s only surface deep.

He was on the yacht. He was one of the people I drugged. He helped capture me in the graveyard. He follows orders from Leo, no matter what the order might be.

I will go ahead and assume he hates my fucking guts.

For all I know, he’s here to torture me. Or kill me. Or both.

Could Leo order my death after what we shared?

No. There was no sharing involved.

He touched me in ways I’ve never been touched. Rough. Confident. Like my body was his to do with as he pleased. He made me come harder than I’ve ever come in my life.

But he shared nothing of himself.

---