Page 29 of Assassin's Obsession

Why didn't I think of thatbeforeI let my ovaries do the walking?

"What are you doing back here?" he demands in a tone so cold it gives my heart frostbite.

But relief pours through me too. That feeling? Not my imagination. If there was any doubt in my mind that the man dressed as the Angel of Death is Angelo, that doubt is gone now.

The connection between us is real.

He might be wearing skull face-pai…no wait, it's not makeup, but a mask fitted as close as skin to his face. But it's too smooth and the mouth doesn't move when he talks.

Also, I can't see the whites of his eyes and face paint wouldn't be able to hide that, no matter how well done it is. The black holes must be some kind of mesh he can see through though.

"Do you want a dance?" Did those words really just come out of my mouth?

Angelo surges to his feet and my frost-bitten heart starts to sink. He's going to leave. Whatever his reason for watching and watching over me, it's not because he wants me.

His head jerks in a nod toward the other side of the main floor. "In the back."

That beleaguered organ in my chest stutters.

"In the back?" I squeak, sounding more like a scared little doe than a woman who has spent the last four years stripping for a living.

He waves his hand in a hurry up and get moving action.

But the back? That's where all the extra curriculars happen. I don't work those rooms. He must know that, but his air of expectancy says otherwise.

"I uh…I don't work the back," I manage to get out.

"I'm not going to ask you to fuck me. But if you want to dance for me, it's not going to be in front of anyone else."

Little does he know I dance for him in front of a room full of customers every time I'm on the stage. But the opportunity to do it in private, with no one else watching, makes my heart sing.

Turning, I wave my hand in a come-on motion and start back the way I came. He doesn't say another word, but I know he is there and my steps don't falter as I bypass grabby hands and tables filled with men shouting for me to come over.

When we reach the door to the back, there's a bouncer guarding it. Another new policy implemented by Bianca. He looks at me in concern. "You leaving early? If somebody accosted you…"

His words trail off as shock that quickly turns to horror covers his face.

He noticed Angelo behind me.

The bouncer looks between me and Angelo, the horror not abating from his features. "You want a room? Withhim?"

No time for cold feet now. I nod firmly. "Yes. Is the Pasha's Den open?"

"Yes." The bouncer gives Angelo a wary look, and then looks behind him, like he expects someone else to show up.

It's then that I realize the bouncer does not recognize the mafia enforcer, despite his costume being literally the Angel of Death.

Chapter 11

ANGELO

The room Candi leads me into is straight out of an Arabian nights fantasy.

Candi indicates a spice orange, velvet, three-section sofa that covers the entire ornately carved back wall and part of the two walls on either side. "Why don't you take a seat?"

Stalking forward, I shove aside a bunch of silk pillows and sit down in the center.

I don't know what I'm doing back here with her. She doesn't know who I am. This mask doesn't even show the color of my eyes.

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