Page 43 of Spice and Revenge

But how? There has to be some way to…

An idea suddenly strikes me.

Everybody has their guard down during sex, even the great Leonardo Vitale. If I can get him into bed, I am sure I can also get him to pass out or, at least, be less conscious right after the act, and then, I will slit his throat from ear to ear. Or maybe, I will not even need a bed. My mind goes to the club I heard about from the sous-chefs.

Bingo.

My lips curve up into a victorious smirk.

“Don’t worry about me, Maximo. I have a plan.”

He sighs. “I don’t think anything I say is going to change your mind, so just be careful.”

“Always.” I hang up and hurry out of the bathroom just in time to board my flight.

Throughout the flight back to Sicily, my mind is tormented by different thoughts. I want to end Leo’s life in the most painful way possible, but a part of my heart tugs in a different direction. I fight the feeling, refusing to let anything deter me from paying him back.

I get back to work immediately after I return. Josie, Hilda, and Blanco notice that there is something different about me now. I pay no attention to their questions and speculations. All I do the entire day is wait for the sun to set.

On the outside, I’m cool as a cucumber, but on the inside, I’m a mix of varying emotions, but the predominant one is rage. Rage that is vast enough to swallow me whole. I don’t let it consume me, though. I learned a long time ago that a successful mission starts from calmness, and so I do my best to stay calm.

Moreover, I don’t want to alert anyone about my plans. The last thing I need right now is to arouse suspicion.

“I’m headed out tonight,” I say to the sous-chefs right after we’re done serving dinner.

“Hot date?” Blanco asks curiously.

“Maybe,” I reply vaguely before walking up to my room.

I take a much-needed cold shower, and unlike usual, this time I take my time to curl my hair with my hot iron and apply make-up. When I’m satisfied with my appearance, eyeliner winged and dramatic and lipstick a sultry red, I slip into a deep through lingerie complete with matching thigh high pantyhose.

I throw a shirt dress over it, put on sky-high heels and a black trench coat over the whole outfit. I still don’t know how I’m going to locate Leo in the club, but I sure as hell won’t leave that club without making a leeway in my plans.

The club is on the outskirts of the city on a private patch of land accessible through a winding, single lane road. I ignore the architecture of the building and the opulence of the interior as I walk into the doors ofSinz Swing, bracing myself for what lies ahead. My eyes roam the packed space for a particular tall, gorgeous—

I halt that line of thought. I refuse to think of Leonardo as anything but a murderer. When I finally look him in the eye to blow out his brains, I don’t want to remember that I came on his fingers and his tongue.

“And what do we have here?” a voice whispers into my ear.

I freeze momentarily, cursing myself for being so distracted that I didn’t notice someone sneaking up behind me. I am losing my touch.

I turn around and meet familiar eyes shining with amusement. “Marco,” I give him a cool nod.

“What brings you by?” One brow hooks up inquisitively.

“What brings anyone to a club?” I shrug. “I wanted to let loose.”

“Did you now?” he drawls.

I go stiff with trepidation as I detect an edge in his tone. Marco isn’t buying the bullshit I’m selling. His eyes search mine for a tense second before his face lights up with a big grin.

“You can keep your secrets, Chef, but do me a favor, would you?” he chuckles. “Let’s have a bit of fun at Leo’s expense.”

“What? No. That’s insane. He’s my boss, and—”

He grabs me by the elbow and quickly steers me towards a back room before I can get my bearings. “Cut it out, Chef. You can fool anyone else, but you can’t fool me. You can’t lie to a liar. It's obvious you’re here for Leo, so indulge me.”

The room is a dressing room of sorts, but I keep my eyes firmly on Marco, wondering if he knows who I really am.

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