Page 116 of Sin & Sapphire

“And Boris Tchérnov is using the Costa’s territory as a bargaining chip to get me to hand him Ana.”

“Fuck me,” Michael muttered. “Have you spoken to Nikolai?”

“Not yet,” I murmured. “First we need to get a handle on our own house.”

Michael looked at Angelo, ignoring me. “Do you intend to hold onto the Costa territory?”

Angelo nodded firmly. “And protect the families who depend on us. But Gio’s top men have all disappeared, including Enzo Accardi.”

“Where are you going next?” Michael asked.

“Carla Bianchi,” I answered.

“And then?”

“The Pescis.”

“I’ll get you a meeting with Enzo. Tonight.”

Angelo pulled me tight. “You won’t put her in danger.”

Michael looked my protectors up and down, scorn turning the lines of his face harsh. “Ana’s been in danger since the day she was born. She can handle it.”

43

ANA

Angelo strummedhis fingers along the table at the seedy bar where we waited for Enzo Accardi.

“I have a bad feeling about this,” he muttered.

Valentin took Angelo’s hand in his and stroked his thumb over his knuckles. “You have a bad feeling about everything. It’s part of your charm.”

I struggled to hold in my yawn. I’d never been a night owl, and sitting at a bar, after midnight, after a day as exhausting as today? I was barely holding it together.

Angelo’s lips twisted. “It’s late. I prefer to take care of my toys, and this one needs sleep.”

And there it was, finally, the stark reminder of my place in their lives. I was going to help these two assholes amass more money and more power, and when they were done, then what?

I swirled my whiskey in my glass, scowling.

“Princess,” Valentin said, releasing Angelo’s hand and taking mine. “What’s wrong?”

“What happens to me when you’ve finally got control of my father’s territory?”

Angelo growled. “Nothing. You’re ours, angel.”

Right. Until he got tired of me. Or Valentin did. Children outgrew their toys… or broke them. Why should I think I was any different? Angelo might whisper pretty words about marrying me, but we all knew it was because doing so was the best way to lock down his territory.

A hand wrapped around my thigh, creeping up under my skirt, leaving a delicious trail of heat on my skin.

“Don’t,” I snapped. “Enzo could arrive at any moment.” And I’d known Paulo the bartender since I was a kid. And the two soldiers nursing their beers at the bar. And half the folks sitting at tables.

Angelo spread his fingers, and I moaned as one of them traced against the silk of my new panties.

“I love the fact that everything you’re wearing, I gave you,” he said. He traced his finger along the silk, not forcing my legs apart, just back and forth, wherever he could reach.

My breath turned ragged, and I tightened my fingers around Valentin’s. Why didn’t I have any self-control where these men were concerned?

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