Page 34 of My Sweetest Temptation

He shook his head violently. “No. He didn’t say anything.”

I turned away, pouring myself another drink, the amber liquid sloshing into the glass. I downed a gulp, feeling the burn.

I looked up and kept my gaze on Fredrico when I called out to my cousin. “Luca, call Phillipe. They’ll need to be under protection,” I said.

Phillipe, our lawyer, would get the necessary paperwork in place to keep Rosa and Fredrico hidden with a new identity and location until we could kill the fucker and the rest of his men.

“You got it,” Luca responded, taking off up the stairs.

I stepped back over to Rosa and Fredrico, my tone hardening. “If you had just come clean from the start, you would still have all of your fingers and your wife wouldn’t have been scared shitless.” I took another drink, the alcohol fueling my anger. “I’ll let you both go, but you’ll be given new identities and sent to live in a new location. I’ll make sure the Puppet Master can’t find you. But mark my words—if I catch even a hint that you’ve betrayed me?—”

“I won’t, Signore Moretti,” he interjected. “We will not betray you,” he promised.

I searched for any sign of deceit, but only the truth was reflected in his brown eyes.

“Th-thank you,” Rosa said.

I walked out of the room and up the stairs without acknowledging her. Demon, my dog, was waiting for me on the landing. His tail softly thumped against the floor as he wagged it.

“You were never going to kill her, were you?” Matteo asked after he and Lo joining me.

I glanced at him and narrowed my eyes. “I may be a killer, but I’m not a monster.”

He smirked. “You’re getting soft, Nico.”

I glared at him.

Now what?” Lo asked as we made our way my office with Demon beside me.

“Now we find this Puppet Master and kill the fucker.”

We arrived at my office, and I turned to Matteo and Lo. “Make sure Fredrico and Rosa are taken care of and escorted off the property safely.”

“Will do, boss,” they replied in unison.

“And ensure they’re not being followed,” I continued. “I want my men to come back unharmed.”

Lo furrowed his brow. “Wait, do you think we’re being watched?”

“We can’t be too careful. If they knew all the details about our shipments, I won’t dismiss the possibility that they’re keeping an eye on us right now.”

“So, we need to create a diversion,” Matteo suggested. “To throw them off our trail.”

I nodded. “Correct. We need to be strategic about this. Keep me posted once they’re safely out of the country. I want to know every detail.”

My men acknowledged my orders with firm nods before heading off. I made my way to my desk with my dog trotting beside me.

Leaning back in my chair, I interlocked my fingers behind my neck, gazing up at the ceiling. I shut my eyes and summoned an image of Winter, getting lost in her innocence.

Goddamn, that girl.

I still couldn’t get the picture of her out of my mind from when I hauled her ass off the stage. And when she kicked and screamed, the fire in her eyes only fueled my desire. She wanted to fight me, and that fucking turned me on. I went home that night and jacked off until my dick felt like it would fall off. But damn, it wasn’t enough. I wanted more. I wanted her.

A sly smile played on my lips when I opened my eyes. “Damn, Winter. You’ve really fucked me up.”

Demon let out a soft grunt and settled his chin on his paws, his dark eyes locked onto me.

“What?” I teased, a smirk creeping onto my face.

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