Page 111 of Heartless Sinner

The air catches in my throat as his offer sinks in and I search his eyes—the dangerous eyes of a mafia boss who has watched men die without flinching. Now all I see as I look at him is hisfierce devotion to me and a man who’ll do anything to keep his wife's dreams from turning to ash. “Would you really?”

“Of course. I’ll stay with you all week.”

“Oh, Micah.” I throw my arms around him and press my ear to his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart. “I love you.”

“I love you more, amore mio.” He plants a kiss on my forehead and strokes the side of my face. “How about we grab some coffee then get ready to head out?”

“I’d like that.”

Two hours later, we’re heading to the studio with an entourage of guards. I notice that the guards who travel with us are from the Creed. Not Micah’s usual men. A sign he doesn’t trust any one of them.

That’s how we get through the week. Micah stays with me the whole time. Evey time I get nervous because of the situation or because I’m just genuinely nervous, his presence calms me.

It’s not until the following week that Brahm takes his place when Micah can’t be with me because he has to take a short business trip to Boston.

Brahm stays at the house with me, takes me to work, then drops me home the next day. Micah should be back in a few hours.

Despite everything that’s going on, I’ve had a great time at the studio, but Micah’s been with me from the start, and now that I’m alone, I can’t wait for him to come home. I miss him, but I also feel safest with him, although the house is as guarded as a prison.

I walk up the stairs to the bedroom, my feet dragging. The staircase seems to stretch endlessly before me. Today’s rehearsals took it out of me, but I’ll take this type of tiredness any day over working those soul-crushing hours at the diner that left me feeling like I was one step away from the grave.

When I get inside the bedroom and set my jacket on the bed, the scent of strong tobacco and cedar hits me like a warning light trying to get my attention.

I take a deep breath to check I’m right, then I freeze in the waning sunlight as I remember where I was when I was last engulfed by that damning scent.

And who it came from.

But it can’t be.

How did he get inside the house?

My head snaps to the left as footsteps sound from the ensuite, and my soul stills when I see Anton walking out with Johnny,my brother, who’s holding a gun to one of the Creed guard’s head. Behind them is Jenson, one of Micah’s senior enforcers. Someone he introduced me to as hismost trusted. I guess I know who’s working with Anton and the Nexxus now.

Anton smiles at me. He looks exactly the same as I remember. Tall, dark, and deadly with those dead eyes that stare back at me void of soul.

Fuck. I’m in trouble.

And Micah isn’t here.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Scarlett

I stare at them all standing before me. Every muscle in my body locks into place while my lungs forget how to work. They waited for this opening, a window of opportunity when they knew Micah wouldn’t be here. A quick glance at the blood staining the side of the Creed guard’s face tells me they must have used him to get inside the house.

"Hello, little bird." Anton's thick Russian accent slithers over my heart the same way it does in my darkest nightmares. "Did you really think you could fly away forever?"

Little bird.

How ironic it is that the idea of that endearment came from me telling him I felt like a little bird who was ready to spread her wings to achieve bigger things in life. It was supposed to be symbolic of success. Now it feels like ashes in my lungs.

“You…” I gaze at Anton, my mind refusing to believe he’s here. And with Johnny. Just when I thought my brother couldn’t disappoint me any more than he already has, he had to prove me wrong. But this…working with Anton to get to me? It signals the end of us.

“I told you I’d come back for you, little bird.” Anton’s words surge forward like waves, stealing the breath from my lungs.

I spin back toward the door but Jensen's already there blocking my exit before my next thought can form. I glare at him, shaking my head. Micah trusted him so much he allocated him to me when I first got to New York.

Jenson was with me everywhere I went. It wasn’t until Micah realized his enemy could be one of his own guards that he stopped allowing Jenson to watch over me.

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