Page 35 of As Devils Love

“I hate to call you in when I know you’re a very busy man, but I needed you here today,” Matteo crosses his office and falls into his chair. His suit, tie and trilby hat tell me he’s expecting someone else, who isn’t me.

He’s pissed. He’s gonna try to kill you. You’ve taken too long to deal with your Little Flame.

“What’s happening?”

No need to respond to my inner voice, however I’m getting the strong feeling that it’s right about Matteo’s wanting blood. But I can’t jump to conclusions. I’m already treading on very unsteady ground, and showing my teeth to the strongest mob boss in New York isn’t going to make life any easier.

“I’m going to attend a meeting at Lorenzo Napoli’s home. I want you there with me,” he says, as if I’m not the man who has slaughtered scores of Lorenzo’s men over the past few weeks and months.

Two more last night. With no planning or preparation behind it. Anyone could’ve seen me slinking toward them. Then there’s Fiametta. Sure, she hasn’t seen my face, but I’m not exactly your average Joe in build and menace. If she painted a picture of how I look, or worse, if she recognizes me, I won’t make it out of that house alive.

“Excuse me?” I widen my eyes at his request. “I’m a hired assassin, not your guard dog.”

“Yes, you’re myexpertassassin. A title I will confer until the day I die.” Matteo opens one of his desk drawers, and pulls out a sterling silver hip flask. “But it’s going to be good for you, Crue. Your work has been impeccable. I thought it would take years to clear my list, and you’ve managed to complete it in months.”

“And now my sights are trained on Fiametta. I should focus on her.” He can keep his compliments. Walking into that viper’s den won’t do me any good. It’s a death sentence in waiting.

“Yes, exactly, and that’s why I want you to join me. Partly as a way to scope out their home. Really, you never know when it might come in handy, but mostly because the Napoli jewel is going to be present.” Matteo swigs from his flask and then drops it from his mouth with a loudahh. Was that a sign of enjoyment or disgust? “For me and the men who join me, it’s a meeting. For you, it’s a reminder of what these bastards did to you. A reminder of your mission, and fuel for your fire to get the job done.”

Oh shit. Does he know something?

Of course, he does. You’re slacking. Skinned thirty men alive like it was nothing, only to stall at a pretty face. Get your head out of your ass.

“And if I decline?” I have to ask, even if the answer is staring me straight in the face.

“I’ll be tremendously upset,” Matteo’s voice shifts to cold annoyance.

“Fine, I’ll come. But do enlighten me as to what the job is. A precise rundown, preferably, so I don’t sit around Lorenzo Napoli’s home with my thumb up my ass.” There’s definitely a better way I could have put it, but Matteo doesn’t seem to mind my outburst, as he laughs giddily at it.

“Scope out security and find any vulnerabilities in Lorenzo’s defense,” he starts, before taking another long swig. “More importantly, get eyes on Fiametta. If you haven’t already, it will be a good time to draw her out and find her weaknesses. With her security ramping up, after your killing spree, we’ll have to be tactical with her. I want a show. I want Lorenzo to suffer. But I’d prefer not losing the best assassin I’ve had the chance to work with in the process.”

“I already know her weaknesses,” I say. I keep the real truth of my answer hidden, because it is that her weakness is a misguided fascination with me and the thought of my fingersinside her. “Her weakness is that she’s Lorenzo’s daughter, and that means she’s the key to my vengeance.”

“That’s my boy.” He grins sadistically. “Now, let’s go have some fun.”

In Matteo’s mind, the word,“fun” equates to violence.

But the word sparks a completely different idea inmyhead.

“I’ll have to meet you there. Need to make a stop on the way.” I get out of my chair and start heading for the door.

“The meeting is at noon. Don’t be late,” Matteo says.

I grab my phone to check the time. I have two hours left to run my personal errand. Good enough for me.

After I’ve collected the necessities I need for my afternoon’s entertainment, I arrive at the Napoli residence just as the clock strikes twelve. Matteo’s parked outside, with a fleet of black SUVs tailing him. My BMW almost fits in perfectly.

And even though Matteo has brought an army with him, only he, his second-in-command, and I make our way into Lorenzo’s house. We’re led by a Napoli thug, from the front door, upstairs and onto a veranda overlooking the massive back garden.

The two titans of the mafia underworld greet each other, and so do the underbosses. There’s something about Tomas’s false smile as he shakes the Baronne consigliere’s hand that makes my blood boil. I won’t delude myself into thinking it’s because he’s Lorenzo’s man, though that’s a far sweeter thought than the truth.

His presence pisses me off because of what he did to Fiametta last night. And if we were alone, I’d probably give him a taste of his own medicine, just for scaring her. Only, I wouldn’t be shoving my cock inside him… It would be six inches of cold, sharp steel.

Once they’ve finished the niceties, Lorenzo turns his attention to me. For a brief moment, I fear he recognizes me. As the man whose mother he slaughtered in cold blood – not that he got hisown hands dirty, of course. While my mom was face down in the mud, he was at home watching late night TV. But perhaps he has also had a description of me from Fiametta.

“Who’s this guy?” He asks and my fears are washed away.

“A new addition to my crew. Funnily, his name is Crue, as well,” Matteo snickers at the homophone, and gestures that I should shake Lorenzo’s fat, sweaty hand. I do, much to my irritation.

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