Page 159 of Sinful Pleasure

Too bad for him— we’d already crossed that line.

A slow, cocky grin spread across my face as I arched a brow.

“Her spreading her legs for me—was that part of the business deal too, Romano?”

That struck a nerve.

His expression darkened, rage flashing in his eyes. Perfect.

If I was going to die here, I’d make sure to enjoy myself first. Bit out with a laugh, bloodied teeth flashing in a taunting grin I spoke again.

“Youmust be so proud, Mikael.”

His jaw clenched, his eyes darkening to the point they looked black. That reaction only widened my smirk.But before I could revel in it, the sharp crack of a gunshot echoed in the room.

A searing pain ripped through my leg, and I roared—a guttural sound of rage and agony, as my right leg was engulfed in a wave of fire.

My eyes darted down to the gaping wound, blood pouring out at an alarming rate. The bastard just shot me.

Mikael holstered his gun with a practiced ease, not even bothering to meet my glare.

“You’re more tolerable when you’re not running your mouth.”

He rose from the chair, adjusting his cuffs as if this were just another meeting, then turned to face me once more before stepping out of the room.

“I’ll send a doctor in an hour,” he said with a sickening smile. “Consider my generous offer by then: tell me where your father is hiding, and I might reward you with a quicker death.”

His grin widened, twisted with malice.

‘’I hope the pain speeds up your decision.’’

CHAPTER47

ALLYN

“All the stories I’ve heard about Maddox King don’t do him justice.”

Daphne’s voice chimed as she strolled into the living room.

“He’s so fucking hot, even though he’s scary as hell.”

I didn’t look up.My focus remained glued to my laptop, scrolling through files as if her words hadn’t struck a nerve.

The last thing I wanted was for her to catch the flicker of irritation on my face—irritation born not just from her mention of Maddox, but her blatant infatuation with him.

Not that I could blame her. Maddox King was impossible to ignore. As she so aptly put it, “so fucking hot.” But hearing it from her, of all people, made my stomach twist.

Daphne was the closest thing I had to a friend here.

After losing contact with Tamara and mourning Lara’s death, she was the only person who brought some semblance of normalcy into my life.My father had hired her to be my right hand, which meant she was always around. Our friendship, if you could call it that, was mostly professional, but there was a certain ease in her company I hadn’t found with anyone else.

And yet, the way she was drooling over Maddox gnawed at me in a way I couldn’t explain.

Daphne was stunning, no question about it. At twenty-one, with fiery red hair and a sharp wit, she was the perfect mix of charm and danger.

Petite yet commanding, she was a weapon in her own right—a killer with a baby face and an assassin’s mind.

“Do you think your dad would be mad if I messed around with him a little bit?” she asked— her casual tone like a dagger to my chest.

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