Page 25 of The Devil Can Be Kind

His eyes found mine again, but this time there seemed to be something else swirling within them. Something I wasn’t sure I could place.

“Because I don’t punish innocent people.”

His sentence hung heavy in the air until a loud knock sounded against the door. Wyatt stepped inside and judgingfrom the look on his face, I knew my time alone with the Don had come to its end.

I seized the opportunity and fled the office, not stopping until I was in the confines of my room.

With the door firmly locked behind me, I curled up on the windowsill and listened to the gentle pattering of rain against the glass. Sobs bubbled up from my chest, breaking through the relative silence.

My family didn’t pay the ransom.

The words burned deep within my chest, burrowing into my bones. Rejection and hurt crashing into me with equal ferocity.

I may not have been the heir or had any kind of power…but blood was supposed to run thicker than water. That was ingrained into the very heart of the Cosa Nostra. The whole institution was founded on blood, loyalty and family.

Loneliness and an impending sense of dread consumed me as another sob tore free of my chest.

I was stranded in enemy territory and there was no longer a way out.

My family was not coming.

The sun had meanderedto the edge of the horizon, casting the room in a gentle golden glow as I was roused from sleep. A swift knock vibrated on the door, and I shifted against the leather chaise lounge, righting myself from the awkward position I’d fallen into.

I cleared my throat quietly, “Come in.”

A sliver of light trickled in from the hallway outside and I glanced toward it, expecting to find Jesse. With a start, I realizedthat the Don had entered the room instead, and I watched cautiously as he stopped a few yards away.

“Are you alright?” Marco’s deep voice, despite being gentle, was loud against the silence.

“Do you care?” I challenged, then immediately regretted it. I needed to tread carefully now, with my safety no longer guaranteed by my lies. “I’m sorr?—”

“Save it.” He dismissed, putting his hands in his pockets like he had done earlier. “Simpering and weak doesn’t suit you, Ada.”

My mouth slackened in shock.

I could feel his eyes burning into me and I made the monumental mistake of meeting them, unwittingly trapping myself in his predatory gaze.

He didn’t say anything further. It was like we were locked in some strange little stand-off where only he knew the rules. Another minute ticked by.

Then another.

My patience finally snapped. “Can I help you with something? Or are you just going to stand there like a creep staring at your new slave?”

Shit.

I didn’t really know what the repercussions for my outburst were going to be, but I certainly didn’t expect him tosmirk.

“An intriguing idea…but no.” His tone was almost…playful. “As you are aware, I already have people forthat.”

He scratched at his chin as a smile ghosted across his lips.

The motion was telling.

Suddenly, I understood why he had stared at me silently before, declining to speak. He hadwantedme to challenge him. To lose my temper. To snap at him.

He was provoking me.

What. The. Hell.

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