Page 55 of The Devil Can Be Kind

It didn’t take long for my moves to attract some attention, and after a few songs, I felt someone grinding up behind me. I changed my tempo to match whoever had joined, but the moment I spun around to see who it was they disappeared. I brushed it off as a passer-by and continued dancing until I felt another man’s hands on my waist. I once again moved to see the person, when the hands suddenly disappeared. This time, there was a small space in the crowd where the personshouldhave been.

Growing suspicious, I kept my wits about me as I started dancing with another person. When it happened again, I spun around just in time to catch Tom dragging the man through the crowd and away.

What the fuck?

I marched unsteadily over to Alonso who stood nearby with a smirk on his face.

“What the hell is going on?” I demanded.

“Apologies, Ma’am. Boss’s orders.”

I growled in frustration and ploughed through the crowd to the table where Don Dickhead sat.

Alcohol still simmered in my veins, completely drowning out the voice in my head that told me this was not just a horrible idea, but a suicidal one.

My anger only increased when I saw a blonde woman who looked suspiciously like the bimbo from the CCTV, perched on Marco’s lap. The other men around the table were in similar positions with an array of different women. Scantily clad legs and sky-high heels littered the scene.

Unfortunately, their presence did little to stem my boiling rage.

“What thefuckis your problem?” I yelled, coming to a stop at the foot of the table and glowering at Marco.

Everyone froze and mouths fell agape as they all turned to stare at me. Marco’s face flared with unmistakable fury,andI swallowed, regret and fear making my mouth dry as sand as I realized the extent of my actions.

To question the Don, much lessshoutat him in front of other family members was the equivalent to using an electrical cord as bungee rope when jumping off a bridge. I never would have dared the same behavior with my own family back in Las Vegas—but then again, I had a family that wanted mesimperingandweakback then.

Well… I hope I have a nice funeral.

I kept my face immovable as I stared at him, unwilling to show my apprehension and instant regret.

The muscle in Marco’s jaw worked overtime as he shoved Lexi away carelessly, ignoring her sounds of indignation. He rose from the seat and stormed over to me. His vice-like hand circling my upper arm as he pulled me away from the group, not stopping until we were through a small side door marked for staff use only.

I didn’t resist as the wall pressed into my back. Just as I didn’t flinch as his large hands gripped my arms.

Well done, you’ve finally made him snap. Are you happy now?

Fuck. No, I wasn’t. Fear prickled at my skin.

“Who thefuckdo you think you are talking to?” He questioned, voice steady as ice and as sharp as a razor.

I stayed silent.

“If you speak to me like that aga-“

“You’ll what?” I interrupted, sounding surprisingly unaffected.

For the love of God, shut up Adalyn!

He didn’t answer, his black eyes clashing against mine.

“Do not confuse my not killing you for weakness, Ada. If I wanted you dead, you wouldbedead.” One hand moved to my throat and squeezed as if to emphasize his point. “I am the Don of this family; the sooner you learn that the better.”

“You are forgetting something.” I breathed, struggling to suck in a proper breath. He loosened his hand a little in response. “You may be the Don to this family, but this is notmyfamily. To me, you are just another asshole with a Rolex.” I smiled as his expression darkened. “You don’t scare me.” I lied.

Why don’t I just douse myself in gasoline and light myself on fire?

His palm slammed against the wall two inches from my head, making me jump and sobering me up. His grip once again tightened at my throat and I fought off the rattling of another,less pleasant memory, as it threatened to resurface. I could see his teeth clench as violence shone in his eyes.

In that moment, I truly did fear him. I had no doubt that most people never lived to see him so enraged.

---