Page 9 of The Devil Can Be Kind

“You will remain here,unharmed, until negotiations conclude with your father. The room you woke up in will be yours for the duration of your time here and you are free to move about the house, but you are not permitted to leave it.”

I fought the urge to sink to my knees in gratitude, and I did my best to keep my expression neutral and cold. Much like the man’s before me.

Our eyes fell into a kind of deadlock across the room. The stoic silence gnawed at my insides, making me feel all kinds of discomfort. I forced myself to ignore it. He was sizing me up, much like a predator sizes up his prey, and there was no way in hell I was showing him any weakness. Notnow. Not after the foundations of my ruse had been poured.

“You are free to leave.”

I didn’t need telling twice.

I spun on my heel and walked out the door as swiftly as my legs could carry me.

MARCO

My earlier conversation with Adalyn had echoed between my ears since the second the door had snicked shut behind her.

From the moment I saw her across the bar at The Venetian Prince, I had been blindsided…and I hated it. Almost as much as I hated her blatant self-assuredness.

Adalyn Mannino was not what I had expected.

Her doe-like eyes and petite stature had inexplicably duped me. She had looked sexy as hell back at my club, and yet, she had carried herself in a way that told me she didn’t know it. There was a distinct shyness about her that all but screamedCosa Nostra.

But appearances were deceiving.

There was nothing innocent or submissive about the woman that stood before me in my study. Nothing doe-like about the woman who had threatened war against my family if I so much as touched her. My blood boiled into a rage at the memory.

Never in my life had I been shown such insubordination or contempt by someone who lacked any sort of power. Even those who were considered my rivals never dared. She was a Mafia Princess and had been keenly aware of who I wasbeforethe word ‘stupid’ had left her pretty little lips…and yet she hadn’t hesitated to call me it. Just as she hadn’t shown fear when I’d glared at her, her small jaw consumed by my hand.

I hadn’t decided yet whether she was the bravest woman I had ever met or the most insolent. Either way, her disrespect had gotten to me. It pushed my buttons in a way few things ever did.

“Brother.”

Jesse’s voice broke through my internal dialogue, and I flexed my hand from the fist I had unknowingly formed.

I looked up at the two men who had entered the room.

“Communications with the Mannino’s has started to decline.” Benny informed me.

Benny was my consigliere and had worked for my family as an advisor for over thirty years, having served my father before me. He was a stout old man these days, but his advice had always been as sound as his reasoning.

He leaned forward in his chair to place a black phone on the desk between us. “I have proposed a meeting with them in the coming days. The location, for the time being, is undecided.”

“Fine. I would suggest somewhere close to Las Vegas, but not close enough for them to band together should they need too. We don’t need a bloodbath before the talking begins.”

“Agreed. I will look at available options with Wyatt and Jesse this afternoon.”

The older man rose from his chair, tipping his head in a show of respect before departing the office.

Jesse hauled himself down into the recently abandoned chair, “Looking a bit worse for wear there, Brother.” He observed.

I dragged my hands down my face, feeling the tension in my forehead.

“She’s a beauty, isn’t she?” Jesse grinned.

“She is insolent and headstrong. A mafia princess should be raised better.” I retorted.

Jesse just shook his head, “Well, I think it’s admirable.”

“Admirable?” I questioned, rising to my feet, and pouring some whiskey from the decanter nearby. I slid a tumbler over to Jesse as I re-took my seat. “How so?”

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