Page 54 of Tempted By Sin

I thought I had been in the wrong place at the wrong time and became Ace’s target the night he kidnapped me. I figured he didn’t hurt me because he liked me. Maybe he’d planned to ransom me or something. I didn’t know for sure. But nothing I thought was true seems to be the case. It was staged–and all because someone had paid him–or his boss, anyway–to do it.

Why?

The question won’t stop repeating in my mind, like a drum beating mercilessly against my skull as I try to sift through the details I learned. Nothing seems to make sense as if there is a single piece of the puzzle missing that could give me the full picture.

Before Ace can respond, he lingers on a document dated two weeks before the night I was kidnapped. My name is in the subject line, followed by the details of what needed to be carried out. My heart nearly leaps from my chest at the price listed.

One hundred thousand dollars.

“What the fuck,” Ace mutters as he skims the document.

We both see it at the same time, and it feels like I have been punched in the stomach, time moving slowly around me. All the air leaves my lungs as I stare at the name scribbled messily at the bottom of the document, signing an agreement to have me kidnapped for a hundred grand.

A name I know all too well, and one I was willing to take as my own when I said yes.

Liam Aster, my soon-to-be husband.

CHAPTERTWENTY-FIVE

Paetyn

“Is that…?”

Ace’s voicesounds like static in my ears as I blink at the screen, one, two, three times, trying to process what I’m seeing right now.

My fiancé hired a mafia enforcer to kidnap me… Why? Why would he do something like that? It’s not adding up, but the evidence is staring me right in the face.

“That motherfucker,” Ace seethes, his balled fists on his thighs turning white. “I knew he was fucking hiding something.”

I’m snapped out of my daze when Ace stands, shoving the chair back so hard it crashes against the wall behind us. Before he can take a step, I wrap my hand around his wrist. His body is vibrating under my touch, and fury seeps into his ocean eyes, turning them darker than I have ever seen them.

If I were to let him go, I have no doubt he would go after Liam. Maybe even kill him. But hurting Liam isn’t going to change what he did. With him being a politician, he has a lot of eyes on him. He’s a household name at this point, so if Ace were to do something, I can’t guarantee he won’t get caught. Liam’s father is a very powerful man, so he would make sure Ace paid for his crimes. And given what I’ve learned about Ace and being part of the Gambino gang, I imagine an all-out war would erupt.

All because of me.

I shake my head. “Ace, don’t. I know you’re angry, and believe me, I’m getting there, but you can’t go after him.”

He searches my face, his jaw ticking. “He had me hired to kidnap you. I should have his head just for even thinking of bringing you harm. I’m going to make him wish he had never approached Enzo or gone through with whatever sick plan he had.”

I wrap my other hand around the same wrist, tugging him forward until his chest is pressed firmly against mine. Ace responds to my touch immediately, the fury slipping from his eyes ever-so-slightly as the tension in his muscles dissipates.

He pulls his wrist from my grip to cup my face. His skin sizzles against mine, and I find myself leaning into his touch, seeking comfort. After what I learned about my fiancé, I need support now more than ever.

“I’m going to make him pay for this, little bird,” Ace whispers against my lips.

“I know,” I murmur, my pulse thumping in my throat. “But I need to speak with him first. I think it’s time we put everything out on the table. I need to hear him admit that he did this.”

He scans my face, searching for something, but I’m not sure what. The curve of his jaw ticks before he swoops down to capture my lips. I instinctually wrap my arms around his neck, leaning into him for support as he steals my breath away.

The kiss is intense as Ace dominates my lips, claiming me with each swipe of his tongue and every time he nibbles on my bottom lip. And I let him because there is no point in fighting it anymore. Ace is the man I never knew I needed in my life. Not only does he protect me, but he puts me first every single time, and that’s more than I could say for Liam.

I’m breathless when I pull away. Ace lowers his forehead against mine as his thumb drags across my swollen bottom lip. “That fucker is going to know you’re mine, little bird. Fuckingmine.” He pulls his hand away, but not before dragging it down the base of my throat. “Give me the word, and I’ll fucking kill him. If he so much as touches you—”

“I’ll be fine,” I interject, my voice barely above a whisper. “If I need you—”

“You’ll let me know right away,” he finishes for me, leaving me no room for argument.

I nod. “Okay.”

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