Page 48 of Tempted By Sin

“Why do you want to know that?” he finally asks, his tone shifting to one of curiosity.

“I just want to know why someone would pay to kidnap her only to release her unharmed.”

Enzo exhales a long breath and folds his hands over his chest. “Well, as much as I would like to share those details with you, Ace, it’s not something you need to know. As my enforcer, I need you to focus on the jobs I give you, not some girl, okay?”

My jaw clenches, and it takes everything in me not to tell Enzo that Paetyn isn’t just ‘some girl.’ She’s my girl. But if I do, he will know I’m lying about not being in contact with her after the job was completed. The last thing I need is a pissed-off Enzo.

“Okay,” I say through my teeth.

Before I can turn and leave, Frank, Enzo’s head of security, bursts into the room. His aged features are set into a hard frown, his back straighter than wood. “Boss, we need you in the control room.”

Enzo stands and lays his hands on the desk. “What’s going on?”

“We think some members of Bonanno have been stalking the premises.”

“Those fuckers,” Enzo curses under his breath. He walks out from behind his desk and locks eyes with me. “Keep your head on straight, Ace.”

The warning clings to me as I watch him leave the room, not waiting to see if I follow. I’ve been with Enzo for many years, and never once has he given me a warning like that. It should concern me that he knows something is going on, but I don’t care enough to put his mind at ease. At the end of the day, when I’m not protecting Enzo, I’m watching out for my little bird. And that means finding out who the fuck paid to have her kidnapped.

I glance at the open door to the office, checking for signs of anyone passing by, before I reach into my pocket, producing a USB drive. The desktop on Enzo’s desk is open, so I get to work downloading all the documents from previous buyers in the last three months. My eyes flick between the screen and the open door, hoping Enzo doesn’t return before I have what I need.

Betraying Enzo like this is something I wouldn’t have done a few months ago. I’m loyal to a fault and will do anything for him, but I’m no longer the same man I once was. Not after Paetyn stumbled into my life. Now, I will do anything to protect her, even if it means risking the family I have built within the Gambino gang.

Once all the files are securely on the USB, I retrieve it from the computer and ensure the mouse is exactly where Enzo left it. I slip the USB into my pocket and straighten my jacket before leaving the room, closing the door behind me.

I hear Enzo and Frank in the control room as I pass by, their voices muffled by the closed door. With my chin tipped up, I walk through the mansion and out to my car. Once I get home, I will comb through every document and find the fucker responsible for Paetyn’s kidnapping and make them wish they had never made the transaction.

* * *

A headof silver hair is the first thing I notice when I pull into the driveway. Paetyn sits on the front steps with her knees tucked up to her chest, her eyes following me as I get out of the car.

“What are you doing here, little bird?” I gaze down at her, unable to believe my eyes that she’s here on her own accord.

Paetyn stands, the top of her head barely reaching my chin. She wraps her arms around her waist, meeting my eyes. “I didn’t want to go home, and somehow, I ended up here. Is that okay?”

My fingers twitch at my side, desperate to touch her, hold her, but I don’t. I don’t want to push her away when she has willingly come to me. “You don’t even need to ask. I couldn’t be more pleased to see you.”

“I just….” She exhales deeply and shifts on her feet. “I don’t know what I’m doing.”

“Do you want to come inside?” I offer as I step past her to unlock the front door. “I can get you a drink or something to eat.”

Paetyn silently follows me into the house, waiting by the front door as I flip on the lights. When I turn to her, a fire simmers in the depths of her emerald eyes. “Actually, I was looking for more of a… distraction. I need something to take my mind off everything.”

My cock twitches, and I grin, unable to hide my pleasure at hearing the subtle double meaning in her words. “You want a distraction? Well, it just so happens that I have something in mind, little bird.”

CHAPTERTWENTY-THREE

Ace

I step forward,my eyes locked with hers. “Tell me what you want.”

Paetyn blinks at me, those soft green eyes piercing through my soul. “You,” she murmurs, her voice as sweet as her scent.

Fuck me.

That one word would be my undoing.

Everything about this woman is intoxicating and messes with my fucking head. All I want is to keep her locked up in this house so she will never have to leave me again or go home to the cheating fucker who doesn’t deserve her.

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