Page 2 of Where the Wicked Reign

In our home city of Tolhurst, the Leones and the Marchettis, along with the Benzinos co-existed together, the three families each ruling over a piece of the proverbial pie. After a bloodied war a few years back, a truce had been reached and upheld ever since. It was normal—or it had been before I’d gone out on my own independently from the Family—to encounter Nico and his best friend and guard at charity events and functions.

But given that I was no longer part of all of that and the fact that they were walking into this particular building at this given time,andthat those I was supposed to meet were late, it really didn’t bode well.

Nico had his usual swagger about him with his every step, exuding that dark charm of his that served him well whenever he had to step into the limelight to keep up legitimate appearances for his family. It served to conceal—for the most part—what really resided beneath. A depraved monster. The slick designer leather jacket that his broad shoulders and muscular form filled out well couldn’t hide the truth from me, though. Neither could those striking deep sapphire eyes of his. Or the interesting combination of both pretty and rugged that he somehow radiated at the same time. His inky black hair brushed the open collar of his crisp, white shirt that was tucked in perfectly to a pair of tailored dress pants. Tattoos of vulture wings wrapping around his throat peeked out from under the shirt. His right hand was inked too with a dragon head, the rest of the tattoo disappearing beneath his shirt and jacket sleeve.

When it came to tattoos, Emilio took the cake, though. A whole lot of ink was visible all over his throat and the top of his chest, covering every inch of his thick arms that were on display in his gray tank. I’d heard rumors that they covered every inch of his body from the neck down, including his dick. That was some hardcore shit. Just like he was. As Nico’s guard and his second, that was par for the course. He had a few inches on Nico’s six-foot height, but a great deal more girth, too. He was a hulk of a man, every inch of him solid muscle. That shocking silver spiky hair of his only served to add to the intimidation factor. As did the fearsome edge he put forth in the unforgiving stare of his espresso eyes that he levied upon anyone within Nico’s vicinity.

Nico gave him a discreet hand signal, and he remained put as the former strode closer to me. “Long time, Caterina.”

A year, at least.

But I didn’t give a fuck about that.

All I cared about was what the hell the two of them were playing at.

“Where’s my lawyer and Mark?”

He lifted a shoulder. “They were intercepted.”

I ground my teeth. “What did you do to them?”

“Do? Nothing. Nothing nefarious anyway. They were merely both offered incentives to accept another bid instead of closing here with you.”

“Devil fuckers,” I muttered.

“Hmm,” Emilio uttered, with a faraway look in his eyes. “Fucking the devil… I’d be up for taking a crack at that.”

“The way I’ve heard it, it would be the other way around.”

He tensed, his eyes narrowing.

Before he could react more than that, Nico tsked at me. “Now, that’s not very nice, especially given the fact that Emilio stepped in during that Rainforest Gala a couple of years back when one of the underwriters followed you into the bathroom.”

Something I’d had handled. But they couldn’t know that. “Merely referencing what I’ve heard. And that was then. This is now. Your interference and underhanded bullshit that’s threatening to upset my business deal here.”

“Not threatening to. It absolutely will.”

“You’re making a mistake,” I warned.

“That’s not really my thing.”

“It’s about to be.”

Emilio whistled. “Damn.” He thumbed Nico. “You sure you want to challenge him? They don’t call him the Beast at the Gates for nothing.”

“Ah, yes, the Beast at the Gates of the Marchetti Syndicate. Nothing and no one gets past him to hurt the Family.” I took a step forward toward the man in question. Themonsterin question. “But, you know, all beasts can be slain.”

Nico grinned. “You believe you’re up to the task, is that it?”

I glared out at him. “If I need to be.”

He closed the distance between us in a few wide strides.

And then he reacted so quickly, grasping my jaw before I could draw in my next breath.

I fisted my hands down by my sides, knowing I had to endure the indignity for the greater good of my plans.

Plans beyond building my own empire.

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