Page 36 of Sin and Deception

“I’m furious,” he growled beside me.

“That’s too tame a word for how I’m feeling,” I said. “What the hell are we going to do?”

“To her?” he asked, scoffing and shaking his head. “I have no damn clue. But whatever we decide, it’ll have to wait until we get answers. We don’t have much time.”

“Right.” I let go of Xander’s hand and turned.

My body shook under the weight of everything pressing down on it. No matter how well I concealed my emotions in response to the challenges life threw my way, in this instance, there was no way to hide anything.

I needed to pull myself together. If we were all going to survive, we had to act fast.

“Let’s clean up before we wake her,” I said, clenching my jaw. “Then we’ll handle our Angel.”

Without another word, we worked as quickly as possible, sweeping the apartment to eliminate traces of Nerine or her family.

Xander pulled several duffel bags from the closet and filled them with her photos, books, clothes, and jewelry. After we packed all the items that traced back to Nerine, we wiped down the entire place to remove any of Nerine’s fingerprints.

Given our time constraints, we couldn’t completely sweep the place but were as thorough as possible. If anyone came after us looking for clear signs of Nerine’s presence here, it would at least slow them down.

Throughout our work, my mind was in overdrive. From all indications, Xander was the same; he hadn’t said a word, only letting the occasional grunt escape his lips.

The weight of the truth pressed down on us like a boulder crushing our future. Xander and I, two reckless and unprepared men, faced the daunting challenge of becoming fathers. And Nerine, the woman we had always known to be strong and capable, was now living a lie under an assumed identity. Could she embrace the role of amother figure?

Despite all the chaos and uncertainty, I found comfort in knowing the boys seemed happy and well-cared for. I did not doubt that Nerine's mother, the only person she truly trusted, was taking good care of them. Yet, it still didn't feel right. Children deserved to be with their parents, especially their mothers.

This was nothing but a fucked up situation.

Nerine, the Angelos Angel and the Godmother of the Night for one of the most powerful crime syndicates on the East Coast, was hiding and estranged from her family and loved ones. It wasn't fair.

Fuck this.

No matter what it took, I was determined to help Nerine reclaim her rightful place as leader of her family's empire. She had shed blood, sweat, and tears for it, and I wouldn't stop until she got back what was rightfully hers.

"We have to fix this," I told Xander as he finished packing the last duffel bag by the door.

"I know," he replied grimly. "But first, we need answers."

"Right," I nodded in agreement as we headed to see Nerine in the bedroom.

"She's going to be angry," Xander warned.

"Good," I smirked. "We can all be angry together."

He grunted and shook his head disapprovingly.

"But let's try to keep ourselves in check this time," he reminded me.

"You're the one who's already hard." I chuckled as he revealed four silk scarves from Nerine's closet and began totie her to the bedpost. "Take it slow. We don't want her waking up too soon."

My arousal was growing, and I discreetly adjusted my swelling shaft.

"I've got it handled," Xander assured me with a smirk.

"I can't help but enjoy seeing her like this," I admitted, torn between my anger and desire for her in this vulnerable state.

"I get it." He nodded in understanding.

With skillful movements, he bound Nerine's limbs with the scarves to the bed. As he walked around to face me, I couldn't help but pull him close and kiss him passionately. His hand found its way to my cock, stroking it eagerly.

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