Page 12 of Burning Beauty

Franco paused the recording and twisted in his seat to pin Maria with a hard look before turning back to Nic. "Despite her failure to close the deal, there is enough in here to put the final nail in the coffin of your failing marriage."

Chapter Seven

Maria felt like she was stabbed through the heart at Franco's words. She didn't know why she felt hurt, didn't know why her body was having such a painfully visceral reaction to his bald statement. She hadn't known she was being instructed to seduce a married man. If she knew, would she have acted any different? Perhaps refused Franco's orders?

No, she would've done exactly the same thing. She would have met Nic in the bar and tried her best to seduce him. Perhaps she would have thought of him as more of a dog had she known. Maybe that knowledge would've made the entire ill-conceived plan more palatable. After all, a man that would cheat on his wife deserved to have himself embroiled in a honey-trap type of scandal.

"Certainly, my wife would be uncomfortable if she saw this," Nic drawled without looking at Maria.

She could feel her temper rising and had to make a real effort to clamp down in it so she wouldn't start screaming and throwing things. She'd spent the night with a married man. It didn't matter that they hadn't actually fucked, the feelings, the lust and intention had all been there. Maria's mama had taught her better than to get involved with a married man.

Franco snorted. "I think she'll be a little more than uncomfortable. No, I think if Cassandra Delgado got hold of this, she would divorce you and take as much as she could with her. Perhaps even implicate you to the feds. I'm sure after twenty years of marriage, she's seen a few things in your operation the authorities might be interested in getting their hands on."

Maria raised an eyebrow at that. Twenty years of marriage? How old was Nic when he got married? He looked like he was maybe in his early forties. Maria was 26. Which would have put her around six when he got married. Ew. Yet another reason to hate the man, he was a cradle robber.

"Indeed." Nic leaned back against the couch, spreading his arms wide across the back, giving his best impression of a man supremely unconcerned.

"And of course, you can't have her killed since her family is mafia royalty in Sicily. A shame, really, I've heard she'd an unbearable shrew."

Nic turned to look at Franco, his eyes taking on an icy expression of death. "You will refrain from badmouthing my wife while we conduct our business."

Maria's rising temper was reaching boiling point as the blows kept coming. Marriage, murder and a shrew who Nic apparently felt protective of. What next?

Rather than continue to test the extent of Nic's cool, Franco got to the point. "You will sign over your Nevada holdings to me, and any interests you have in the local casinos. You will also facilitate meetings between your Mexican contacts and myself so I can start moving product."

Nic’s poker face was so good, he didn’t give a single emotion away as Franco demanded what sounded like a lot. Nic turned his head to Franco, staring at him, not saying anything, making Franco sweat.

After a moment Franco broke and started talking too fast, justifying himself. "It's not much since most of your business is out East and back in Italy anyway. You don't need that little bit of business you've drummed up on my side of the continent."

"That little bit of business is worth billions," Nic drawled.

"A drop in the bucket to a man like you," Franco insisted.

"Indeed."

Maria shivered. How could Franco possibly miss the frigidity in Nic's voice. Despite it seeming like Franco had the upper hand, Maria would bet everything that Nic was the one in charge. That he was playing with Franco, much the same way a cat would play with a mouse before killing it. The only question was, when does the cat pounce?

"And what will I get in return for your taking a chunk of my business?" Nic demanded.

Franco seemed to relax back into his seat, probably believing the conversation was going his way. "I will destroy the video of your little interlude with Maria."

Maria wanted to call bullshit. She didn't fully understand the intricacies of the technology involved but she was rather certain it would be super easy to make copies of that video. Franco essentially had a hold on Nic until either him or his wife died. She was also relatively certain that a man of Nic's position would know this. While he seemed very old school, tough guy mafia, he was also relatively young for his position. He would understand the technology involved.

"This is all you’re willing to offer me for the privilege of taking over my western holdings?" Nic drawled icily, shifting in his seat to turn and look directly at Franco, his arm along the back of the couch. Maria's eyes were drawn to the clench of his fingers against the leather. While he was projecting calm and cool, she suspected he was furious. She couldn't blame him since Franco was taking the colossally stupid step of blackmailing a man who was obviously much better at this game. Just watching the two of them talk told her everything she needed to know; when the time was right Nic was going to murder Franco, and he was going to enjoy it.

"You think my offer is unacceptable?" Franco demanded. "I promise you, I am poised to send that video to your wife in the next few minutes if this meeting doesn't go how I want it."

Nic didn't seem bothered by this, and Maria was beginning to suspect he didn't actually care if his wife saw the video or not.

"You may have my western businesses and my contact list," Nic said easily, giving up billions of dollars’ worth of mafia business and contacts in the wave of a hand. "But I want the girl too. Either she becomes part of the agreement or I take everything off the table."

Franco stiffened. "What girl?" he bluffed, trying to give himself extra time.

Yeah, what girl?Maria thought, her heart pounding with fear and despair. Of course, they all knew what girl. There was only one girl involved in this disgusting trap.

Nic turned in his seat, pinning Maria to the spot with his hard amber gaze. She saw a hundred things there: longing, possession, desire, dislike, distrust. She clutched at the counter behind her and looked down.

"You will write this woman into whatever legal document you have drawn up. Her debt to you will be transferred to me effective immediately."

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