Page 29 of Kissing Danger

I felt Deacon grow tense at my side as he realized the man sitting just a few feet away was the one who had killed one of the other designers and hurt Kiki.

To distract everyone else in the room from Deacon, I took another step forward, so he was partially behind me.

“And what message is that?”

“That I know what you’re up to. You never had any interest in my business before. You’re only trying to compete with me because that spoiled brat asked you to get me off his back so he can deal with his little Russian friends.”

She really was bold if she considered the Russians to be ‘little’. Even I would hesitate before getting involved with them. Her arrogance was starting to get on my nerves.

Her bodyguards seemed to sense my shift in mood, for their hands drifted toward their nearest weapons. “D’Angelo is the same age as you. Hardly a brat.”

“Well, he acts like one.” She still hadn’t risen from the desk, and her unconcerned attitude was starting to make the other people in the room twitchy. Tension was growing with every word we exchanged, and something was going to snap soon.

I shifted so Deacon was positioned a little more behind me.

Caprice’s gaze zeroed in on the gesture.

“You know. I’m surprised you came in person. All I did was kill a civilian who happened to be employed by your new company. That shouldn’t be worth your personal time.” She nodded toward Deacon. “Are you showing off for your new pet or is there another reason you brought him along?”

She was right. Such a minor infraction against me usually wouldn’t be worth my time. The only reason it mattered so much to me was because it mattered so much to Deacon. I was giving too much information about our relationship away simply by being here.

Why had I brought Deacon with me?

Confronting Caprice on my own was already unnecessary. Bringing Deacon along just because he demanded it was borderline insanity.

The only reason I could come up with is that I was curious. He wanted to get revenge for his friend with his own hands, and claimed he was fine with my real identity. I wasn’t used to people not being afraid of me. Even Caprice’s attitude at that very moment was more show than truth. She was putting on a braveface, but Deacon didn’t need to be brave at all, because he wasn’t afraid of me in the first place.

It was a novel experience, and as much as I enjoyed it, I also didn’t trust it.

In that moment, as I contemplated Caprice’s words, I realized that this was a test. I hadn’t even realized that’s what I was doing, but I was testing Deacon to see what he was really made of. Most civilians couldn’t handle being exposed to the criminal world.

I needed to know if he was different. If he had what it took to stand by me, or if he would end up becoming just another in a long line of casual flings.

I was snapped out of my thoughts when the hitman started laughing.

“I never thought I’d see the day. The Wolf is getting led around on a leash by a pup. If anyone here is losing their touch, it’s you. A year ago, I never would have been able to get the upper hand on you so easily. The Wolf really has lost control of his pack.”

I wanted to demand that the man explain himself, but before I could, Deacon suddenly stepped forward. He had fire in his eyes and looked like he wanted to throttle the man with his bare hands, but I held him back before he could get close.

That didn’t stop Deacon from running his mouth.

“You’re the one who poisoned that cloth. You fucker. Nathan, let me go. I’m gonna kill him.”

With one hand around Deacon’s waist, I pulled him back to the far side of the room and shoved him out the door where he would be mostly out of the way.

Caprice watched the interaction with keen interest.

“How unusual. You actually let him call you by your first name. Not many are granted that privilege. Is there something special about him I’m not seeing?” With a flick of her wrist, she commanded her bodyguards. “Bring him to me. I want to get a better look at him.”

The two-armed women advanced, intent on capturing Deacon.

Were they disregarding me because of my age?

Sure, I was older than them, but I was still just as lethal as I’d ever been.

It was then that I realized my preference for secrecy had circled back around to bite me. I’d overestimated Caprice even more than I thought. She not only didn’t know my true name or my position as the true leader of the Chechen Mafia, but she also didn’t even know my fake position. Most people within the criminal world were still aware that I was someone of importance, just not how important. Caprice didn’t even know that much. To her, I was just a subordinate with a bit of power. Whenever she called meThe Wolf, she wasn’t just being snarky. She was laughing at me. From her perspective, an underling with such a grandiose moniker must seem like a joke.

She was going to regret that assumption.

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