Page 76 of Massimo

Her words from echo like a shotgun blast.

She deserves to be free of this world, of its darkness and blood, and the monsters who terrorize innocents.

My fist clenches around my phone.

Will she hate me for what I have planned?

It doesn't matter if she does, though, because my plan will keep her safe and out of her father's clutches and away from the likes of the motherfucker Julien Moreau.

Nova finally gets up and starts getting ready for bed. My cock has been at half-mast watching her, and it transforms into a full-on hard-on as she undresses and walks to the dresser, opening the drawer filled with sleep wear. Anger fills me again that I have to attend this meeting, instead of being home where I should be, dealing with a threat to my family.

And taking care of my princess. I should be there, selecting what she wears to bed—preferably nothing—holding her in my lap to feed her, holding her in the dark so she learns that her monster will chase all the others away.

I shake my head, pushing my anger down. Otherwise, I might enter the meeting with my hammer fists swinging.

Nova dresses in a camisole and short set, then walks to the light switch on the wall and hesitates. I urge her to take this step.

Then, taking a deep breath, she turns off the light. She assesses the soft glow of the nightlight I plugged in before leaving, deciding whether it provides enough light before she walks to the bed.

Last night, she had slept in my arms in the darkness; no need for any lighting. That fact makes me feel like a fucking champion. When I return home, she'll be sleeping in my bed with me, where she belongs. I'll take care of her and keep her monsters at bay, even in her sleep.

She slips into the bed. I would love to keep watching her, hoping to watch her play with herself and make herself come; however, we're almost at Vincenzo's. But I'll definitely be pulling up the recording later to see if she does pleasure herself.

I close out of the security program and text Fabio in Reggio Calabria, a city two and a half hours away, conversing in Italian.

I've arrived. Will your man be here as we planned?

I'm not expecting an immediate reply, but one comes in before I lock my phone.

Welcome, Don Santoro!

Yes, Alexie will meet you tonight as we planned. It is an honor to have your business

Thank you, Fabio

I close out of the text messages and lock my phone, dropping it into my jacket pocket as we drive through the guarded gate and start up the winding driveway through the manicured grounds. Vincenzo's Mediterranean-style villa sits on a hill with white-washed walls, expansive terraces, and large windows.

As Tino drives us around the winding driveway, I spot the pool house set back from the main house. Off to the side lies a lush garden filled with lemon trees and bougainvilleas, which Maria, Vincenzo's late wife, had imported from Argentina.

Vincenzo's guards greet our entourage and open the doors, making Tino grumble that he's not a fucking prince and can open his own damn door. He's not wrong about the over-the-top pomp and grandeur at Vincenzo's home, like he's hosting dignitaries.

I grab my bag, waving the guard off. I don't need to be waited on hand and foot.

ZioMarco calls to me, "I'll meet you inside; I'd like a chat with Leo."

I nod at my uncle and Leo, Vincenzo's head of security, and walk up the steps to the villa. The door opens and a dark-headed beauty smiles at me.

"Hello, Anna."

She's Vincenzo's daughter and, like Nova, was used as a chess piece to make a powerful alliance. Vincenzo married Anna off to Nicholas Georgiadis, a nephew and heir to the Greeks, regardless that he was a piece of shit. Said husband is dead now—killed in an ambush on his way home after visiting a betrothal. Mild suspicion was cast at Anna, but she looked innocent as a lamb. Cried like a grieving widow.

She's living in the pool house now, because with Nicholas dead and no child from their marriage, his family refused to view her as a Georgiadis and to protect her.

"Massimo," she purrs, stepping back to eye me. "You're looking delicious as ever and big as fuck." Her green eyes land on my crotch, then lift to mine and she pouts. "I can never get a reaction out of you."

This is a game Anna likes to play.

I've never fucked her—prior to her marriage, she was the sacrificial virgin. After Nicholas's death, Anna tried with me. She's beautiful, but I had no interest in sinking my dick into something so complicated back then, and I have absolutely no desire to now.

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