Page 23 of Kiss of Death
Bruno shook his head. Love was such a silly and wasteful sentiment. It’s only use in his life was to bend people to his will. He’d been able to play Ivy like a fiddle because of her love for her sister, and when Otto worked for him, Bruno was able to use his love for his sisters to keep him in check.
Until Otto betrayed you.
Bruno ignored that thought and focused on the woman who was going to bring Otto to his knees. “The devil’s in the details, sweetheart. Once we’re in the final stages, you’ll get the information to meet up with your sister, and you two can ride off into the sunset. You have my word.”
But Bruno knew that wasn’t entirely true. Both women would get their freedom, but it would come at a cost, one that Ivy or Eve or both of them would have to pay.
SMOKE PULLED HIS BIKE INTOa parking spot in front of Gia’s building. He was bone tired from riding straight through with barely any stops and desperately needed some shut eye, but he wanted to see Gia first. He hated that he had to leave her in the first place with everything going on, and he’d been anxious to get back to her as soon as he left.
He walked to the front of the building, noticing one of the guys from Otto’s crew was watching her building. He was grateful her brother had the foresight to make sure she was looked after, but Smoke didn’t think anyone could protect her like he could.
He pulled out his phone and dialed her number. She picked up, and the sleepiness in her voice made him think of having the privilege of waking up to her in the mornings. “Hi, Smoke,” she yawned into the phone.
“If you were asleep, why’d you pick up?”
“Because the ringing in my ears wouldn’t go away. Where are you?”
He moved two feet over so he was directly under her window. “Outside your bedroom window like a perv.” She laughed into the phone, and it made him smile. God, he was turning into a sap.
They fell into silence, and he wasn’t sure if she fell back asleep or not. He wanted to ask her if it was okay for him to come up, but he wasn’t sure how to formulate the words. He never second-guessed himself before, he just took what he wanted, but with Gia things were different.
He heard the rustle of sheets over the phone before he heard apssst. He looked up and saw Gia’s face with sleepy eyes and a messy hair-do, sticking out the window. “You’re right, definitely like a perv. Hi, Smoke.”
Smoke hung up the phone and just stared at her. It was ridiculous the way the little black space where his heart should have been twisted into a knot at the sight of her. All at once he felt the anxiousness seep out of his body, and he felt the weight of his exhaustion hit his shoulders.
“You look tired. You want to come up?” She asked the question he had wanted to ask but felt too nervous to do so. He nodded his head not trusting his voice, and she threw her keys out the window for him to get in.
He caught them and headed upstairs to her apartment. She met him at the door with an oversized shirt that hung off one of her shoulders. She was all bare legs, and morning sun and all he wanted to do was fall asleep wrapped around her.
He reached for her neck and pulled her into him. She wrapped her arms around his waist, making sure not to touch his cut. He stared down into her sleepy eyes, wondering if this is what it felt like to come home to someone, because he liked the way she was looking at him now.
Gia yawned. “Let’s go lay down. You look like you’re about to fall asleep on your feet and I’m tired.” She grabbed his hands and led him through her apartment, and Smoke realized then he’d probably follow Gia anywhere.
Ivy walked into Tres early as usual. Otto wasn’t there to drop her off, but one of his guys was. They rode the entire way in silence, and she was perfectly fine with that. It let her stew on the predicament she was in with Otto and Bruno.
Otto kissed her again last night, and it was better than the first time. The heat that scorched through her body left her in a puddle at his feet. His touch had ignited pleasure in her when she was so used to feeling only pain. She desperately wanted to continue their night together to see if she could hold on to the feeling, but Bruno had come by like a cold shower reminding her she couldn’t be that woman. She spent the rest of her night hating Bruno and hating Otto too.
She hated Otto because he tasted like freedom to her—freedom to live how one wanted. He was unapologetic, and when he wanted her, try as he might, he couldn’t hide it or shy away from it. As much as it drew her in, she hated him more for it because her life choices led to the shackles on her feet, and even if she managed to escape, she’d always have to look over her shoulder.
Her so-called freedom would come at a cost, and she’d be trading one pair of shackles for another when she hurt Otto and helped Bruno destroy Sofia.
Ivy kept her head down as she made her way towards the locker rooms. She wasn’t in the mood for anyone tonight and wanted to sit and sulk in the locker rooms alone. She ended up running right into Otto’s chest. He quickly grabbed her arms to steady her, and just like that, her body hummed with anticipation, which only heightened her frustration. This man was so woven into her she was never going to get him out of her system.
“Hey,” he whispered down at her. His gaze was on her lips, and for a moment, she thought he was going to kiss her. “Did you sleep okay?”
No.
Once Bruno left, she tossed and turned the rest of the night. Images of Otto were mixed in with her sister’s dead body because she couldn’t hurt Otto the way Bruno wanted her to. It just added fuel to the flames that she was in a no-win situation.
“Yeah, I slept okay,” she answered, hoping to get this conversation over with.
Otto smirked, grabbing her chin and forcing her to meet his penetrating gaze. “Didn’t I tell you that you can tell me if you’re not okay and I won’t think any less of you?”
Ivy was about to respond when the doors to Tres burst open and Mary came running in with blood on her hands and face. As soon as she spotted Otto she collapsed on the floor and started sobbing. Otto immediately ran over to her. He grabbed her arms and looked her over for a wound that would explain the amount of blood on her body.
“Are you hurt?” Otto asked in hushed tones. Mary shook her head and threw herself into Otto’s arms. He lifted her up, taking her over to the bar where the bartenders were setting up. They quickly threw rags over the bar top and Otto grabbed them, wiping the blood from Mary’s face.
Ivy stayed back and out of the way. Mary looked hurt and terrified, like she hadn’t really escaped whatever was after her. “They shot him,” she kept murmuring over and over again, and it made Otto curse under his breath.
